South African gold producers are preparing for strikes that could start as early as Sunday, with some planning for stoppages of up to three months.
The National Union of Mineworkers will give 48-hours' notice on Friday of its members' intention to strike over deadlocked wage talks, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Workers could then begin stoppages from the Sunday night or Monday morning shifts in the country's gold mines.
NUM gave bullion producers including AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Sibanye Gold and Harmony Gold a seven-day ultimatum August 24 to meet its demand for pay rises of up to 60% or face strike action.
Gold producers on Tuesday made a final offer to unions to increase basic wages by 6-6.5%. Reuters