Amcu: R12500 or we strike again

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union will press on with its demand for a minimum monthly wage of R12500 at all mines this year, it has said.

The largest union in the platinum belt recently won the right to strike at the three leading platinum producers after wage talks failed.

Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said members had given the union a mandate to serve Impala Platinum with a 48-hour strike notice but he did not reveal when the union would notify Impala .

"We have the mandate and we'll serve it at the appropriate time.

"We will notify everyone when we go on with the strike," he said.

Impala Platinum spokesman Johan Theron said the mining company had not heard from the union 's negotiating team since last month and he expected it to speak to Impala before striking.

Theron said that a minimum monthly wage of R12500 could not be achieved immediately, though it was possible in the long term.

"The R12500 is an emotionally charged number.

"We've taken note of it and we've presented our position to them about market concerns and profitability.

"We've emphasised that we all have a responsibility to ensure our demands are sustainable."

The union is asking its members for a mandate to strike at Anglo American Platinum and at Lonmin.

At Northam Platinum, in Limpopo, striking members of the National Union of Mineworkers rejected the latest pay offer by the company.

The union said Northam's latest offer was for an increase of between 9% and 9.5%, whereas it was demanding pay hikes of up to almost 40%

Amcu's Mathunjwa said that, in spite of the recent poor performance in the mining sector, the union was within its rights to make the salary demands.

"Our members are not stupid. They get affected by inflation like everybody else.

"They have children to look after and have seen the huge profits that go to London instead of being [invested] here.

"What's the point of spending 11 hours underground to earn R4000 to R5000?"