SA gold mine strike shows no sign of end

JOHANNESBURG – Gold miners forged ahead with a national work stoppage in South Africa yesterday, declining fresh wage offers from employers trying to end the biggest strike in 18 years.

The protest went into its fourth day as some 100 000 members of the leading National Union for Mineworkers (NUM) and the smaller Solidarity union refused separate offers from mining giant AngloGold Ashanti, fourth-ranked Gold Fields, world number six Harmony and South Deep, a smaller mine partly owned by Canada’s Placer Dome. The strike has seen about 74 per cent of the workforce walk off the job, costing South Africa’s gold industry an estimated 130 million rand a day.”We’ve had improved offers from Gold Fields and Harmony but not as high as we want.They are certainly far better but we sent them back to take a good look at what they’re offering,” NUM spokesman Moferefere Lekorotsoana told AFP.The unions are demanding increases of between eight and 12 per cent.The Chamber of Mines, representing the employers, initially offered a five per cent pay increase for miners and 4,5 per cent for higher-income workers, prompting unions to announce strike action.But since then, the four mines have approached the unions separately with new informal offers.AngloGold Ashanti and South Deep on Monday put a new offer on the table, saying it would give workers an increase ranging between 5,25 per cent and 6,5 per cent.Gold Fields and Harmony made separate offers on Tuesday but Lekorotsoana, who did not want to divulge the details of the offer, said it was not enough.Solidarity spokesman Reint Dykema said there was some “outstanding issues” in the offers.”For now, the strike continues,” he said.South African gold mines have been feeling the pinch of a stronger rand, foreign exchange controls and depletion of resources, prompting fears of large-scale job losses in the industry.- Nampa-AFPThe strike has seen about 74 per cent of the workforce walk off the job, costing South Africa’s gold industry an estimated 130 million rand a day.”We’ve had improved offers from Gold Fields and Harmony but not as high as we want.They are certainly far better but we sent them back to take a good look at what they’re offering,” NUM spokesman Moferefere Lekorotsoana told AFP.The unions are demanding increases of between eight and 12 per cent.The Chamber of Mines, representing the employers, initially offered a five per cent pay increase for miners and 4,5 per cent for higher-income workers, prompting unions to announce strike action.But since then, the four mines have approached the unions separately with new informal offers.AngloGold Ashanti and South Deep on Monday put a new offer on the table, saying it would give workers an increase ranging between 5,25 per cent and 6,5 per cent.Gold Fields and Harmony made separate offers on Tuesday but Lekorotsoana, who did not want to divulge the details of the offer, said it was not enough.Solidarity spokesman Reint Dykema said there was some “outstanding issues” in the offers.”For now, the strike continues,” he said.South African gold mines have been feeling the pinch of a stronger rand, foreign exchange controls and depletion of resources, prompting fears of large-scale job losses in the industry.- Nampa-AFP