THE 17-week wage dispute in the platinum sector on Tuesday took an astounding turn when Judge Hilary Rabkin-Naicker of the Labour Court persuaded the parties to enter three days of mediation talks‚ beginning yesterday and supervised by the court.
The talks will be the first that companies and striking employees will have held in three weeks and represent the first glimmer of hope in months that the dispute can be solved by negotiation.
Rabkin-Naicker had been due to hear an urgent application by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) for an order to prevent employer companies from directly communicating with employees on the wage offer.
Instead of deliberating on the application‚ she held talks with the parties‚ urging them to consider the bigger issues at stake in the strike‚ rather than the lesser issue of communication between employers and employees.
Hours later‚ representatives of Anglo American Platinum‚ Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin emerged from the court‚ announcing agreement with Amcu to enter into the proposed mediation.
Lonmin chief negotiator Abey Kgotle‚ speaking on behalf of all the platinum producers‚ said all the companies had agreed to the process.
“The sole purpose of this mediation process will be to try and assist the parties to arrive at a settlement of the dispute‚” said Kgotle. “We welcome the intervention by the Labour Court.”
Amcu treasurer Jimmy Gama‚ also speaking at the court‚ said concerns over SMS and other communications between employers and Amcu members had been “put on hold” pending the mediation. “The parties have agreed to give an opportunity to the judge to mediate. We have agreed to engage... voluntarily.”
Implats spokesman Johan Theron said Rabkin-Naicker “had jumped the hurdles” before her by proposing that the court mediate in the wage dispute.
Mediation is not typically in the ambit of the Labour Court‚ and rather falls under the Commission for Conciliation‚ Mediation and Arbitration. However‚ this is not an order of the Labour Court‚ but an agreement between parties. Its value‚ say labour specialists‚ is that it has provided both parties with a way back to the table. The collapse of more than eight months of talks at the beginning of this month had made it difficult for either party to suggest a reopening of talks without putting anything new on the table‚ resulting in a stalemate.
Platinum parties agree to talk
The talks will be the first that companies and striking employees will have held in three weeks and represent the first glimmer of hope in months that the dispute can be solved by negotiation.
Rabkin-Naicker had been due to hear an urgent application by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) for an order to prevent employer companies from directly communicating with employees on the wage offer.
Instead of deliberating on the application‚ she held talks with the parties‚ urging them to consider the bigger issues at stake in the strike‚ rather than the lesser issue of communication between employers and employees.
Hours later‚ representatives of Anglo American Platinum‚ Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin emerged from the court‚ announcing agreement with Amcu to enter into the proposed mediation.
Lonmin chief negotiator Abey Kgotle‚ speaking on behalf of all the platinum producers‚ said all the companies had agreed to the process.
“The sole purpose of this mediation process will be to try and assist the parties to arrive at a settlement of the dispute‚” said Kgotle. “We welcome the intervention by the Labour Court.”
Amcu treasurer Jimmy Gama‚ also speaking at the court‚ said concerns over SMS and other communications between employers and Amcu members had been “put on hold” pending the mediation. “The parties have agreed to give an opportunity to the judge to mediate. We have agreed to engage... voluntarily.”
Implats spokesman Johan Theron said Rabkin-Naicker “had jumped the hurdles” before her by proposing that the court mediate in the wage dispute.
Mediation is not typically in the ambit of the Labour Court‚ and rather falls under the Commission for Conciliation‚ Mediation and Arbitration. However‚ this is not an order of the Labour Court‚ but an agreement between parties. Its value‚ say labour specialists‚ is that it has provided both parties with a way back to the table. The collapse of more than eight months of talks at the beginning of this month had made it difficult for either party to suggest a reopening of talks without putting anything new on the table‚ resulting in a stalemate.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos