A union that has waged the longest strike in South African mining history said on Thursday the marathon action over pay must be resolved, as the government met major producers.

"It needs to be ended, this strike," said Jimmy Gama, treasurer of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).

"We are positive. We believe there are prospects with progress with the negotiations," he told AFP.

More than 80,000 AMCU members have been on strike for four months demanding their monthly minimum wages be increased to 12,500 rand ($1,170, 860 euros) -- more than double the current figure.

The government took the lead last week to try resolve the dispute, which has dragged the country's economic growth into the red.

Representatives of new mines minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi met top global producers Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum and Lonmin on Thursday morning, an industry spokeswoman confirmed.

"We will speak with our members after we have obtained feedback from the minister," said AMCU's Gama.

A pay proposal put forth by the mines ministry reportedly includes an 800 rand ($74, 55 euros) a month annual increase for five years starting from 2013.

AMCU rejected an earlier employer offer that would have pushed the minimum pay package to 12,500 rand by July 2017.

The firms' proposal includes travel and other allowances, but the union wants the figure as basic pay excluding the extras.

Several rounds of negotiation have failed since the stoppages started on January 23.

Non-strikers have been killed as workers insist on what they call a decent wage, denouncing mining executives' large pay packages.

Meanwhile charities are handing out food packages in mining town Rustenburg northwest of Johannesburg, as many strikers who have gone without pay for months struggle to feed their families.

Data released at the end of May showed South Africa's economy contracted in the first quarter for the first time since the global crisis five years ago, raising the spectre of recession.