JOHANNESBURG, August 27 (ANA) – The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Kumba Iron Ore have signed a three-year wage agreement, the union said on Sunday.
The agreement would see NUM members receiving increases ranging from seven to 10 percent. The NUM is the majority union in all three operations of Kumba Iron Ore – Sishen, Kolomela, and Thabazimbi, the NUM said in a statement.
“NUM members are happy and excited about this achievement as a cost to the company that will be paid to members for the lowest earning moving them in the first year to R15,606 per month, the second year R17,143 per month, and R18,804 for the third year,” NUM chief negotiator at Kumba Iron Ore Lucas Phiri said in the statement.
The parties had also agreed on a once a once off ex gracia payment of R25,064.26 after tax to all employees covered by the agreement, and which would reflect in the bank accounts of employees by the end of August, he said.
The housing allowance, effective from July 1 would be R2900, from July 1, 2018 it would be R3200, and from July 1, 2019 it would be R3500.
“The NUM wishes to express its sincere gratitude to its members at Kumba for the manner in which they behaved during the negotiation period up until they gave us [a] mandate to sign the agreement.
“Negotiations were very interesting and this confirms that our members in Kumba still have faith and confidence in the NUM. We are looking forward to servicing them. [The] NUM is here to stay. The NUM is on track to achieve a massive reduction in inequality of pay of workers, with the lowest paid benefiting the most. This agreement will be effective from the 1st of July 2017 to 30 June 2020,” Phiri said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
