This was a quiet week for platinum group metals headline news, dominated by corporate and labor developments at Sibanye-Stillwater rather than fresh price or balance-sheet data. The company resolved a wage dispute at one of its two US mines even as a separate strike continued, while its South African mining fleet and a Canadian equity stake both saw notable but incremental changes. Platinum and palladium spot prices eased further after the declines flagged in DailyPlatinum's reports earlier this week.
The week's top stories#
East Boulder miners ratify new wage deal; Stillwater East and Columbus strikes continue#
Workers at Sibanye-Stillwater's East Boulder mine in Montana approved a new labor contract with the United Steelworkers union, running from 1 August 2026 through 31 July 2029, Mining Weekly reported on 30 September. The deal includes a 4.5% pay rise in its first year, followed by raises tied to the greater of a fixed percentage or inflation in years two and three. Sibanye-Stillwater called the agreement part of a broader push to mechanize its US operations, which include the Stillwater and East Boulder mines and the Columbus metallurgical plant. Union members at Stillwater East and Columbus remained on strike as of the report, a dispute the company said it is still working to resolve. More on the company's combined output is on DailyPlatinum's Sibanye-Stillwater production page.
Epiroc to supply mechanized fleet for Sibanye-Stillwater's Siphumelele shaft#
Sweden's Epiroc secured an order to supply underground loaders and utility vehicles to Sibanye-Stillwater's Siphumelele shaft at its Rustenburg platinum operations in South Africa, Mining Weekly reported on 30 September. The equipment, built for narrow-vein conditions, forms part of Sibanye-Stillwater's effort to mechanize the shaft and improve safety and output. The order covers Epiroc's LHD 5.5 low-profile loader along with UV42 utility vehicles and related attachments. The deal points to continued capital spending on South African narrow-reef platinum mining even as the sector manages cost pressure; background on how these mines operate is on DailyPlatinum's platinum mining page.
Sibanye-Stillwater's stake in Generation Mining falls below 10% after share issue#
Sibanye-Stillwater's Canadian subsidiary, Stillwater Canada Inc., filed a regulatory early warning report after its stake in Toronto-based Generation Mining Limited fell below the 10% disclosure threshold, according to a 29 September release carried by Newswire.ca. The change followed Generation Mining's completion of a share offering on 21 September 2026 that issued 375,000,000 new common shares (312,500,000 via a bought deal and 62,500,000 via a private placement). Sibanye-Stillwater did not take part in the offering and its holding of 32,813,127 shares was unchanged in absolute terms, but that holding fell from about 10.15% of Generation Mining's shares before the issue to about 4.70% afterward. The filing reflects passive dilution rather than a sale of shares.
Prices over the week#
Platinum and palladium both eased on Friday. Platinum closed at $1,691.00/oz on the New York spot market on Friday, 2 October 2026, down $23.00 on the day, while palladium closed at $1,152.00/oz, down $12.00, according to Kitco. Rhodium was bid at $8,400.00/oz with no change on the day, per the same source. Separately, platinum's benchmark CFD contract had lost 7.31% over the trailing month while still trading 4.91% above year-ago levels, according to Trading Economics, a different pricing series from Kitco's spot quote. Markets are closed over the weekend and reopen Sunday evening New York time; no weekend price moves occurred. Live prices are available on DailyPlatinum's platinum and palladium price pages.
What to watch next week#
- Sibanye-Stillwater's ordinary shares begin trading on South Africa's A2X exchange on 6 October 2026, adding a secondary local venue to its existing JSE primary listing and NYSE American depositary shares, according to Miningmx.
- Whether Sibanye-Stillwater and the United Steelworkers can reach a deal to end the strike at the Stillwater East mine and Columbus metallurgical facility, which was still unresolved as of the East Boulder settlement.
- Progress on the Siphumelele shaft mechanization project in Rustenburg as Epiroc's new equipment order is delivered and deployed.
Sources:
- Mining Weekly, Sibanye confirms wage agreement for East Boulder workers, strikes continue at Stillwater East, Columbus continue
- Mining Weekly, Epiroc secures underground mining equipment order for Sibanye-Stillwater PGMs mine
- Newswire.ca / Sibanye-Stillwater, Early Warning Exit Report re: Generation Mining Limited
- Kitco, Precious Metals Spot Prices
- Miningmx, Sibanye-Stillwater adds A2X secondary listing