JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Should the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (AMCU’s) planned strikes at three of the world’s top platinum producers go ahead on Thursday, the number of striking AMCU workers in the sector would increase to some 80 000, the union’s national treasurer Jimmy Gama told Mining Weekly Online on Monday.

After last week declaring that it would issue a 48-hour strike notice to platinum producers Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin on Monday, the union on Sunday announced that it would extend the protected strikes to the world's biggest producer, Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), at which 15 000 of its members were employed.

Reuters reported that the decision to strike at Amplats followed a weekend rally in the platinum belt city of Rustenburg, at which AMCU members voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of a strike through a show of hands.

AMCU was seeking a minimum monthly wage of R12 500 for entry-level workers at Amplats and Lonmin, and just over R8 500 for workers at Implats – a reduction on the R12 500-a-month demands made last year, said Reuters.

The union planned to issue a 48-hour notice of intention to strike to Amplats, Lonmin and Implats on Monday.

Reuters on Monday quoted Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan as saying, in an interview with State broadcaster SAFM, that South Africa's "ailing" economy could not afford more mine labour unrest.

He appealed for the platinum industry to "seriously get around the table", as the country could "least afford" another round of strikes that would act as a destabilisation to the platinum sector, which had experienced increasing difficulties over the last 18 months.

Lonmin confirmed after midday on Monday that it had received the 48-hour notice of AMCU's intention to embark upon protected strike action from Thursday.

Lonmin spokesperson Sue Vey said that the company would look to resolve the wage impasse through continued negotiation

Amplats spokesperson Mpumi Sithole told Mining Weekly Online on Monday that it had not yet received a notice to strike from AMCU, but would discuss the union’s demands at a bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

Implats group executive for corporate relations Johan Theron said, while the miner had also not received a notice to strike, it would likely arrive later that day.

He added that Implats was meeting with the union “on a daily basis at various levels”.

“Clearly, on receiving strike notice, we will have to engage on a range of issues related to the intended action. While we remain committed to finding a sustainable resolution, we are also preparing for strike action and have taken all reasonable steps, linked to the recently signed framework agreement, to ensure peace, order and stability.

“We remain open to engage as a company and industry to find a sustainable resolution that will negate the need for debilitating strike action,” he told Mining Weekly Online.

Meanwhile, AMCU on Monday also notified respective companies in the gold sector of its intention to strike at Sibanye Gold’s Driefontein mine, Harmony Gold’s Kusaselethu and Masimong mines, and at AngloGold Ashanti’s South African operations.