NUM and other unions will hold a joint mass meeting on February 13
Photo by: Creamer Media
After seven months of deadlocked wage negotiations with metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and Uasa will be holding a joint mass meeting on February 13 to address their members regarding the latest developments.
The mass meeting will take place at the Masizakhele Stadium in Driefontein, Carletonville.
The purpose of the upcoming meeting is to get a new, collective mandate from all members of the four trade unions.
All workers at Sibanye’s Kloof, Cooke, Burnstone, Beatrix and Driefontein operations have been invited to attend the mass meeting.
“Unity of workers is non-negotiable,” the NUM said in a statement on February 10.
The union leaders will report on developments regarding the conditional offer on wages and other conditions of employment tabled by Sibanye during the wage discussions that took place at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, in Gauteng, on February 4.
On February 7, Mining Weekly reported that Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis believed an agreement might be “within reach” after what he called a “marathon negotiation session” between Sibanye and the unions the previous Friday, adding that Solidarity would encourage its members to consider the new offer favourably.
Sibanye previously was prepared to pay miners, artisans and officials represented by Solidarity a 4.1% increase for the first year; a 4.7% increase for the second year; and a 4.7% increase for the third year.
At the February 4 meeting, the offer was revised upwards to a 5% increase for three years running.
The 5% offer is above the average inflation rate for 2021. It is also higher than the South African Reserve Bank and National Treasury average inflation forecasts for 2022 and 2023. The revised offer follows a pattern of several years of above-inflation increases.
For category 4 to 8 employees, Sibanye previously offered an increase of R520 for year one; a R610 increase for year two; and a R640 increase for year three. Under the revised offer, this has been amended to an increase of R800 for all three years.
The revised offer was made after the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration issued a certificate of non-resolution.
The certificate permitted the unions to initiate a strike within 12 months. It also permitted Sibanye to implement a lock-out within the same period. Both parties, however, were required to give 48-hour notice to the other before enacting their rights in this regard.
So far, neither party has initiated either a lock-out or a strike, in the hopes that the matter could still be resolved through diplomacy.