South African mining firms and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) met on Tuesday with the goal of averting a strike set to hit the country’s gold and coal mines on Thursday, reports Reuters.
On Monday, about 170,00 gold miners and 20,000 coal miners voted on whether or not to strike.
"There appears to be overwhelming support from our members for the strike," Moferefere Lekorotsoana, a union spokesman, told Reuters.
"We are still negotiating. The mood remains constructive," Frans Barker, a South African Chamber of Mines spokesman, told Reuters.
There was no word as to when the talks would wrap up.
The union is demanding a higher base salary, plus an annual wage increase of 8.5% in each year of a two-year pact. The current wage for an entry-level position is about $225 per month. The union wants it boosted to about $375.
The companies are offering a 9% wage increase for entry-level workers and between 7.25% and 7.5% percent for all other workers. In the second year of the deal, the companies are offering between 7.25% and 10.8%.
The chamber said it was hopeful that the talks would head off a strike, but wouldn’t say if there would be a revised offer.
Among gold miners who would be affected by a strike are South Africa’s three largest — AngloGold, Gold Fields and Harmony.
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