Cape Town - Fin24 user Grant Mitchell suggests a method to clearly show what makes up the demand for R12 500.
He was responding to a call for debate on the platinum miners strike by labour columnist Terry Bell in his weekly Labour Wrap.
He writes: "Why don't you do a total cost to company for the miner that is demanding R12 500 per month. Then break his current package down (be it basic salary at x, housing at y and medical at z, tax deduction etc.
"Then in the next column of your spreadsheet do a breakdown of the new demands
so that the ordinary person like myself can really see where or what
this increase the unions are looking for actually is."
Terry Bell responds:
Hi Grant
That's a difficult ask since the companies are not always that forthcoming with their figures and various costs (or estimates of costs for something like living out allowances or hostel accommodation) vary from company to company.
Since the capex for hostels was long ago discounted and maintenance costs seem minimal, hostel accommodation should barely feature in these in cost to company calculations (but accommodation estimates often are).
Living out allowances seem to vary between R1 500 and R1 800. It sometimes seems to me to be a bit of a dog's breakfast dragged into the 21 Century from times long past and dealt with in an ad hoc way.
Anyway, since I do not have the resources to tackle the sort of project you envisage, but would also like to see such results, I have been talking to a couple of economists in the hope that they will provide. We'll keep you posted on Fin24.
Regards
Fin24 user
- Fin24
* Terry Bell is an independent political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyFin24 have been independently written by members of the Fin24 community. The views of users published on Fin24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent those of Fin24.
He was responding to a call for debate on the platinum miners strike by labour columnist Terry Bell in his weekly Labour Wrap.
He writes: "Why don't you do a total cost to company for the miner that is demanding R12 500 per month. Then break his current package down (be it basic salary at x, housing at y and medical at z, tax deduction etc.
"Then in the next column of your spreadsheet do a breakdown of the new demands
so that the ordinary person like myself can really see where or what
this increase the unions are looking for actually is."
Terry Bell responds:
Hi Grant
That's a difficult ask since the companies are not always that forthcoming with their figures and various costs (or estimates of costs for something like living out allowances or hostel accommodation) vary from company to company.
Since the capex for hostels was long ago discounted and maintenance costs seem minimal, hostel accommodation should barely feature in these in cost to company calculations (but accommodation estimates often are).
Living out allowances seem to vary between R1 500 and R1 800. It sometimes seems to me to be a bit of a dog's breakfast dragged into the 21 Century from times long past and dealt with in an ad hoc way.
Anyway, since I do not have the resources to tackle the sort of project you envisage, but would also like to see such results, I have been talking to a couple of economists in the hope that they will provide. We'll keep you posted on Fin24.
Regards
Fin24 user
- Fin24
* Terry Bell is an independent political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyFin24 have been independently written by members of the Fin24 community. The views of users published on Fin24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent those of Fin24.