Amcu says gold miners' pay should be doubled

14 May 2015 - 02:06 By Reuters

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union wants the basic pay of entry-level workers in gold mining to be more than doubled - setting the stage for tough pay talks in an industry battling dwindling profits. Earlier this week it was reported that rival union the National Union of Mineworkers would demand an increase of up to 80% for the lowest-paid underground workers.Amcu leader Joseph Mathunjwa said yesterday that his union, which led a record five-month long strike in the platinum industry last year, wanted a monthly wage of R12500 for workers who currently earn about R6000."The mineworkers are enslaved across the country. Whatever we put forward is to liberate the mining workers from this oppression," Mathunjwa said.Mine owners had no immediate comment on the Amcu demand. Wage negotiations are due to start next month.Amcu also called for a doubling of wages in the platinum sector last year, sparking a costly industry stoppage. In the end, it settled for raises of about 20% a year.Platinum companies found the increases and the long strike hard to swallow. Lonmin said last week it would cut 3500 jobs at its South African mines.Mathunjwa said the union was talking to Lonmin about the retrenchment plans."Lonmin has been engaging with our members and we have been talking about it. They won't just start cutting jobs; we will talk," he said.Mathunjwa said the union would hold a mass meeting to assess the workers' response to the planned job cuts.The belief is prevalent among mineworkers that the industry's earnings have not been fairly shared with them.Amcu swept to popularity in the platinum sector by poaching thousands of members in a bloody turf war with arch-rival NUM and has since spread its influence into the gold and diamond sectors.Amcu represents 29% of workers in the gold sector, according to an industry website, with NUM claiming 54% of the workforce. Other workers belong to smaller unions, and some are not members of any labour groups.The NUM secured a wage deal with Gold Fields last month and will seek massive pay increases in the rest of the gold mining sector, a source familiar with the union's intentions said...

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