Amcu tables R12 500 salary hike demand in gold mining industry
THE ASSOCIATION of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), the secondbiggest labour union in the gold mining industry, wants the minimum wage for entry-level employees to more than double to R12 500 a month by the beginning of July.
The gold sector is on its knees, as mining houses have cut jobs amid soft metal prices and rising costs, and unions will be fighting for a “living wage” in negotiations, which are expected to begin next month.
Joseph Mathunjwa, the Amcu president, said yesterday that mineworkers were enslaved. “What we have put forward will liberate the workers,” he said.
Amcu is asking for miners and artisans to get a R6 500 monthly increase and a R7 000 monthly increase for officials in categories B1 to B7.
The union also wants a review of employment benefits share options schemes, a minimum severance package of R80 000, and a R4 000 living-out allowance.
It is demanding no work on Saturdays, and for employees to work five days a week or 45 hours a week. The union also wants nine-month maternity leave.
Amcu represents about 29 percent of the 94 500 gold employees at AngloGold Ashanti, Sibanye Gold and Harmony Gold, according to the Chamber of Mines.
The union’s bitter rival, the National Union of Mineworkers, the biggest union in the gold sector, reportedly demanded a R10 500 minimum wage for entry-level underground employees from R5 700.
Peter Major, an analyst at Cadiz Corporate Solutions, said the country’s mining industry, especially the gold mines, was in decline and poor relations between the unions, the government and mining companies would accelerate this.
He said: “Our gold industry has been shedding jobs since 1988 and this accelerated by the mid-1990’s. A falling gold price was partly to blame – but an increasingly adversarial labour and political environment did not help. The gold price greatly improved in the past 10 years – but the toxic ‘local environment’ has continued to degrade into almost a war-type attitude.
“Now it’s nearly irreversible as so much disinformation, bad feelings, under-investment and damage has been done,” Major said.
Mathunjwa claimed yesterday that Amcu membership had almost doubled to 40 000 workers from 27 000 workers in the gold sector. He wants membership to be verified ahead of the negotiations, claiming that the union has disagreed on the numbers.
“We have made it clear to the chamber that these negotiations will be based on majority status,” Mathunjwa said.
“We have referred organisational rights disputes of four mines to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration at more than four mines. We will give the names in due course.
“Many mines don’t want to grant us organisational rights.”
The union does not want to negotiate under the Chamber of Mines. “We have told the chamber that it cannot be a player and a referee. There must be a neutral facilitator and the venue must be outside of the Chamber of Mines.
“Amcu has not signed a recognition agreement with the Chamber of Mines.”
Charmane Russell, a spokeswoman for the three major gold mining companies, confirmed that Amcu’s demands had been received. “The companies will be considering the demands and make considered responses to the unions when formal negotiations begin,” she added.
Amcu led the crippling fivemonth wage strike in the platinum belt last year.
Gold mine bosses including Neal Froneman, the chief executive of Sibanye Gold, had previously warned that inflated wage increases would lead to retrenchments.
“We cannot worry about what chief executives say. Harmony is talking about closing shafts, we cannot be detracted by monopoly capital from our strategy of fighting for a living wage,” Mathunjwa said.
Last week Harmony said it would shed 400 jobs at its Masimong mine. The Chamber of Mines’ chief negotiator, Elize Strydom, was not available for comment.