[miningmx.com] – SOUTH Africa’s new mines minister, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, may be on the verge of staging a surprise coup after his compromise wage deal aimed at ending a 19-week platinum strike drew upbeat comments from the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (AMCU).
“We responded to the proposal’ made by the team, AMCU president, Joseph Mathunjwa, told Bloomberg News. “We’re hopeful that the minister will call the meeting and then we’ll take it from there,’ he said.
Speaking to Reuters later on June 3, he was more forthcoming describing Ramatlhodi’s intervention as the actions of someone “willing to help”.
“For the first time we have someone who is willing to help,” Mathunjwa said. “On his first day in office he set aside everything and dealt with this matter. We are encouraged by this,” Mathunjwa told Reuters.
Neither the platinum producers nor AMCU have outwardly supported the proposals – which are thought to include a R800 per month increase to basic wages – but the suggestion seems to have broken the ice between the sides.
Charmane Russell, spokesperson for Impala Platinum, Anglo American Platinum and Lonmin said the producers were assessing a plan that the minister’s technical team had considered “a fair and reasonable compromise considering the companies’ financial circumstances and AMCU demands”.
The Department of Minerals Resources issued its own statement last night in which the minister declared himself to be “… encouraged by the progress we have made on this matter”. He said the meetings had also involved labour deputy minister Phathekile Holomisa and Godfrey Oliphant, deputy minister of mineral resources as well as Bishop Joe Seoka from the Bench Marks Foundation and Advocate Dali Mpofu from political party, the Economc Freedom Fighters.
Not all are encouraged, however. A UK analyst commented that the latest wage proposal was from the government’s ‘technical team’ and not endorsed by the mining companies. It presented wage increases “way above where they said they [platinum companies] couldn’t afford any more”.
“I’d be a bit surprised if this goes very far. It probably leaves Lonmin the most exposed because the other two can probable accept it and move to slash high cost output and manage that way,” he said.
