By James Macharia
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's miners' union said on Monday it would try to persuade strikers at Impala Platinum to return to work, while fresh talks at Anglo Platinum were due to start at 0800 GMT in a bid to agree a pay deal.
The union tried to allay concerns of a sector-wide strike, saying it was confident of reaching a deal with Anglo Platinum (Angloplat), the number one producer of the precious metal, and said a pay strike at Impala Platinum Implats, the world's No. 2 platinum producer, was futile because the company was unlikely to raise its current pay offer.
South Africa produces four-fifths of the world's platinum -- mostly used in making catalytic converters to cut pollutants from car exhausts, and in jewellery -- but the strike has so far not affected platinum prices, due to a slump in the car manufacturing sector.
The strike at Implats' biggest mine entered its third week on Monday, and the company said there was still no production at it's biggest mine, Rustenburg, which is now the only facility affected by the strike, after other workers returned to work.
South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said it plans to meet some of the 20,000 striking workers on Monday.
"We can't have an indefinite strike," Eddie Majadibodu, the chief negotiator for the NUM at Implats said.
"Management is not intending to increase its offer. It's a matter of being reasonable."
Implats, facing lower earnings and rising costs, has offered a 10 percent pay rise, saying it cannot afford the worker's demand of a 14 percent pay increase, which is twice South Africa's inflation of 6.7 percent.Source