South Africa gold producers make new wage offer

South African gold producers made a new wage offer to tens of thousands of striking miners in a bid to end work stoppages that have crippled production since Tuesday, a union said. Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) were discussing the offer, which was made late Wednesday. "We received last night a revised offer from the Chamber of Mines," NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told AFP. "We are looking at it," he said, cautioning that "there are no guarantees this offer can be accepted. It's up to the members." He declined to give further details. NUM, which officially represents around 70,000 strikers, has demanded a 60-percent hike in basic wages as it battles to remain the dominant labour group in the gold sector, though Seshoka suggested earlier in the week they may review their demands. The producers'a last public offer was 6.5 percent. "Discussions continue," gold industry spokeswoman Charmane Russell told AFP, declining to confirm the offer. For Thursday's morning shift, the firms represented by the chamber reported 16 of 23 mines were severely affected.