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South Africa: Industrial unrest continues as Lonmin miners walk of the job again
“It’s largely a tactical move,” said a labor lawyer, who asked not to be named as he is involved in talks to resolve the strikes. “They don’t expect to be able to run a mine with a completely new labor force.”
Most of the workers will be rehired when the protests end, weeks of strikes have pushed some already struggling shafts into the red, meaning some jobs will be lost.
Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) said it would not fire any wildcat strikers at its relatively profitable Union and Amandelbult mines for now as it sought to engage unions to resolve the disputes.
AngloGold Ashanti, the world’s third-largest gold producer, said it would make a decision next week on whether to issue an ultimatum to workers.
Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s have both lowered South Africa’s credit rating, citing a lack of political leadership and rising pressure on the government to throw money at the social problems underscored in the mines.
