[miningmx.com] – THE National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) poured scorn on an open letter published by Northam Platinum this week which spelled out the economic effects of a wage-related strike saying the letter was an expensive posture aimed at extracting a solution from “… the public gallery normally dominated by the company’s think-alikes”.
The union’s chief negotiator, Ecliff Tantsi, said in a separate announcement that the union, which represents 80% of workers at Northam Platinum’s 1,000 oz/day Zondereinde mine, would march on the platinum producer’s Johannesburg offices at 10am tomorrow (November 26).
“We have not heard anything from management since the last meeting under the auspices of the CCMA [Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration] section 150,’ said Tantsi. “The NUM is still open for further negotiations with the company and we would be on standby for 24 hours.’
NUM’s choice words, however, were saved for the open letter Northam published in City Press and Business Day which the union said had cost the platinum producer hundreds of thousands of rands.
“The Northam leadership thinks that the solution could emerge from the public gallery normally dominated by the company’s think alikes who believe that squandering hundreds of thousands of money (sic) on adverts is the preferred evil than channelling that money to address wage demands and alleviate workers living conditions,’ the union said.
It sought the high ground over Northam and rival, the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (AMCU) saying its strike had been “bloodless’ and that it had desisted from violent action in the past.
It added that it was operating on a mandate from workers and that Frans Baleni, secretary-general of the NUM, was not the chief negotiator (the letter was addressed to Baleni).
“Unfortunately, the open letter in the City Press and Business Day is an expensive public posture intended to mislead the South African public while making the CEO [Glyn Lewis] famous for what reason we are yet to know,’ it added.
In its letter, Northam said that it had increased its annual wage offer to workers at Zondereinde on three separate occasions and that its current 8% to 9% offer was in line with recent gold wage settlements. Lifting wages further would imperil the mine’s financial viability, it said.
NUM has not adjusted its initial demands which represent an increase of between 25% and 42% for entry-level workers. The stakes are high as wage disputes have also been called at platinum producers where AMCU is the majority union.
“It is in the interests of the sector that Northam holds firm since what is settled there will likely set the benchmark for the other mines,’ said Investec Securities in a note to clients this morning. “The union is no doubt aware of this,’ it said. “However, this is clearly putting Northam under major financial strain.’
The NUM was unmoved, however. “The notion of employers offering so called “final offer’ is a typical point, a manifestation of their intransigence,’ it said. “This kind of intransigence is responsible to thinking that writing public letters to the negotiating partner who is just at the opposite side of the boardroom table is part of persuasive skills,’ it said.
