JOHANNESBURG – The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Tuesday that it would start wage negotiations with Kumba Iron Ore as the three-year agreement came to an end on June 30.
The NUM said it would table the demands of its members in Kumba Iron Ore operations in the Northern Cape, in Kolomela and Sishen mines on Thursday.
NUM chief negotiator at Kumba Iron Ore, Lucas Phiri, said the union’s demands amongst others were improved salaries for workers, better conditions of employment, housing, and improved Employee Share Ownership Scheme (ESOPS).
“We will be approaching these wage negotiations with an open mind looking at the performance of the company, share price, and inflation,” Phiri said.
“But what we know is that the price of bread for the rich is the same price of bread for the poor and the working class.”
The NUM represents the majority of employees in the Northern Cape and in Kumba and it is still the majority union. Kumba is one of the biggest iron ore producers in the country.
The NUM said it was looking forward to interesting and objective wage negotiations and believed they would reward employees.
