Johannesburg – The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is planning to submit demands to the gold sector next week calling for a 75% hike in the basic pay for entry-level workers, according to union sources familiar with the matter. “For the basic wage at the entry level, we are planning to demand a raise to R10 000 a month in the first year from R5 700 at present,” said one NUM source, who asked not to be named. This was confirmed by a second source in the union.

That would set the stage for tough negotiations and a potentially protracted dispute with companies in the gold sector, where profit margins are under pressure.

The basic wage is not the only remuneration miners get, nor is it the only labour cost to companies. Miners also get various allowances structured into their pay packages.

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