[miningmx.com] – SOUTH African deputy president, Kgalema Motlanthe, said sense would prevail in wage negotiations and described wage demands in the gold mining sector as “opening gambits”.
The National Union of Mineworkers has asked for as much as a 60% improvement in the wages of entry-level gold industry workers while its rival, the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union has asked for a 100% improvement. Wage talks are due to kick off formally on July 11.
In an interview with The Financial Times, Motlanthe also outlined the dangers of excessive wage demands.
“The choice is you push and the mine shuts down and you have no workers to unionise,”Motlanthe told The Financial Times. “Instead you have all these thousands of workers who expect the union to fight for their reinstatement.’
Motlanthe said the framework agreement, over which he presided was written because there was recognition the mining industry was struggling.
“It’s recognised. That is why we had to bring all stakeholders together – precisely because we understand that the industry is struggling,’ he said. “It’s critical because mining remains central to the South African economy.’
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