Impala Platinum has improved its wage offer for South African workers in an attempt to resolve a dispute with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

The union's chief negotiator, Eddie Majadibodu, told Reuters that members would be consulted on the new offer, the precise details of which have yet to be disclosed.

NUM is seeking a 14 per cent raise for 26,000 Implats workers, indicating that they should benefit from the high price of precious metals.

The main motivation for the offer is to avoid a possible strike, with fears that production at the world's second largest producer of platinum could suffer a substantial hit as a result.

Diamond producer De Beers already signed a two-year wage deal to end a 14-day strike by South African workers at its mines.

Elsewhere, NUM members working for state utility company Eskom have moved even closer to a strike, after wage negotiations broke down.

South Africa's mine output has been dented by strikes in recent months, particularly in fuel, gold and coal sectors.

A deal reached earlier this week saw workers secure wage increases of between 7.5 and ten per cent, which could set a benchmark for platinum mine worker negotiations.

Source:

Implats workers get new wage offer (05/08/11)

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