Sibanye-Stillwater to meet unions as strike looms at gold mines

Miners work deep underground at Sibanye Gold's Masimthembe shaft in Westonaria. Reuters/Mike Hutchings

The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), which has been mediating between the two sides, cleared the unions to give strike notice a month ago after declaring a stalemate in wage talks.

A Sibanye spokesperson said a meeting with unions would take place this week, but did not specify a date.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity and UASA have been negotiating as a united coalition for the first time. NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu told Reuters on Monday that a Sunday meeting of NUM, AMCU, and UASA workers had voted to reject Sibanye's latest wage offer.

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Majority vote to strike

"They rejected it. The majority voted to embark on a strike," Mammburu said.

He added that the coalition of unions would only serve Sibanye with a 48-hour strike notice after meeting the company's management if the deadlock remains.

Sibanye's final offer, tabled on 4 February, would increase underground workers' wages by R800 a month in each of the three years under negotiation. Other categories, including artisans and officials, would get 5% increases over the same period.

Mammburu said the unions' demand of R1,000 a month increases for each of the three years remained unchanged.