Rustenburg – Negotiations to end a month-long, wildcat strike at the Lonmin platinum operation in Rustenburg continued on Friday afternoon, the company said.

“We are encouraged by the progress to date and remain committed to unlocking the current situation through negotiations,” Lonmin said in a statement.

Lonmin tabled an offer to the striking workers on Thursday evening.

The offer was reportedly a R900 increase, to R5500 a month for entry-level workers, with all other operators being moved up one pay grade. This was according to National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) general secretary Frans Baleni.

Unions said they were still hearing responses from workers among comments from those on the ground, who said they would reject the offer.

“This offer was communicated to employees this morning and contained a range of proposals, covering different types of workers. It is still subject to negotiation. We will not publicly discuss the details until we have something which has been agreed 1/8upon 3/8 by all parties,” the company said.

Lonmin said government officials, religious leaders, traditional leaders, unions and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) had been involved in the talks so far.

Earlier in the day, the CCMA confirmed that it was involved in the negotiations though the strike was still illegal.

“The strike is illegal and is not legitimate, and the CCMA involvement is purely based on resolving the issue in terms of national interest,” said CCMA general manager Nersan Govender. – Sapa