Pay Raises End De Beers Mine Strike

(IDEX Online News) – Some 1,300 striking mine workers in South Africa will return to work tomorrow after their union and De Beers reached an agreement on wage increases today (Thursday).

De Beers Consolidated Mines Agreed to increase the minimum wage to about $870 a month as well as raise wages by 8%-10%, bringing an end to the two week strike.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) demanded a 15% pay hike, while De Beers offered half of that, on the eve of the strike.

De Beers Chief Commercial Officer Bruce Cleaver told IDEX Online that the DBCM kept producing during the strike. “Not all the workers are striking and we have strategic stockpiles that we are going through now," he said.