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Johannesburg - Platinum producers Lonmin [JSE:LON], Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] and Anglo American Platinum [JSE:AMS] are expected to oppose an urgent court interdict by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) over its direct communication with striking employees at the Johannesburg Labour Court on Tuesday.
Sake-Beeld reported that Amcu had applied for an urgent court interdict to stop the mines from communicating a new wage offer directly to workers.
The application was filed in the court last Monday.
Amcu wants the court to stop the companies from directly contacting some 70 000 workers.
The mines have been communicating directly with their employees for the past two weeks to convince them to accept a new wage offer made in April.
This came after the employers' talks with Amcu leaders deadlocked.
Amcu argued in court papers that the SMS campaign and pre-recorded phone messages to workers from the companies breached the recognition agreement with the mining union.
In a joint statement last Wednesday, the three companies said their efforts to end an almost four-month-long strike were not in contravention of regulations or agreements.
The companies would ask the court to endorse their communication efforts to find a resolution.
Amcu members at the three companies in Rustenburg and at Northam in Limpopo downed tools on January 23 demanding a basic monthly salary of R12 500.
The strike has reportedly cost the companies over R18.6bn in revenue and workers more than R8.2bn in earnings.
