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Amcu leader: Miners must benefit

Johannesburg - Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said on Thursday the union's R12 500 per month wage demand was "non-negotiable", dashing hopes of a speedy resolution to the five-month stoppage pushing South Africa towards recession.

He said mineworkers have not reaped the fruits of democracy.

"Our members must benefit. We have to start a new chapter," he told reporters on the sidelines of an application at the Labour Court in Johannesburg.

The court was hearing an application by the Chambers of Mines to have an interim court order preventing the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) from striking in the gold sector.

The chamber approached the labour court after Amcu issued strike notice to gold and platinum producers in January.

Mathunjwa said Amcu wanted the court to dismiss the application.

"We want the court to dismiss this application, to give our members their right to strike. We are fighting slave salaries."

He said negotiations in the platinum sector were ongoing.

"Our board members are our members, they are the ones to decide," he said referring to the platinum sector negotiations.

Amcu was demanding a basic salary of R12 500.

"The R800 a month offer was the same offer proposed by the labour court and rejected by members."

Amcu members at Lonmin [JSE:LON], Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] and Anglo American Platinum [JSE:AMS] downed tools on January 23 demanding a minimum salary of R12 500 a month.

They rejected the companies' offer that would bring their cash remuneration to R12 500 by July 2017.

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