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Johannesburg - The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union will have discussions with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in Johannesburg on Friday as part of efforts to end the strike in the platinum sector, the commission said.
"As part of the mediation process the mediators met with the platinum employers [on Thursday] and are scheduled to meet with Amcu [on Friday] at 11:00 at CCMA national office."
Members of Amcu at Lonmin [JSE:LON], Anglo Platinum (Amplats) [JSE:AMS], and Impala Platinum (Implats) [JSE:IMP] embarked on a strike on January 23, demanding a R12 500 basic salary for miners.
The platinum producers proposed a three-year agreement last month. The proposal was a nine percent increase for A-level workers, 8.5% for B-level and 7.5% for C-level workers in the first year.
CCMA director Nerine Kahn said the meeting with platinum producers on Thursday was "constructive".
"While the mediation process appears to be proceeding gradually, the pace of such processes cannot be hurried if one wishes to achieve progressive social dialogue and lasting solutions," Kahn said.
The CCMA has been mediating talks between the union and the platinum companies since January 24, but on February 5 the talks were adjourned so that the CCMA could engage with the parties individually.
Earlier, the department of labour denied Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa's intimation that the department intended to deregister his union.
Spokesperson Page Boikanyo said in a statement that the registrar of labour relations' office wrote a routine letter to Amcu, enquiring about its compliance with legal requirements.
"Letters of this nature are routinely sent to many trade unions and Amcu is not being singled out by the department.
"Moreover, an investigation by the department does not necessarily lead to cancellation of the registration of a trade union."
On Thursday, Mathunjwa reportedly claimed in an SABC interview that the department was questioning the Amcu leadership's authority, which indicated "an agenda".
"There are many questions that are posed to us by the department of labour that are very questioning; the very same department is the one that is facilitating the wage negotiations [in the platinum sector].
"If they deregister Amcu because they want workers not to have a home, then they will be pushing us to form a political party. That is what we don't want to do."
