South Africa's Lonmin Miners Reject Wage Offer
Lonmin miners rejected a wage offer terming it as "very far" from worker demands. As strike action spreads in the mining sector, the government has warned strikers to stop violent protests, or face the full might of the law.
Video
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South African Miners Frustrated with Living Conditions
- Author:
- Al Jazeera English
- Publisher:
- Al Jazeera English
- Publication Date:
- 13 September 2012
Miners from the Anglo American platinum mine (Amplats), joined forces with their colleagues from Marikana in a show of solidarity against low wages. ... see more »
InFocus
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Strike action continues at platinum, chrome and gold mining operations where disgruntled workers are demanding better salaries. Read more »
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Expelled youth leader of the ruling African National Congress, Julius Malema, says a "day of action" will be announced to co-ordinate national strike action until the demands of ... Read more »
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If the cost of producing the platinum exceeds the market value, the mine will close. The financiers will not give a moment's thought to the lives of the people who will lose their jobs. The people provoking these miners would do well to look at the British coal mining industry, costs rose to much, the unions challenged the political system. There are very few coal mines in the UK now as a consequence.
It is obvious that the government is submiting to threats from the big multinationals ""The people do not want to work under the present conditio9ns they have lost 44 of thier peers tot his strike and the police supporting the corporations and the government is now also siding with the big companies?? The people want to buy a house they want to send their chidlren to good schools pay taxes so they can have good education not education that does not promote equality; they wantb to take holidays like everty one else. Every other miner onthis planet is a middle income wage4 earner, that is right they have nice houses they have cars they have money in the bank and they go on holidays and thier children go to university why not the same in South Africa/// I will tell you why, you are black workers these are white companies and they do not want tom pay you what you are worth. . Ask any one of those who have internetb to look at the wage differnces for miners in other parts of the world and ask yourselves what is the differnce between you and them when the same people own most of the same type mines.Isnot it due time for Deboersor whatever the great giant of mining in Africas name is; it is time to comrelinquish some of those trillions of dollars they took out of Africa???Give to the people especially of S.Africa whom they have bled for centuries give them a chance to live and give thier children a chance. What we see in the world is the west udner the delusion that Africans are alright to live with one dollar a day ; that is complet rubbish foolishness folly its inconveiveable> Africa must grow and that happnes when the people are growing economicaly. The S.African government has taken sonme very odd steps thsi year by allowing WALMARTinto SA when they will clearly take away the advantage of black onwed busineses and wont bend to the will of more even distribution of the land. This in itself will undermine black owneship of fgarm lands; has the SAfrican government forgotten thier agenda of land redistribution?Education system is rotten in Safrica you are not doing enough in Africa to promote black ownership ofr land and businesess. I will contiue to say that there is no way you should have allowed fro Zimbabwe to fail agriculturaly nor Malawiand instead of getting your act together you threaten the miners of imprisonment because they want higher wages to live alife that is reality . Get themselves out of those shacks they live in wanting to have houses and not just empower the wealthy getting them mre rich. someonehas to bend the wealthy must be subdued they must share the wealth and stop taking Africa and Africans as thier sacred cash cow!!!!" They still think they are living in the days of slavery where they are the wealthy plantation owners ad they have blacks mining and farming fr them hwere they get peanuts to live off!!! I would ve expected a more revolutionary attitude fropm the government The government needs to look at Africa and see that what you see in the north and west is what is transpiring over the planet. The earth is up in arms against the hegmony of the American and thier greed and thier disrespect for others lives and lands. What we see in the opinion of over one billion people inclusive of the African continent so shoudl we look at Africa independent Africa one that is not sucking up to western world hegemony we would count close to two billion peoplethese are alot of people. we see the entire muslim world up in arms. Does this look like de'javu; when we saw Cote d'Ivoire standing up for thjier righst against oppression from France that lit up the African continent that the west wants to take credit for espousing thier silly babbl about Arab Spring !!! Today we see live s.Africans taking ot the street rejecting opressive slaries that only represent the staus quo and thier ideals, they do not represent a modsern Africa who has wealth and should be able to empower the majourity fo its people. The days of bowing and scraping ones knees is truly over, the people know what thier contient is valued and they want to see the wages to go with it; they do notr want to enrich the overseer and the land grabbers!!! They are within thierr righsts, its all in the spirit of the revolution!!!! S.Africans must stop must look at the entire continent as erflecting the same views there is no differnce between a S African or a Egyptian or Nigerian we are styruggling to better the land better the peopleon the lands the topics are the same and the politics are the same do not make the same mistake you did last time by not reading the signs carefully"!!!The people of Africa is your perogative not security, when you talk you are not speaking like an African you are isolating making yourself different than those who are your blood your family;; think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This tyoday is about empowerment of the African people and the poor"