RUSTENBURG – Trade union Solidarity was on Monday meeting with Sibanye Gold’s management to discuss the union’s demand that the agreement concluded with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) be extended to skilled workers, the union said.

Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis said the union would meet Sibanye at 14:00 on Monday.

“The agreement, which applies to Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) members at job categories 4-8, follows in the wake of AMCU’s threat early in April that its members would strike for higher wages.

“The agreement with AMCU is based on the wage increases contained in the wage agreement Solidarity, NUM (the National Union of Mineworkers) and Uasa had reached with Sibanye in October 2015,” Du Plessis said. He said under the latest agreement, only categories 4-8 employees would receive an additional monthly pay of R25 during the first two years of the agreement, as well as an additional monthly pay of R75 during the third year of the agreement.

The unions had agreed to a R675 increase for the first two years and R725 in third year. However, AMCU would receive an additional R25 in years one and two and R75 in the third year.

Du Plessis said Solidarity’s issue with the agreement had to do with the principle behind the agreement, rather than with the additional pay as such.

“Sibanye went back on its promise as they assured the other trade unions at the time of reaching last year’s agreement that, should they sign the wage agreement, there would be no further negotiations with AMCU and no concessions would be made to AMCU. Solidarity, NUM [National Union of Mineworkers] and Uasa agreed to it reluctantly but with the sustainability and stability of the mine industry in mind,” he said.

Du Plessis said it would appear that Sibanye and AMCU were not taking into account the financial and safety interests of skilled workers in the recent agreement.

He believed AMCU and Sibanye were trying to justify it by arguing that the agreement was reached within the framework of a so-called peace agreement.

“However, the physical safety of employees has now become a burning issue, especially as violence and intimidation are rampant during AMCU strikes. In the process, the safety of skilled workers, who normally do not participate in strikes, is prejudiced. Moreover, violent strikes result in major financial losses as strikes lead to downscaling of production and workers forfeit their production bonuses,” he said.

“The so-called peace agreement does not recognise those risks and dangers affecting skilled workers, and it is disappointing that AMCU is recruiting skilled workers merely to collect their membership fees without promoting their interests at the negotiating table.”