Expatica news

S. Africa miners continue strike despite dismissal threats

Workers at several Anglo American Platinum mines in South Africa have decided to continue their strike, despite management threats to dismiss all those who didn’t show up to work by Monday evening.

“There is no one going back to work, guaranteed 105 percent, there is no one going to work the night shift today,” worker representative Siphamandla Makhanya told local radio after a short meeting with miners Monday.

Amplats, the world’s top platinum producer, resumed operations last week at the five mines in the Rustenburg platinum belt that it had earlier shut down over safety concerns.

The company first threatened the miners with dismissal if they missed work on September 19, before pushing back the date a few more times, with the latest set for Monday evening.

Amplats considers the strike illegal.

“We have given people until the night shift, and the night shift has not started yet. We can check tomorrow,” Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole said.

The strikers, who hope to meet with management Tuesday, are pushing for at least the 11-22 percent raises that Lonmin miners at the nearby Marikana mine received after a deadly strike that left 46 dead, 35 of whom were killed by police.