Members of South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and United Association of South Africa (UASA) voted 62% in favour of a strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines.
The strike ballot report is from South Africa’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration were the overall tally shows support for industrial action at Sibanye’s gold division by 5 084 votes to 3 082 votes.
Sibanye-Stillwater did not immediately respond to a request for comment ahead of a conference call on the company’s annual results.
Sibanye’s South African gold division includes the Kloof, Driefontein, Cook, and Beatrix mines and support services. The vote breakdown showed the majority of union members did not back a strike at the Beatrix gold mine.
Labour unions NUM, UASA, Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), and Solidarity had negotiated with Sibanye as a coalition for the first time.
But on Wednesday Solidarity said its members approved Sibanye’s final wage offer.
The CCMA report said the ballot was done for NUM and UASA members, without mentioning AMCU, and it was not immediately clear whether AMCU had voted on a strike.