WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2010-09-22 Time: 11:00:03 Posted By: News Poster
By Alistair Anderson
Johannesburg – A strike at Northam Platinum has entered its third week and a dispute between workers and another mining company, BHP-Billiton Coal SA may also lead to a strike soon.
Strikes have been commonplace this year with unions often gaining wage increases in excess of 10%, well above inflation, in transport and the municipal sectors, for example.
Labour analyst Ivan Israelstam said he was not expecting many strikes in 2010, because the recession had been so recent. However, Andrew Levy had he was not surprised that the unions had seen potential gains in them striking, saying that they had been on a upward trend of wage settlements over the last few years.
Workers at Northam have been demanding a wage increment of 15% as well as a living out allowance of R3500.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was meeting Northam Platinum at a meeting facilitated by a commissioner of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in Polokwane. This came after the majority of NUM members rejected Northam Platinum’s revised offer of 8,5% from 8%.
Meanwhile, NUM members have “vowed to bring the company on its knees if it refuses to meets their legitimate demands”.
“The strike would be escalated, it will take forever and ever amen if the company does not deliver the 15%,” Zwelitsha Tantsi, the NUM’s chief negotiator at Northam said.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) also said it had reached a stalemate regarding its wage demand at BHP and thus had called a dispute.
The NUM has been demanding 10% while the company is offering a mere 8,5%.
“The company can afford a 10% and a R4000,00 housing allowance” Paris Mashego, the NUM ‘s Regional Secretary in the Highveld region said.
“The company BHP Billiton in August announced a 5% revenue increase from $50,2bn to $52,8bn, contributing to 65% increase in operating profit from 12,2bn dollars to $20bn in its latest financial statements for the year to June. Operating profit is a direct contribution by the hardworking employees,” Mr Mashego said.
He said it was “greed at its best” that management would be receiving a salary increase of up to 9% based on their performance.
This means that a highest paid Manager will receive an increase of R 144,000 per annum, whilst a lowly paid worker will receive a lousy R 5,712 per annum, according to Mr Mashego.
“It is unfortunate that the company has pushed the negotiations into a dispute. We are mobilizing members for a big fight against this company” he said.
The NUM had referred the wage dispute to the CCMA and was waiting for the outcome of the process.
BHP Billiton Coal employs over 6000 workers.
Original Source: 
Original date published: 21 September 2010
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201009220033.html?viewall=1