* Lonmin says offers 9-21 pct raises in pay
* Company says committed to end labour unrest
* Lonmin says 12,500 rand demand unaffordable
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Lonmin, due to
resume talks on Monday with strikers at its Marikana platinum
mine in South Africa who rejected a pay rise offer last week,
insisted it could not meet the workers’ demands but promised a
new approach in labour relations.
Acting Chief Executive Simon Scott said the deaths at the
mine of protesters, 34 of whom had were shot dead by police on
Aug. 16, had been a ‘wake-up call’ for the company and it was
committed to ending the five-week labour unrest in which a total
of 45 people had been killed.
In an opinion piece published in the Sunday Times newspaper,
Scott said Lonmin would improve discussions with strikers
although it could not afford to meet their higher wage demands.
“For Lonmin, the starting point is to acknowledge that our
company must go through a process of self-reflection,” Scott
said.
“What I can promise is that we are committed to playing our
part. We have had our wake-up call, as has the rest of South
Africa.”
“Clearly, one of the issues we need to reflect on is how we
find balance between protecting the business, and the jobs
dependent upon it, on the one hand and how we respond with
sensitivity to the complex situations that Lonmin is at the
centre of,” Scott said.
Continued…
