JOHANNESBURG, Aug 1 (Reuters) – Striking South African coal and gold miners will meet the Chamber of Mines in separate talks on Monday in a bid to end stoppages that have cost Africa’s largest economy tens of millions of dollars in lost output.

Coal workers have been off for a week while some 100,000 gold miners downed tools on Thursday, halting operations at AngloGold Ashanti , Gold Fields and Harmony Gold at a time when bullion is at record highs.

Gold’s run has been driven by its safe-haven status amid the debt crises in Europe and America but analysts have said a prolonged strike in South Africa, the fourth-largest producer of the precious metal, could also support its price.

On the domestic markets front, the Johannesburg bourse’s gold index shed 5.4 percent last week on investor concerns about lost output even as the commodity rallied.

But South Africa’s rand and bond markets have shrugged off the strikes, which have also hit the country’s fuel, chemical and diamond sectors, and the gains they have achieved could be extended this week on the gold price and technical factors.

The annual “strike season” is in full swing, with unions demanding 10-15 percent pay rises, well above inflation of 5 percent. A fuel strike that caused panic buying at the pumps ended last week, but when workers go back to their jobs in one industry, labour strife flares in another.

DIFFICULT POSITION

JOHANNESBURG, July 31 (Reuters) – Striking South African coal and gold miners will meet the Chamber of Mines in separate talks on Monday to end stoppages that have cost Africa’s largest economy tens of millions of dollars in lost output.

Coal output has been halted for a week, while some 100,000 gold miners downed tools on Thursday, bringing production to a halt at AngloGold Ashanti (ANGJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Gold Fields (GFIJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Harmony Gold (HARJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) at a time when the bullion price is at record highs.

The annual “strike season” is in full swing, with unions demanding 10 percent to 15 percent pay rises, well above inflation of 5 percent. The strikes have so far hit chemical manufacturers, diamond miners and the oil sector.

Negotiators have narrowed the gap on the gold front, raising hopes of more progress on Monday, though neither side is predicting a breakthrough. The Chamber of Mines negotiates on behalf of the gold and coal producers.

“They have put something on the table and we are looking at that and consulting with our members and will come back on Monday to see if there can be some improvements in their offer,” Frans Baleni, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), told Reuters.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For a Q+A on strikes, click [ID:nL6E7IM0M] For a factbox on wage talks, click: [ID:nL6E7I80SV] For a factbox on gold miners, click: [ID:nL6E7IR0LU] For a graphic on strikes r.reuters.com/nef28r ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

The NUM, by far the largest and most militant of the three unions involved in the talks, had sought a 14 percent pay rise and the gold mine companies had offered rises of 7 to 9 percent.

JOHANNESBURG, July 29 (Reuters) – South African gold mine workers and the major producers were due to meet at 0800 GMT on Friday for wage talks, in a bid to end a strike that could halt daily output worth up to $25 million at a time when the price of bullion is near record highs.

Some 100,000 workers at AngloGold Ashanti , Gold Fields , Harmony Gold and another smaller mining group downed tools on Thursday, demanding wage hikes of 14 percent against offers of 7 to 9 percent.

The country’s annual “strike season” is in full swing, with unions demanding 10-15 percent pay rises, well above inflation of 5 percent. The strikes have hit chemicals, coal and diamond mining, with worries about economic damage increasing the longer they last.

Mining stocks have taken a beating this week in the world’s top platinum producer, which is also a major gold and coal exporter, and could fall further. But the labour woes were seen as having limited impact on the South African rand and bond markets.

“The strikes have become part of the investment climate in this country and you know it is temporary and not structural,” said George Glynos, managing director at financial consultancy ETM.

“But if you look at the gold mining shares, you would expect them to lose because it has a direct impact on their productivity,” he said.

Shares of gold miners have been hit this week on worries of lost output. South Africa’s index of gold mining stocks is down 5.3 percent so far this week, even as the price of gold stays near a record high as investors seek safe havens in the U.S. and European debt crises.

JOHANNESBURG, July 28 (Reuters) – Tens of thousands South African gold miners will down tools on Thursday, intensifying a wave of strikes and potentially costing the gold mining sector $25 million a day in lost output.

Unions representing coal workers were set to meet the chamber of mines in a last-ditch bid to end a wage strike in that industry also.

Some 100,000 workers at AngloGold Ashanti , Gold Fields , Harmony Gold and another smaller mining group were due to go on strike after shifts end at 1800 local time (1600 GMT).

“There will be a total shutdown of the entire gold mining industry for it is inconceivable how the industry could want to give workers an increment of 7 percent when the gold price is at a record high,” said a statement from the NUM, which wants 14 percent from the gold producers.

Africa’s largest economy was partly built on its vast gold reserves but dwindling grades, deeper mines and investor jitters have pushed it from first to fourth in global production.

The strike is unlikely to affect the spot price which hit record highs above $1,625 an ounce on Wednesday on U.S. and Europe debt woes. Analysts say a prolonged strike may buoy the price on bullion.

In other sectors, an almost three-week strike in the petroleum sector that sparked panic buying at the pumps looked like it might end while another in the platinum industry loomed.

JOHANNESBURG, July 27 (Reuters) – Elite South African police investigating possible fraudulent mining permits on Wednesday raided the mines department and a company linked to a dispute between one of the world’s biggest mining companies and a unit of steel giant ArcelorMittal.

McIntosh Polela, spokesman for the police Hawks unit, said the raids centered on the government’s mining department in Pretoria and its regional offices in Kimberly, which oversees minerals rights in Northern Cape province.

“It is alleged that certain individuals from the Department of Mineral Resources were involved in fraudulent issuing of prospecting rights,” Polela said in a statement.

The police raid is the latest twist in a saga that has dented investor confidence in the key sector.

Police also hit the offices of Imperial Crown Trading (ICT), a little-known company with no experience in mining which has become a household name in South African financial circles after becoming embroiled in a dispute between the local unit of global steel giant ArcelorMittal and Kumba Iron Ore , a subsidiary of mining giant Anglo American .

Polela said the operation followed criminal charges lodged by Kumba, adding that the police seized documents which will be used for further investigations.

“We are busy investigating charges of forgery, uttering, corruption and fraud. In simple terms, these relate to among others, falsifying of documents,” he said.

JOHANNESBURG, July 27 (Reuters) – Striking workers in South Africa’s petroleum sector are discussing a revised wage offer to end a strike in its third week as labour strife spreads to the vital mining sector, threatening supplies of coal and gold.

Hundreds of thousands of workers across the country have walked off the job in recent weeks, or are threatening to do so, seeking pay rises of double or triple the 5 percent inflation rate in mid-year bargaining known as “strike season”.

The petroleum strike has delayed deliveries of fuels, sparked panic petrol buying and will likely dent output in Africa’s largest economy.

Nerine Kahn, director of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, said unions were expected to meet employers on Thursday to say whether a revised offer had been accepted.

She did not disclose what the revised offer was. So far employers have been offering an 8 percent rise, while unions have been asking for a 9.5 increase.

“Parties confirm that a revised offer was tabled, which closes the gap between the unions and the employers and that negotiations have reached a point that may resolve the dispute,” she said in a statement on the commission’s website.

Strikes typically last up to a few weeks with the average recent settlements being about 8 percent annually. Employers, who see the wage deals as the cost of doing business, usually ramp up production after reaching new labour deals to make up for lost production.

JOHANNESBURG, July 26 (Reuters) – South African gold miners will join thousands of workers already in a nationwide strike this week, threatening supply of the precious metal at a time when bullion is at record highs.

Hundreds of thousands of workers across the country have downed tools in recent weeks, or are threatening to do so, seeking raises double or triple the 5 percent inflation rate in the mid-year bargaining session known as “strike season”.

The powerful National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) wants a 14 percent increases in wages from gold employers — including AngloGold Ashanti , Gold Fields and Harmony , which have offered rises between 7 and 9 percent.

“We are disappointed by the decision taken by the unions. The offers made by employers today were a big jump from where we were the last time and were made as an indication of commitment by employers to reach a resolution with the unions,” Elize Strydom, the chamber of mines’ negotiator for the gold sector, said in a statement issued late on Monday.

The NUM said it would serve employers with a 48-hour strike notice, which would lead to miners going on strike on Thursday.

Coal miners walked off the job on Monday, following workers in the diamond, fuel and engineering sectors, although power utility Eskom said there was no immediate danger to supply to its coal-fired plants due to sufficient stocks.

Optimum Coal , South Africa’s sixth largest coal miner which sold 10.6 million tonnes of coal in the 2010 financial year, is operating at 10 to 20 percent of its normal capacity due to a strike over wages which started with the late shift on Sunday, an official said on Tuesday.

JOHANNESBURG, July 25 (Reuters) – Anglo American Platinum , the world’s largest platinum producer, held to its 2011 output target of 2.6 million ounces on Monday as it predicted a stronger second half.

Its first-half headline earnings rose 20 percent as expected on higher sales and prices but the miner, a unit of global giant Anglo American , said costs remain a concern.

The company produced 1.2 million ounces in a tough first half and needs to raise output to meet its full-year target, despite the threat of a strike by its workers over pay.

“Reaching that target will likely require them to not have to face a labour strike,” said Leon Esterhuizen, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets in London.

“By implication, it could mean they will settle at relatively high wage increases — probably around 10 percent.”

Amplats is expected to talk again with unions this week over wages, but the two sides remain far apart with the National Union of Mineworkers demanding a 20 percent wage hike from Amplats against the company’s latest public offer of 4.6 percent.

Spot platinum on Monday was down 0.3 percent at $1,786.99 an ounce after rising 2.6 percent last week. Amplats produces about 40 percent of the global supply of the precious metal and so traders closely watch its output targets.

JOHANNESBURG, July 13 (Reuters) – Strikes are looming in South Africa’s gold and platinum sectors which could threaten global supplies at a time when commodity prices are red hot.

Africa’s largest economy is also grappling with spreading strikes in its petroleum sector which could have an impact on refinery production and domestic fuel supplies.

South Africa’s powerful National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday wage talks with the country’s main gold miners were deadlocked and it was preparing for a strike.

That did not stop South African gold mining shares from surging ahead as bullion scaled record peaks on Wednesday.

“We have deadlocked and will go to mediation but this is paving the way for industrial action in the gold sector,” NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told Reuters.

Mediation is a legal step that needs to be taken in South Africa before unions strike but the two sides are far apart.

Wage settlements, which have averaged about double the inflation rate over the past several years, threaten the economy by driving up the cost of a labour force that is more expensive than in other emerging market rivals such as China and Vietnam, and far less efficient.

JOHANNESBURG, July 13 (Reuters) – Nationalisation of South Africa’s mines needs to be debated and not dismissed, the head of Africa’s top gold miner said on Wednesday as he warned that such a move could destroy the country’s fiscal stability.

The comments by Mark Cutifani, the chief executive of AngloGold Ashanti , are the latest from top miners on the issue, underscoring boardroom concerns that talk of nationalisation by radical elements in the ruling African National Congress are making investors and shareholders nervous.

In a letter published in the Business Day financial daily, Cutifani said the push for nationalisation of South Africa’s mines, led by the Youth League of the ANC, was motivated by “something else” than a call for greater social change.

“Surely nationalisation cannot mean what it might be taken literally to mean: the acquisition by the state, with or without compensation, of all the country’s mining assets,” he wrote.

“If compensation is paid, it would destroy South Africa’s fiscal stability,” he said, adding that if companies were not compensated, it would destroy the finances of many average South Africans who would had invested in companies either directly or via pension funds.

Nationalisation in South Africa would have global market implications as it has by far the largest platinum reserves in the world and remains a top gold producer.

It is not ANC or government policy at the moment but the influential Youth League is trying to change that.