On Friday, an agreement was reached between protesting Impala Platinum Refinery workers and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), after police fired rubber bullets into the crowd, ending a four-day strike.
One man was shot nine times, while 11 others were also injured.
The strike started last Tuesday, after workers disputed the outcome of a meeting held on September 20, regarding wages and benefits.
Mpho Moere, NUM branch secretary, says the mine granted employees a wage increase ranging from 7% to 10% for the different clusters, but that workers demand 9.5% to 10% instead.
On behalf of workers, NUM settled for an increase of 8% for clusters C-lower and B7, 8.5% for B5, and 10% for B-lower and B-upper.
Although the same increases were expected for accommodation benefits, workers were satisfied with a 0% to 4% increase for the first year and an increase of 4% to 7% for the second year.
Workers also demanded higher medical aid contributions.
They asked for R750 per month for the main member and spouse, and R500 for each dependent thereafter, says Moere.
However, workers accepted an offer of R524 for the main member, R352 for their spouse, and R213 for other dependents.
“We are working with fumes and too many employee are sick,” says Moere.
Lastly, after staying unchanged for 12 years, the mine granted workers a 13.5% shift allowance increase.
“We believe the settlement, under the current economic climate, is a very good one for our employees,” says Impala group executive Paul Finney.
The parties also agreed that the historical practice of a 2% guaranteed bonus will cease with immediate effect.
Retirement fund contributions and standby allowances were not addressed in the final agreement.
The agreement is applicable to all permanent level BL to CL employees of the company and will apply for a period of two years, from July 1 to June 2018.
Moere still maintains that their claims were reasonable, as the company’s latest financial report indicated an increase in production and that the commodity price has increased.
He says it is not enough for the wage gap to be closed between workers from the different clusters, but that they expect this to be done across the board in the future, starting with senior management.
Click here to see more photos of the strike.
