The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called off a strike by more than 2,000 workers at Durban Roodepoort Deep’s Buffelfontein gold mine in northwestern South Africa following wage agreements with management.
A NUM spokesman says the union decided to accept management’s offer of a R1850 (US$460) entry-level monthly salary (still below the R2000, or US$500, minimum wage set in a previous agreement) plus a living allowance of R300 (US$75).
The agreement was reached in late May, one day after the strike began.
The union stated: “This is an important step in the right direction whereby the union will finally ensure that Buffels, like all other mining operations within DRD’s North-West stable and also in the mining industry in general, reaches the R2000 minimum for underground, as agreed to in the 2001 wage agreement.”
During wage negotiations in 2001, all mines in South Africa agreed to meet the R2000 (US$500)-per-month minimum wage set by the Chamber of Mines. The lone exception was Durban’s Buffels mine, which was experiencing financial problems.
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