South Africa’s AMCU Union to Set Wage Demands for Platinum Sector

 

Reuters, 16/05 14:16 CET

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Members of South Africa’s Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) will on Thursday begin meetings to decide on pay demands for platinum companies as wage talks loom, a spokesman said on Monday.Manzini Zungu said the union’s branches would put forward their wage demands which would be consolidated at national level ahead of talks with Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum and Lonmin.

The existing two-year wage deal between the companies and unions expires at the end of next month.

Platinum companies are still reeling from the effects of a record five-month strike in 2014 led by AMCU – the biggest union in the sector – when it sought a more than doubling in wages to 12,500 rand (556.59 pound). In the end, the workers settled for raises of around 20 percent annually.

The lengthy strike, pay increases and low commodity prices forced firms to cut thousands of jobs, sell mines and delay projects. Amplats sold off its Rustenberg mines to Sibanye Gold to focus more on its mechanised mines. 

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Source: Euronews