Johannesburg – The signing of agreements to end the five-month strike in the platinum mining sector is believed to be imminent, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) said on Tuesday.
“Amcu will hold its press conference at Melrose Arch Hotel [in Johannesburg] at 1pm,” national treasurer Jimmy Gama said in an SMS.
Asked whether the agreements would be signed before the press conference, he said: “I believe so.”
Spokesperson for the producers Charmane Russell said the signing would take place around 13:00 in a closed ceremony.
“I think that the producers are pleased that they are reaching a negotiated settlement and are looking forward to actually signing the agreement.
“However, there is a long road ahead to rebuild the industry,” Russell said.
On January 23, Amcu members at Anglo American Platinum [JSE:AMS], Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] and Lonmin [JSE:LON] downed tools, demanding a monthly basic salary of R12 500.
After five months of negotiations, Amcu announced on Monday that the platinum strike was officially over and that it would sign wage agreements with the platinum producers.

The union accepted wage settlements on Monday that would increase the basic salary of the lowest-paid worker by R1 000 over three years, excluding other benefits, union leader Joseph Mathunjwa told about 20 000 members at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Phokeng, near Rustenburg.
Some workers would receive R12 500 before the end of the agreement, he said.
Workers would receive back pay within seven days of returning to their jobs on Wednesday.
When Mathunjwa asked members whether the union should accept the offer, they chanted “yes, yes”, pointing their fingers upwards.
Mathunjwa said the agreements, which he hailed as a milestone in the history of mineworkers, would run for three years.
By Tuesday, the strike had cost the industry R24bn in lost revenue, while employees had forfeited earnings of around R10.6bn, according to a website set up by the companies.
SAPA