South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers members at Impala Platinum on Friday rejected a revised pay rise offer from the world's second largest producer of the precious metal and will refer the dispute to arbitration. The platinum sector is the latest to be affected by a wave of disputes in the country's mid-year "strike season" after stoppages in the steel, fuel and mining sectors threaten to dent growth in Africa's biggest economy.
"The members unanimously rejected the revised offer. We insist on a double-digit increase across the board," said Eddie Majadibodu, the NUM's chief negotiator at Implats. Implats had raised its offer to between 8 and 10 percent, while the union has been asking for 14 percent, nearly triple the inflation rate. NUM workers in the gold and coal sectors have already reached deals for 7 to 10 percent increases, which could serve as benchmarks in the platinum talks.