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Cape Town - Reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has rejected a government wage proposal to end the crippling five-month strike are untrue.
"That is simply not the case," Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa told Fin24 in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
Mathunjwa on Wednesday took the latest offer by Lonmin [JSE:LON], Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] and Anglo Platinum [JSE:AMS] to a mass meeting of workers.
The offer, involving an R800 increase was rejected by the meeting "because it was really just the same offer management put forward months ago", said Mathunjwa.
He and the union had confidence in Mines Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi and felt that the minister seemed to have a "clear understanding of the issues".
Negotiations were ongoing and Ramatlhodi was meeting with the mining companies and would continue to meet with Amcu negotiators. Details of what has been discussed at these meetings are being kept under wraps by both parties.
Worker committees mandated their negotiators a month ago to table the proposal that the demanded R12 500 entry level wage for underground workers be phased in over four years.
This was rejected by the companies although there was an apparent expectation by union negotiators that a counter proposal for a five-year phasing-in of this amount would be put.
It would then have been taken to the striking majority.
The recent surge in public support for the strike, manifest in donations of cash and food, also appears to have strengthened the resolve of the strikers.
Various religious and political groups around the country are collecting food parcels that are being delivered to the platinum belt by the Gift of the Givers.
- Fin24
Also read: It seems many people share the view that low pay is better than no pay, says Terry Bell in this week’s Labour Wrap.
Do you have questions for Terry or anything labour-related you'd like him to cover in his next labour wrap? Drop us an email.
* Terry Bell is an independent political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.
"That is simply not the case," Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa told Fin24 in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
Mathunjwa on Wednesday took the latest offer by Lonmin [JSE:LON], Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] and Anglo Platinum [JSE:AMS] to a mass meeting of workers.
The offer, involving an R800 increase was rejected by the meeting "because it was really just the same offer management put forward months ago", said Mathunjwa.
He and the union had confidence in Mines Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi and felt that the minister seemed to have a "clear understanding of the issues".
Negotiations were ongoing and Ramatlhodi was meeting with the mining companies and would continue to meet with Amcu negotiators. Details of what has been discussed at these meetings are being kept under wraps by both parties.
Worker committees mandated their negotiators a month ago to table the proposal that the demanded R12 500 entry level wage for underground workers be phased in over four years.
This was rejected by the companies although there was an apparent expectation by union negotiators that a counter proposal for a five-year phasing-in of this amount would be put.
It would then have been taken to the striking majority.
The recent surge in public support for the strike, manifest in donations of cash and food, also appears to have strengthened the resolve of the strikers.
Various religious and political groups around the country are collecting food parcels that are being delivered to the platinum belt by the Gift of the Givers.
- Fin24
Also read: It seems many people share the view that low pay is better than no pay, says Terry Bell in this week’s Labour Wrap.
Do you have questions for Terry or anything labour-related you'd like him to cover in his next labour wrap? Drop us an email.
* Terry Bell is an independent political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.
