JOHANNESBURG – Exxaro  said it planned new talks with a South African union to try and end a strike, while another strike led a Rio Tinto-BHP Billiton titanium joint venture to shut operations.

The diversified South African miner said on Monday it would, however, maintain an offer for an 8% pay rise that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has rejected, saying the offer was reasonable and above the rate of inflation.

The NUM, which began the strike at Exxaro's mineral sands unit on August 23, is demanding a 14% pay rise.

Exxaro said fresh talks would be held on Wednesday under a conciliator.

"Exxaro believes that a strike is not the way to resolve matters, which can rather be resolved by means of constructive engagement," the company's spokesman said in an email to Reuters.

NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said earlier that the union would soon decide on whether to expand the strikes at Exxaro and Richards Bay Minerals, the Rio Tinto-BHP Billiton joint venture, to include other facilities owned by the companies.

"A decision might be taken between tomorrow and Wednesday as to when a national strike at the companies begins," Seshoka said.

The strike at the Rio-BHP JV, which has a nominal titanium slag capacity of 1,06-million tons per year, began on Friday.

"We still have a 100% closure," Seshoka told Reuters, referring to the Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) operations.

"There is no date for any talks. The strike will continue," Seshoka said.

But Bheki Gumbi, general manager for human resources at RBM, said some units were still operating and that there had not been a total shutdown of the facility.

"We are carrying on with some of the production areas," Gumbi said, declining to give any details.

Gumbi said the union had a total of 586 members at the operation, while NUM has claimed to represent 1 700 workers at RBM.

NUM is demanding a 10% rise in a one-year deal, while RBM is offering 8% in a three-year deal.

South Africa's inflation rate slowed to a four-year low of 3,7% in July.

The continent's biggest economy has been hit by a wave of strikes and strike threats in both the private and public sectors, which have led to above-inflation settlements and stoked fears that the cost of living will rise.

Exxaro shares were up 1,3% at R111,90 at 14:41 GMT, compared with a 1,57% rise on the JSE's Top-40 JSE index.

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