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Johannesburg - The board of Northam Platinum [JSE:NHM] in Limpopo must intervene in stalled pay talks between the company and workers, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Tuesday.
The union marched on the company's offices at its Zondereinde mine, near Amandelbult, urging the board to probe factors contributing to the wage strikes at the company.
"We further demand that the board cannot sit on the sidelines and be spectators while the situation has reached this point. We demand that the board must be fully involved and provide leadership."
The NUM said in a memorandum it believed a solution could be found.
"The company cannot bury its head in the sand and hope that after sending sms's to the employees the strike will be solved... We call upon the company to come and negotiate," chief negotiator Ecliff Tantsi said.
NUM members went on strike at the Zondereinde mine last Sunday, demanding an increase of R2 100 for core workers, such as rock drill operators, and R2 000 for non-core workers.
The union rejected the company's revised wage offer on Thursday. It entailed a 7.5% increase for non-core category two to eight employees, and 8.5% for core employees in the same categories.
In categories nine and 10, the company revised its offer to 7% for non-core workers and 7.5% for core workers, and the living-out allowance to 7%. The company was proposing a two-year wage agreement.
Tantsi said the workers were opposed to a two-year wage deal.
"Our members are further demanding that the employer must respond to the demands that are presented by the workers."
He said workers were prepared to consider a staggered offer if the company could not meet its demand for a R2 100 increase for core workers and a R2 000 increase for non-core workers.
"Our members are also opposed to the implementation date of the wage agreement from August 1, that the company is offering, and are in favour of July 1," said Tantsi.
