Photo by: Duane Daws
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Trade unions, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity and Uasa on Friday accepted the latest gold wage offer tabled by gold producers AngloGold Ashanti and Harmony Gold.
However, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) had rejected the three-year agreement, effective July 2015 to June 2018, and been granted certificates of nonresolution by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration over a dispute with AngloGold, Harmony and Sibanye.
The NUM, Uasa and Solidarity collectively represented the majority of employees at AngloGold and Harmony and about 62% of employees in the gold companies represented by the Chamber of Mines (CoM).
No deal had been struck between the unions and Sibanye Gold, as the gold producer had stipulated that the agreement was conditional on all four unions accepting the offer.
“Feedback from Sibanye employees suggests that the majority of employees, including AMCU members, are in favour of accepting the current offer and the company will continue to engage with AMCU to reach an agreement,” Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman explained.
Talks between Evander Gold Mines and the NUM continued.
The wage settlements represented a 10% to 13% increase in basic wage for entry-level employees, taking their salaries, excluding bonuses and overtime, to between between R97 000 and R106 000 a year, said CoM negotiator Dr Elize Strydom.