South Africa platinum miners to strike over pay

Tens of thousands of platinum mine workers in South Africa will hold a strike over pay, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has said.

Mineworkers at Impala Platinum, Anglo American Platinum and Lonmin mines will stage the strike on Thursday.

The planned strike comes after the miners’ demand to increase the minimum wage was dismissed by the top global platinum producers as “unaffordable.”

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the trio rejected the wage demands by the AMCU, saying that the mining sector “currently pays amongst the highest entry level wages in the country.”

The companies also warned that some 11,000 jobs had been lost since December 2011 due to previous industrial actions. The work stoppages cost workers $110 million in lost wages over approximately the same period, they added.

The AMCU is seeking a minimum monthly wage of 12,500 rand (about USD 1,200) for entry-level workers, which is more than double the current wage. According to the union, entry-level workers presently are paid about USD 460 a month.

The union had also planned to stage a separate strike in the gold sector on Thursday, but a court ruled that the strike be suspended pending a review of its legality.

Earlier this week, South Africa’s Labor Minister Mildred Oliphant called on union leaders to avoid prolonged industrial action and take a firm stand against violent acts during protests.

The African country’s mining sector has been paralyzed by a series of wildcat strikes over the miners’ low pays since August 2012. Dozens of people have also been killed in strike-related violence ever since.

The platinum sector in South Africa employs around 134,000 people. According to the AMCU, more than 70,000 members will participate in Thursday’s strike.