Hope recedes as Amcu adds extra pay demands

Karl Gernetzky

A LAST-DITCH bid to end the longest mining strike in South Africa's history faced a new threat yesterday after the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) made fresh wage demands that could scupper a deal struck last week.

"The new and additional demands, if granted, would mean huge additional costs of about R1-billion in aggregate," Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin said jointly. "The companies simply cannot afford the additional wage demands."

Amcu added additional pay demands to an in-principle agreement reached last week with the strike- hit platinum producers‚ with hope receding as a result that the parties are moving closer to ending the five-month stoppage in the sector.

Amcu submitted written responses to Lonmin‚ Amplats and Implats on Monday‚ listing additional demands‚ including a once-off R3000 back-to-work bonus, an end to criminal and disciplinary charges against members, and a moratorium on retrenchments.

Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole said yesterday the new demands were unaffordable.

"The response [from Amcu] contains new material outside the principle agreement‚" she said.

There had been optimism from the producers‚ Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi and Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa last week.

Mathunjwa had said there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Amcu had conducted a series of mass meetings last week‚ where members endorsed signing a broader wage agreement that would see R1000 increases on basic pay for entry-level workers for three years.

Amcu had‚ however‚ asked for an inflation-based increase for housing allowances and reinstatement of 225 essential service staff dismissed at Lonmin, and pushed for a three-year agreement. – BDlive