SAfrica miners at Rio-BHP JV agree pay deal -company

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), a Rio Tinto (RIO.L) and BHP Billiton (BLT.L) joint venture, said it had agreed a final wage deal with workers to end a week-long strike and will resume full output on Friday.

The company said it had agreed an 8 percent pay rise with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) for 2010 and a 7 percent increase each for 2011 and 2012.

"We will return to full production tomorrow (Friday)," RBM spokeswoman Nthabiseng Motsepe told Reuters on Thursday.

South Africa, the continent's biggest economy, has been hit by a wave of strikes and strike threats in both the private and public sectors, which have led to above-inflation settlements and stoked fears that the cost of living will rise.

South Africa's inflation rate slowed to a four-year low of 3.7 percent in July. (Reporting by Shapi Shacinda)