WAGE negotiations at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations have been referred to mediation, said the National Union of Mineworkers which described the miner’s latest offer as “insulting”.
The union has demanded a R1,500 increase per year for three years for category 4 to 8 workers, and an 8% per year increase for artisans. Sibanye-Stillwater’s offered a 4.5% per year wage increase, a R50 increase to the Living Out Allowance, and a R30 increase to the medical aid subsidy, the union said.
“The proposed increases do not keep pace with the rising cost of living, and our members deserve better,” said Mpho Phakedi, NUM General Secretary and Chief Negotiator at Sibanye-Stillwater Gold Operations.
“The NUM Sibanye-Stillwater Gold branches view this offer as an insult to the hardworking men and women who generate immense wealth for the company under hazardous conditions beneath the earth’s surface,” he added.
As backdrop to the negotiations is a record-breaking gold price. The metal was last trading at $4,037 per ounce, slightly off its all-time high on Wednesday of $4,059.05/oz.
Gold mining comprised 50% of Sibanye-Stillwater’s interim earnings and is likely to be a similarly strong contributor for the 12 months ended December given the performance of the metal.
NUM said it had referred the wage negotiations, along with other trade unions AMCU, UASA and Solidarity to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), adding that it would “not back down”.
The last wage deal, which was only for 12 months and comprised a R900 increase for entry level miners and a 5.5% hike for artisans, ended in June.
