SA police arrest 37 for violence near Xstrata mine
South African police arrested 37 workers for public violence after firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters who barricaded a road leading to the Kroondal mine operated by Xstrata. See http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/content/en/mineweb-fast-news?oid=161892&sn=Detail.
South African miners continue struggling with the companies
On 1st November 2012, South African police fired tear gas on a group of striking coal miners. This happened a day after security guards killed two workers who allegedly tried breaking into an explosives armoury at the Canadian-owned Forbes & Manhattan Coal Corp mine. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has demanded the government withdraw the company’s licence.
A week later, South Africa’s Mineral Resources Minister warned mining outfits against retrenching workers, while an executive director of Anglo American plc called for a “better dialogue” between trade unionists and the corporate sector.
Meanwhile, UK and Switzerland-based Xstrata plc fired 400 employees for going on an “illegal strike” and other workers downed tools at the Village Main Reef Buffelsfontein gold mine.
Amplats (majority-owned by Anglo American) said it had offered to re-instate 12,000 miners who earlier went on yet another “illegal strike”, but the workers hadn’t taken up its offer. Only one mining company – London-listed CoAL – is reported to have settled the grievances of its workforce, after agreeing to increase wages by 26%.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=12002.