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South Africa: AMCU application rejected in bid to resolve work stoppage
A South African labor court has thrown out an urgent application the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) to stop platinum firms communicating directly with miners, as both sides deliberated over government proposals to end the crippling 5 month wage -related work stoppage.
Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum and Lonmin took their wage offers directly to strikers after talks with the AMCU to end the stoppage failed.
The AMCU objected to the move and filed an urgent application to have it halted, but the union’s lawyer, Jayson Kent, said the court had thrown it out, arguing it was not an urgent matter.
The labor court is currently mediating the dispute and new mining minister Ngaoko Ramatlhodi has assembled a government team to negotiate a solution to what is already South Africa’s longest and most costly labor dispute.
“The government gave proposals to all parties on Friday and we now have to consider them for approval,” said Impala Platinum spokesman Johan Theron.
The proposals were made by the government team after the producers and union presented their positions, he said, adding that the employers had not revised their pay offer.
The AMCU is demanding a basic monthly wage for its members of 12,500 rand (US$1,200) within 3 – 4 years, while the companies have offered pay hikes of up to 10 percent that reach that figure by 2017 if ancillary benefits are also included.
