Striking platinum miners reject offer
Source: Agencies |
November 11, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MORE than 30,000 striking workers at Anglo American Platinum's Rustenburg mines in South Africa rejected the firm's new offer yesterday, a labour leader said.
Amplats said on Friday it offered a 4,500 rand (US$520) one-off payment and agreed to start wage talks ahead of the expiry of current agreements next year. The offer would lapse if workers do not show up for work on Monday.
"Nobody is going back to work on Monday. The strike continues," labour leader Evans Ramokga said. "We are not happy with the conditions, like the final warnings and threats of disciplinary actions for dismissed workers."
The company fired 12,000 workers who went on an illegal strike in Rustenburg.
The cost of the wildcat action, in its second month, is mounting and Amplats said it had lost almost 168,000 ounces in platinum production, worth more than US$250 million at current spot prices.
The one-off allowance would cost the world's top platinum producer 220 million rand.
Amplats said it could not afford wage increase demands being made. Workers want a salary increase of 4,500 per month, which would add about 2.6 billion rand to the company's wage bill, it said.
South Africa's gold and platinum sectors have been shaken by months of illegal strikes which have resulted in the around 50 deaths.
Amplats said on Friday it offered a 4,500 rand (US$520) one-off payment and agreed to start wage talks ahead of the expiry of current agreements next year. The offer would lapse if workers do not show up for work on Monday.
"Nobody is going back to work on Monday. The strike continues," labour leader Evans Ramokga said. "We are not happy with the conditions, like the final warnings and threats of disciplinary actions for dismissed workers."
The company fired 12,000 workers who went on an illegal strike in Rustenburg.
The cost of the wildcat action, in its second month, is mounting and Amplats said it had lost almost 168,000 ounces in platinum production, worth more than US$250 million at current spot prices.
The one-off allowance would cost the world's top platinum producer 220 million rand.
Amplats said it could not afford wage increase demands being made. Workers want a salary increase of 4,500 per month, which would add about 2.6 billion rand to the company's wage bill, it said.
South Africa's gold and platinum sectors have been shaken by months of illegal strikes which have resulted in the around 50 deaths.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
