More negotiations involving the unions would kick off in October, he said.
Gideon Du Plessis, secretary general of the mainly-white union Solidarity, said “the workers don’t have a choice… (but) to accept the final offer.”
“They know Lonmin cannot give more, and if they don’t accept, they will loose their jobs.”
Lomnin – which slashed its platinum sales forecasts for this year due to the strike – had warned that an extended job stayaway would cost some 40,000 jobs.
Lonmin became the epicentre of a wave of unrest to hit the vital mining sector in recent weeks, with tensions forcing several firms to suspend operations in the country’s platinum belt of northwestern Rustenburg.
President Jacob Zuma warned Monday that the country could ill afford a recession over mine stoppages.
Zuma told a conference of the country’s powerful Cosatu labour group that 4.5 billion rand ($548 million, 417 million euros) had been lost in gold and platinum production this year, and 118 million rand in the coal sector.
Following a weekend security crackdown in the mining region, tensions eased slightly and closed-down mines reopened Monday and Tuesday.
Anglo American Platinum, the world’s top platinum producer, resumed operations Tuesday after it shut down five mines last week over security fears.
Mining is the backbone of South Africa’s economy. It directly employs around 500,000 people and, once related activities are included, accounts for nearly one-fifth of gross domestic product.
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