Lonmin negotiators confident

AP

File picture - An unidentified mine worker sits on a rock at the Lonmin mine near Rustenburg. Picture: Themba Hadebe/AP

Rustenburg - Negotiators for striking Lonmin workers were confident on Monday that a deal was in sight to end a six-week strike at the mine in Marikana, North West.

“We have been mandated to negotiate on a specific figure, the workers are not married to the R12 500,” said Jo Seoka, president of the SA Council of Churches.

He said he could not disclose the figure before they tabled it at the negotiation meeting scheduled to resume at 3.30pm.

“We hope the news will be better than this tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said, adding that should an agreement be reached, the workers would return to work on Tuesday.

Workers have previously demanded an increase to R12 500.

He explained they obtained a permit to hold a meeting at the Wonderkop stadium on condition that the meeting took an hour.

Another condition was that it not be held near the koppie where they had waited in the weeks previously and which was the vicinity of a clash with police which left 34 people dead.

The workers dispersed peacefully after their meeting.

Police maintained high visibility near the stadium.

Seoka was speaking to reporters after earlier asking them to leave the stadium so that workers could talk privately about the pay negotiations.

He is involved in facilitating the talks, in conjunction with the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration and the company. - Sapa