Lonmin rejects 25 pct pay rise bid at SAfrica ops

* Lonmin offers 5 pct pay rise, union seeks 25 percent

* Union says wants to avert strike

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 15 (Reuters) - South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday that Lonmin Plc (LMI.L) had rejected its 25 percent wage rise for its members at the platinum producer's operations in South Africa.

NUM said Lonmin, the world's third largest producer of platinum, had instead offered to raise workers' pay by 5 percent and that it was reluctant to improve its offer.

The union said it was capable of organising a strike to press for better wages but that the company should take current negotiations as the best way to resolve the issue.

"We are positive about negotiations and as such we want the company to show positivity in their actions," NUM said in a statement.

All of Lonmin's platinum operations are in South Africa.

The NUM's statement came after the union said it had agreed a 11.5 percent one-year pay rise with Northam Platinum (NHMJ.J) with effect from July this year. [ID:nWEA5172]

Impala Platinum (IMPJ.J), supplier of a quarter of the world's platinum, said it lost 50,000 ounces during a two-week strike brought operations at its mines in South Africa to a halt. [ID:nL8226878] (Reporting by Shapi Shacinda, editing by Anthony Barker)