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Johannesburg - The parties in the platinum sector will hold talks over the next few days in a bid to end the ongoing strike, a negotiator says.
"We remain committed to effective and sustainable talks with Amcu," Abey Kgotla, chief negotiator for the platinum producers, told reporters outside the Labour Court in Johannesburg.
Anglo American Platinum, Lonmin and Impala Platinum were in the Labour Court on Tuesday to oppose the urgent interdict of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union to prevent them from speaking directly to union members through SMSes.
Leave allowances
The parties decided to put the SMS interdict case on the back burner and concentrate on ending the 17-week-long strike, Kgotla said.
Instead of the court case being heard, parties spent Tuesday meeting behind closed doors.
Amcu members downed tools on January 23 at platinum mines in North West and Limpopo, demanding a basic monthly salary of exactly R12 500.
They have rejected the companies' offer that would see a minimum cash remuneration of R12 500 by July 2017.
The cash remuneration includes a living-out and holiday leave allowances, but excludes medical and retirement benefits, as well as any bonuses.
The strike has cost employers about R18.5bn in revenue and employees have lost about R8.2bn in earnings, according to platinum mining companies' websites.
Complex undelying issues
Earlier Kim Jurgensen, a spokesperson for the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) said the government should get all the parties in the platinum mining sector talking again.
Jurgensen said: "We call on all parties to move away from the entrenched adversarial positions they have adopted. There must be willingness from all parties to try and find solutions.
"This crisis needs to be resolved, for the sake of the workers, their families, the industry, and the country as a whole."
She said the protracted and violent strike highlighted the complexity of the underlying issues driving it.
"This is not just a dispute over wages. It is fuelled by inter-union rivalry and the dire socio-economic conditions of the workers.
"Their resolve to pursue what they see as decent wages is further galvanised by a deep sense of social exclusion and the memory of their brethren who died during the 2012 Marikana tragedy."
The new mediation talks would be facilitated by the Labour Court over the next three days at an undisclosed venue.
Previous negotiations between the parties were facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
"We remain committed to effective and sustainable talks with Amcu," Abey Kgotla, chief negotiator for the platinum producers, told reporters outside the Labour Court in Johannesburg.
Anglo American Platinum, Lonmin and Impala Platinum were in the Labour Court on Tuesday to oppose the urgent interdict of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union to prevent them from speaking directly to union members through SMSes.
Leave allowances
The parties decided to put the SMS interdict case on the back burner and concentrate on ending the 17-week-long strike, Kgotla said.
Instead of the court case being heard, parties spent Tuesday meeting behind closed doors.
Amcu members downed tools on January 23 at platinum mines in North West and Limpopo, demanding a basic monthly salary of exactly R12 500.
They have rejected the companies' offer that would see a minimum cash remuneration of R12 500 by July 2017.
The cash remuneration includes a living-out and holiday leave allowances, but excludes medical and retirement benefits, as well as any bonuses.
The strike has cost employers about R18.5bn in revenue and employees have lost about R8.2bn in earnings, according to platinum mining companies' websites.
Complex undelying issues
Earlier Kim Jurgensen, a spokesperson for the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) said the government should get all the parties in the platinum mining sector talking again.
Jurgensen said: "We call on all parties to move away from the entrenched adversarial positions they have adopted. There must be willingness from all parties to try and find solutions.
"This crisis needs to be resolved, for the sake of the workers, their families, the industry, and the country as a whole."
She said the protracted and violent strike highlighted the complexity of the underlying issues driving it.
"This is not just a dispute over wages. It is fuelled by inter-union rivalry and the dire socio-economic conditions of the workers.
"Their resolve to pursue what they see as decent wages is further galvanised by a deep sense of social exclusion and the memory of their brethren who died during the 2012 Marikana tragedy."
The new mediation talks would be facilitated by the Labour Court over the next three days at an undisclosed venue.
Previous negotiations between the parties were facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
