Johannesburg - The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is demanding a 15% wage increase for its members, firing the first salvo ahead of the start of two-year wage talks for the gold and coal sectors.
"NUM believes it is something the Chamber [of Mines] can afford with ease, given the huge infrastructure development in the country which led to huge demand for coal as well as the gold price and the commodity being a safe haven for investors," the trade union said in a statement released on Monday.
The talks to settle a fresh two-year wage agreement will be held against a backdrop of global economic turmoil and widescale job cuts in the South African mining industry, something the country's largest mineworkers' body has said it will take into account.
NUM submitted its demands to the Chamber of Mines (COM) on Monday morning, ahead of the formal start of wage talks in May.
Demands include that medical aid be given on an employer-employee basis of 70-30, a minimum basic rate for entry level underground workers of R5 000/month, a minimum living-out allowance of R1 500 per month and a home owners' allowance of R5 000 per month or 25% of the monthly repayment of the mortgage.
The gold industry had a tough 2008 and largely missed out on the benefits from a record high gold price of above $1 030 in March as it grappled with the effects of a week-long shut-down in January due to power shortages, and government demands for it to curtail energy usage by 10%. High input costs also ate heavily into margins.
Read more here
Monday, April 20, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)