Johannesburg - Joseph Mathunjwa, president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), has challenged the CEO of Anglo American Platinum [JSE:AMS] (Amplats) to spend a week sleeping in a hostel to experience the harsh conditions mineworkers were subjected to.
"The CEO of Anglo earned R17.6m... in 2012, yet Anglo cannot pay a worker R12 500," Mathunjwa said on Tuesday.
He said that was 326 times more than workers were being paid.
The union was handing over a memorandum demanding that Amplats agree to its R12 500 entry level pay demand.
The struggle for a living wage in the mining sector is just beginning, said Mathunjwa.
"The struggle is just beginning to transform the sector. They said you have been on strike for eight weeks. That is nothing, the struggle started at the Union Buildings on March 6," he told workers.
He said the building occupied by Anglo American in Johannesburg was built though the blood of mineworkers.
"The foundations of this building were built though the blood and sweat of our forefathers," he said to the applause of the crowd.