The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has submitted its key wage demands for the period from 2021 to 2023 to gold sector employers.
It is seeking a 15% across the board increase in salaries and that the wage gap must be narrowed to a 10% difference between categories.
Further, it has asked that all living-out allowances be harmonised to a housing allowance of at least R5 000 a month.
It has also asked for a minimum stand-by allowance of R5 000 a month and a call-out allowance of R500 per call.
The union is also demanding that employees be given ten days leave if they contract Covid-19.
The union points out that it will, this year, negotiate with gold mining companies on an individual basis, outside of the traditional centralised collective bargaining council.
"Our negotiating team is ready. We have submitted our key demands and we will await dates from the gold sector employers.
"We believe our demands are fairly reasonable and could be easily met by the employers," says NUM acting general secretary William Mabapa.