This week, AMCU stipulated a R12,500 entry-level wage for its members in South Africa's platinum sector as well as other general condition of employment demands.
This amounts to a 56% increase as a minimum wage for its lowest paid members who currently take home approximately R8,000 per month. Union president, Joseph Mathunjwa, also called for a 15% increase in wages for higher paid employees when the negotiations start on 12 July.
The union also demanded allowances for mining, processing, support services and engineering staff to be increased.
He demanded an increase of R6,500 per month (pm) for housing allowances, a living out allowance of R3,000 pm, meal allowance to be R100 per day, transport R2,000pm, night shift and shift increase by 15%, underground allowance to all underground employees R2,000pm and drilling allowance will be R2,500pm.
Other conditions of employment that AMCU called for included a reduction of working days to five as the union believes it will assist in reducing the amount of accidents in mines.
South Africa’s institutionalised collective bargaining system is rapidly growing and becoming unresponsive to the needs of the lower earning workers in a low wage regime where two thirds of the labour force earns less than the mining sector's median earnings, he said.
Inflation has perpetuated "slave wages in South Africa's economy and attempts to collectively bargain outside the orthodox parameters is regarded as radical and militant. This creates uncertainties to those who have benefitted from the system".
Mathunjwa believes that trade unions have over the years been "marshals of their own oppressions", legitimising the exploitation of workers by forcing them to conform with institutional mechanism which they do not have control over.
“Analysis of the geology of unemployment in SA shows an economy that has a history of high unemployment levels due to structural constraints. The economy has failed to create jobs despite there being a commodity boom; while employers were enjoying so much of their profits while the country did not achieve full employment between year 2000 and 2007,” Mathunjwa commented.
When asked about an impending strike if wage demands are not met, Mathunjwa said that AMCU is not intending to strike, but if the employers do not meet their demands then the union would consider strike action as a last resort.
The country has a somewhat torrid history when it comes to wage negotiations, with prolonged periods of strikes, with damage to property and injuries being the norm every year. The bloodiest of these was the infamous Marikana Massacre in 2012 in which 34 miners were killed.
Meanwhile the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) demanded a 20% increase in wages across the board when it tabled its platinum wage demands.
