16 October, 2015A ten day strike in the South African coal sector has ended after employers and the National Union of Mineworkers reached an agreement on a two year wage deal.
30,000 members of IndustriALL affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) went on strike on 4 October after negotiations deadlocked and a dispute was declared. Coal production in all major mines including multinationals Anglo American Coal, Exxaro, and Glencore was affected.
The agreement deal, which the NUM has in principle agreed to, will see entry-level underground workers receive increases of US$60 to US$80 a month in the first year and a guaranteed increase of 7.5 per cent in the second year. Higher paid workers will get increases of between 5 per cent and 7.5 per cent.
“This agreement should assist in bringing stability to the sector as NUM members face the challenges that are to come”, says Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director.