All 'give' and no 'take' at BCL wage talks

MQONDISI DUBE
Correspondent | Thursday July 10, 2008 00:00

The two parties have been at the negotiating table for more than two months, but there is still no solution to the impasse.

The BCL management initially tabled an eight percent salary increment offer, which was immediately rejected by the union.

At the time the labour movement was demanding a 40 percent adjustment. The union then climbed down on its earlier demand and requested BCL to increase its offer to a figure above 15 percent.

However, the management only offered a 10 percent increase, which was again turned down by the union, which is now demanding a 25 percent increase. The management offers a nine percent salary increase and one percent on other allowances.

BMWU fulltime shop steward, Bob Malele, said negotiations were still dragging on and the negotiating parties would be back at the table next week.

'We are on a cooling period and after seven days we will go back to the negotiating table to find out if any party has adjusted its offer or demand,' Malele said.

He, however, remains optimistic that a conclusion will be reached soon. Malele said the union's position is that the issue should be resolved internally.

'We do not want to seek intervention from outside. We wanted to settle this issue internally, but we feel the 10 percent that BCL is offering is too low,' Malele said.

He added that the view of the union is that BCL can afford the 25 percent increment after BMWU conducted its research.

Malele said the management has to understand that the cost of living is high, driven by high global fuel prices and generally high food  prices.

'We wish the management could change its mind and accommodate our demands. The cost of living is high,' Malele said.

He said last year's negotiations did not drag on as the two parties were on a fence mending exercise and the union did not analyse the company's financial statement before entering into negotiations.

BMWU Phikwe Branch chairperson, David Lesejane, said this year, the union had considered the company's financial statement and what he termed the 'shopping basket' before coming up with demands for a 40 percent increase.

The protracted negotiations are likely to strain relations between the two parties who have had sour relations in the past.

It was only last year that relations began to thaw, but the latest impasse might scupper the relatively peaceful labour relations at the mine.