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South Africa: Industrial unrest continues as miners reject latest wage offer
Strikers complained that Thursday night’s offer, the first presented by London-registered Lonmin PLC since workers shut down the world’s third-largest platinum mine on August. 10, falls far below their demands for a minimum salary of 12,500 rand (US$1,522).
At the striking miners’ chosen headquarters, a rocky granite hill near the mine in Marikana, northwest of Johannesburg, groans of disappointment and shouts of dissent met representatives who outlined the Lonmin offer put on the table late Thursday.
The National Union of Mineworkers said Lonmin offer to raise the wages of the lowest paid workers by 900 rand (US$112.50) to 5,500 rand (US$688), with similar percentage increases for higher paid workers.
The rock drill operators at the heart of the strike are being offererd 1,000 rand (US$122), according to NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka.
“Lonmin can just shut down its mine if it doesn’t want to give us what we want!” one defiant striker shouted.
But the no-work, no-pay strike is hurting workers who have not been paid since they downed tools. Money lenders in Marikana say they are turning away dozens of miners.
Lonmin reported only 1 percent of its 28,000 workers reported for duty Thursday. Gold Fields International said some 85 percent of the 12,500 workers at its KDC West mine near Carletonville are not working. Anglo American Platinum claims its miners are not striking, but strikers told The Associated Press that they work for Amplats and are demanding even more than 12,500 rand (US$1522) minimum.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
