[miningmx.com] – BEN Magara, CEO of Lonmin, and his platinum industry counterparts, Terence Goodlace and Chris Griffith, the CEOs of Impala Platinum (Implats) and Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) respectively, said workers were being offered promises by the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (AMCU) that could not be met.
In a joint statement to the JSE, the platinum companies – which comprise about 75% of all South African production, and 60% of global output – added that the strike would not benefit workers.
The three companies had offered 8% to 8.5% for category 4 to 8 employees and a 7.5% increase for miners, artisans and officials as well as accommodation and other allowance increases against the current inflation rate of 5.3%.
“AMCU’s current wage increases are unaffordable and unrealistic. It is of great concern to the platinum companies that employees are being made promises by AMCU that cannot be delivered upon,” the companies said.
In 2012 and 2013, the three companies lost a combined 879,400 ounces of production as a result of strike action worth R12.54bn and saw workers forgo wages of R1.18bn, excluding bonuses and other benefits which they were then not able to earn.
In a context of an 19% decline in the platinum price, the combined industry workforce fell from 145,000 to less than 134,000 in the two years from December 2011 to December 2013, the companies said.
“This is a time when the industry can ill afford further losses of production and jobs due to strike action,” they said.
