National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu told FTW Online today (Monday) that the union would officially begin its coal sector strike on Sunday, November 19.
This after it announced last week that it had received a strike certificate following the collapse of wage negotiations between the union and the Chamber of Mines (CoM).
Mamburu noted that the union would serve the Chamber with a 48-hour strike notice on Thursday, November 16.
However, the Chamber said this was not the best course of action for the trade union to take and highlighted that employees in the coal sector were among the highest paid employees in the mining industry.
“Strike action will not be in the best interests of the industry or the stakeholders who depend on it,” CoM’s lead negotiator for the coal wage negotiations, Motsamai Motlhamme, told FTW Online.
Companies participating in the collective bargaining employ around 14 000 people or 20% of the entire coal labour force, with NUM representing around 70% of the 14 000.
“In terms of production, the companies represent around 50% of total coal mining production,” added Motlhamme.
Collective bargaining for the sector began in July this year when NUM demanded a once-off amount of R1 100 for 2017 and an 8% wage increase in 2018.
The Chamber then tabled its final offer in early October where larger coal companies offered entry-level to operator employees an increase of R1 100, paid in three parts for 2017, and a guaranteed increase of 7.5% for the second and third years. The smaller companies offered increases ranging from 5.5% and 7% for the first year with a guaranteed increase of between 6% and 7% in the second and third years.
Motlhamme said that neither party could reach an agreement and had met again last week as part of a conciliation process facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
During this meeting, employers provided revised offers in order to settle the dispute but all parties were once again unable to come to an agreement and a certificate of non-resolution was issued.
“Once a union has been granted such a certificate, it has the right to approach its members to obtain a mandate to proceed on a protected strike,” added Motlhamme.
