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Johannesburg - There is hope that the crippling platinum mine strike will come to an end as government, labour and business make progress on secret negotiations.
Mining Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi said on Wednesday that he hoped to resolve the strike by the end of the week. "Its a work in progress, but so far so good," he told Reuters.
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) was also optimistic that the five-month stoppage could be nearing an end.
Amcu members at Lonmin [JSE:LON], Impala Platinum (Implats) [JSE:IMP] and Anglo Platinum (Amplats) [JSE:AMS] downed tools on January 23, demanding a basic monthly salary of R12 500.
Ramatlhodi said he was hoping to get the union and the companies around the negotiation table by the end of Thursday after meeting with them separately.
Ramatlhodi's task team, charged with resolving the longest strike in South African mining history, was due to sit down with the management of the three platinum firms on Wednesday, a day after meeting with Amcu leaders.
Earlier, Amcu President Joseph Mathunjwa said the latest round of talks "went well", while a newspaper reported the union had agreed to a government wage proposal.
Business Report newspaper, citing an unnamed source close to the government negotiating team, said Amcu had accepted a wage hike slightly less than its current "living wage" demand.
The union wants R12 500 a month as a basic minimum wage to be achieved in four years.
The companies have offered pay increases of up to 10%, which would raise the overall minimum pay package to R12 500 by July 2017, although this includes cash allowances for necessities such as housing.
Implats spokesperson Johan Theron said the companies were ready to respond to the government recommendations, but did not provide any details.
Ramatlhodi has been praised by Amcu for his readiness to resolve the strike in his first week in office after numerous rounds of talks fell apart.
"Attitudes have hardened because of the length of the strike but slowly we are moving forward," Ramatlhodi said.
