Talks aimed at ending South Africa’s three-week-old platinum wage strike have been put off until next week, it emerged on Friday.
The discussions involve the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the government’s go-between, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
Workers that are members of the militant AMCU embarked on an indefinite wage strike at the mines operated by platinum producers, Implats, Amplats and Lonmin nearly three weeks ago.
The platinum producers have already stated that the strike, which is currently costing South Africa about $36 million a day, had cost them a lot of money in lost production.
The CCMA was supposed to start talks with AMCU leaders on Friday, but according to Sapa, a Johannesburg-based news wire service, the union asked for a postponement.
It is believed that the union is organising a funeral of a member of the union who was allegedly shot and killed allegedly by the police at an Amplats operation last week.
“We will be available next week,” Joseph Mathunjwa, the president of AMCU told an independent television news station, eNCA.
