Sibanye-Stillwater sees no quick results in wage talks with unions

Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman said he does not expect immediate results in wage negotiations with unions at the company’s platinum mines due to tricky discussions looming ahead, according to miningmx.com.
These talks are due to start in a week and will take place against the background of rising inflation in South Africa, which reached a five-year high in May this year, rising by 6.5%.
Representatives from Implats' Rustenburg Lease and Sibanye-Stillwater's Marula, Marikana and Rustenburg mines will participate in the wage talks, the article published by miningmx.com said. The mines employ 65,000 full-time workers and 22,000 other contractors, according to the Minerals Council, and they account for about half of South Africa's total employment in the platinum group metals sector.
The publication also noted that the mines in the western Bushveld geologic area, where Sibanye-Stillwater and Implats operate, are deep and labour-intensive, showing much lower productivity compared to mines in the east and north strikes of the Bushveld Complex and, therefore, lower income per worker, making these mines more vulnerable to strikes due to low wages.