The Chamber of Mines of SA (CoM) has appointed a three-men panel to lead discussions on how the country’s platinum industry can transform labour relations. It consists of Meshack Ravuku, a senior figure at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), International Labour Organisation technical consultant Charles Nupen, and lawyer and now conflict resolution specialist Peter Harris.
A main task will be to create debate around the industry shifting to a system of centralised wage bargaining – a move welomed by acting CEO Simon Scott of Lonmin, whose workers returned to work last week after a settlementwas reached to end a six-week unprotected strike last week.
"The strike was the second unprotected strike embarked upon by workers in the industry this year," Scott said. "Government, unions and mining companies need to work together to ensure that bargaining arrangements are adhered to by all parties."
According to a MininMix report, an industry source said that the panel would also look at wage structures and the mining industry’s response to the socio-economic issues that provided an important underpin to the civic disorder that have characterised the platinum industry strikes this year.
Roger Baxter, who heads strategy and economics at the CoM, said that he could neither confirm nor deny the appointment of the panel.
