Impala Platinum (Implats) is in fresh wage talks with the South African National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in a bid to stave off industrial action.

Discussions will start at 15:00 GMT today (August 3rd) and could go on through the night, NUM chief negotiator Eddie Majadibodu told Reuters.

"The negotiations are getting very tough now, so it is difficult to say where the talks will go," he said.

It follows the union's rejection of a pay offer worth between 7.5 and eight per cent. The NUM wants a 14 per cent wage increase for its 26,000 workers at Implats, the world's second-largest platinum producer.

"We have no time for companies that want to dance on one spot. If they continue with fruitless meetings we will approach the CCMA [Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration] and prepare for war," Mr Majadibodu said in a statement yesterday.

It comes after coal and gold miners agreed to deals for wage increases of between 7.5 and ten per cent, ending harmful strike action.

Meanwhile, the NUM is in talks with state-owned power company Eksom over a wage dispute.

A 6.8 per cent pay deal is currently on the table, but workers want the utilities firm to increase this to at least ten per cent or R2,000 (£181), whichever is higher.

Source:

UPDATE 1-S.Africa platinum miners in fresh wage talks (03/08/11)

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