* National Union of Mineworkers accepts gold industry offer
* Striking workers return to Harmony’s Kusasalethu mine
* Tens of thousands still on unofficial strikes
* Wildcat strikes cost economy over $1.1 billion this year
By Sherilee Lakmidas and Olivia Kumwenda
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 25 (Reuters) – South Africa’s gold mines
agreed a wage deal with unions on Thursday as the bulk of the
gold sector’s striking miners returned to work under threat of
dismissal.
The returns marked success of a sort for a new tough
approach by mining firms, but at least 12,000 gold and 20,000
platinum miners were still pursuing a wave of illegal strikes
that have cost Africa’s largest economy over 10 billion rand
($1.14 billion) this year, according to the National Treasury.
About 100,000 workers in all have downed tools across South
Africa since August in the often violent strikes that have
triggered downgrades of South Africa’s credit ratings, and
awkward questions about government performance for President
Jacob Zuma and the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
After three weeks of negotiations, the National Union of
Mineworkers (NUM) and the gold industry, which employs around
157,000, announced agreement on wage increases of between 1.5
and 10.8 percent for different categories of mine workers.
Continued…
