Diversified metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater said on Monday it had reached a five-year wage agreement with Amcu and NUM at its Kroondal platinum mine in North West. This is a big deal as it shows that the flare-up at Gold One has not spread to other mines.

Another day, another five-year wage deal inked in South Africa's platinum group metal (PGM) sector with multiple unions, including former archrivals the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).

This latest PGM wage deal, concluded at Sibanye's mechanised Kroondal mine near Rustenburg, follows similar inflation-linked agreements at the company's other PGM mines.

"The agreement is inflation-linked, with category 4-8 employees [the lowest-paid workers] receiving an increase of a minimum of 6% in each of the five years of the agreement. Miners, artisans and officials will receive an increase of 6% in each year of the five-year agreement," Sibanye said.

PGM producers such as Impala Platinum and Anglo American also nailed down five-year wage pacts last year linked to inflation with the NUM, Amcu and other unions.

So, this latest agreement -- like other recent ones, reached without a tool being downed -- is part of a welcome trend bringing much-needed stability to South Africa's PGM sector, which was rocked for years by labour unrest partly rooted in the bloody rivalry between the NUM and Amcu.

Pointedly, it also indicates that, at least for now, the recent hostage/sit-in drama at the Gold One mine...