South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has declared a dispute with De Beers following the collapse of four-month-long wage negotiations. The announcement came following its recent meeting held at the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre in Midrand.
The NUM revealed that negotiations with De Beers have broken down, leading to the declaration of a dispute at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA). This dispute has set the stage for a potentially lengthy and damaging strike, as NUM members are currently being mobilised for a protected indefinite strike. Workers are demanding a wage increase of 9%, while De Beers has offered only 6%.
“We cannot allow bosses to make workers suffer for a crisis that is not of their own doing. The private sector is benefiting from government interventions and bailouts while the poor workers suffocate from the government-imposed austerity measures,” NUM said in its statement.
Further, the NUM expressed its commitment to its members’ demands, citing multiple moves made during the negotiations. However, they declared that members have mandated them to not settle for anything less than a 9% wage increase.