The Chamber of Mines has declared a dispute with the trade union AMCU, after talks on a new pay deal stalled, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

This meant the talks now fell under the auspices of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and two facilitators, the newspaper reported.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) had reportedly tabled a 150% increase for entry-level underground workers.

“It was quite clear that we were at a stage where we could say we were not making progress from either side,” the chamber’s chief negotiator Elize Strydom was quoted as telling the newspaper.

“We were not going to move on our offer and they have no further proposal, so we declared a dispute with AMCU and we’ll refer the matter to the CCMA.”

AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa reportedly said that he was not aware the chamber had declared a dispute, and that AMCU believed it was “premature to run to the CCMA”.
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