[miningmx.com] – THE Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (AMCU) will tomorrow (January 30) ask its 80,000-strong platinum industry members to consider a revised three-year wage offer which proposes a 9% increase for entry-level workers in the first year.
Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin, which constitute about 70% of South Africa’s platinum productive capacity, said the offer was intended to take workers on “a journey” towards a basic R12,500 per month pay.
They added, however, that meeting that target in the first year – the level that AMCU says it is mandated to do and on which its six-day strike is predicated- was “impossible”.
“The offer was based on a set of principles aimed at taking our sector on a journey towards the goal of a R12,500 monthly pay package, but in a manner that is affordable and sustainable to the industry,” the companies said.
“Given our situation, this can be achieved only by means of a multi-year agreement based on total guaranteed pay. A R12,500 basic wage is simply not feasible in the foreseeable future,’ the said.
The platinum firms and AMCU plan to reconvene the wage negotiations on January 31 under the auspices of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) (Friday) which could see an agreement. Industry sources said the AMCU was not seeking a protracted strike either.
The platinum firms calculated that daily revenue losses for the three companies due to strike activity are estimated to be R198m with employees losing up to R88m per day in wages.
The details of the offer are for a three-year agreement with increases of between 9% for A-level, 8.5% for B-level and 7.5% for C-level in the first year increasing to 8% for A-level, 7.5% for B-level and 7.0% for C-level in the second year.
In the third and final year, wage increases are 7.5% for A-level, 7.5% for B-level and 7% for C-level, the platinum producers said.
