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Johannesburg - Wage negotiations between unions and gold producers are set to resume with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) next week, the dispute resolution body said on Thursday.
"A notice was sent to all parties and the Chamber of Mines. The process will continue on August 13 and 21," the CCMA said in a statement.
The National Union of Mineworkers, Solidarity, and the United Association of SA declared a dispute after talks with the chamber deadlocked last month.
They then referred the matter to the CCMA.
Gold producers have offered a 5% increase in respect of wages and benefits.
NUM wants surface workers to earn a minimum of R7 000 a month, and underground and open-cast workers R8 000 a month.
Solidarity wants a 10% increase. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has tabled the highest demand -- a 150% increase in entry-level underground wages.
Solidarity's General Secretary Gideon du Plessis said the wage talks were "slow and worrying".
"We feel a bit worried and frustrated at the slow pace... the process is not even halfway and we have not made much progress," said Du Plessis.
Most of the time was spent in discussion between Amcu and facilitators, as they tried to get Amcu to be part of the negotiations.
However, Du Plessis said he was optimistic that next week's round of negotiations would yield progress.
"We were starting to get a sense that we might have to think outside the box in order to reach a settlement and not concentrate wholly on the actual percentage," he said.
