Miners union launches national safety strike

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s biggest miners’ union launched a one-day national strike yesterday to protest against deaths in the country’s mines, disrupting operations across the world’s top producer of platinum and gold.

Almost a quarter of a million union members were set to down tools in the first industry-wide strike on safety, as the death toll in some of the world’s deepest mines mounted to around 200 from 199 last year and 202 in 2005, mostly due to rockfalls and explosions. “The strike started at midnight and we plan a protest march for workers later,” Lesiba Seshoka, the National Union of Mineworkers’ (NUM) spokesman told Reuters.Thousands of mineworkers, some clad in their mining gear of boots, overalls and helmets sang and danced at a square in downtown Johannesburg.They waved shovels and placards saying “No More!”, “Mine Safety is a Human Right” and “Pay us a Living Wage”, as others flooded city streets from buses countrywide.Lesiba said the workers would march on the Chamber of Mines offices a few streets away, to deliver a protest memorandum, while others would hold protest actions countrywide, to put pressure on the mining industry to improve safety standards.Mining companies and analysts have forecast huge output losses across the sector as mines grind to a halt in the world’s top source of gold, platinum, vanadium and key producer of coal, diamonds, iron ore, chromium, manganese, nickel and uranium.Analysts saw metal prices jumping on supply jitters.Platinum rose to its highest level in a week on supply concerns ahead of the strike.Cash platinum firmed to US$1 461/1 466 an ounce, from US$1 455/1 459 late in New York.It earlier rose as high as US$1 462,50, its highest since Nov 27.Shares in Anglo American , which has interests in platinum, gold and coal fell 3,11 per cent to 439,99 rand.AngloGold Ashanti , the country’s top gold producer and the world’s number-three producer, said it would not produce any gold on the day, saying even those workers that showed up would be trained on safety issues rather than mine gold.”It ranges from full absence to partial absence from mine to mine, but in total it’s a substantial absence,” spokesman Steve Lenahan said.The company could not give a daily production breakdown but said its South African operations produced 618 000 ounces of gold in the quarter to end-September.Some 900 kg of gold (28 935 ounces) and about 590 kg in platinum output could be lost, an analyst said.Anglo Platinum , the world’s biggest platinum producer, which accounts for 40 per cent of world supplies said it was too early to assess tell the strike’s impact.Nampa-Reuters”The strike started at midnight and we plan a protest march for workers later,” Lesiba Seshoka, the National Union of Mineworkers’ (NUM) spokesman told Reuters.Thousands of mineworkers, some clad in their mining gear of boots, overalls and helmets sang and danced at a square in downtown Johannesburg.They waved shovels and placards saying “No More!”, “Mine Safety is a Human Right” and “Pay us a Living Wage”, as others flooded city streets from buses countrywide.Lesiba said the workers would march on the Chamber of Mines offices a few streets away, to deliver a protest memorandum, while others would hold protest actions countrywide, to put pressure on the mining industry to improve safety standards.Mining companies and analysts have forecast huge output losses across the sector as mines grind to a halt in the world’s top source of gold, platinum, vanadium and key producer of coal, diamonds, iron ore, chromium, manganese, nickel and uranium.Analysts saw metal prices jumping on supply jitters.Platinum rose to its highest level in a week on supply concerns ahead of the strike.Cash platinum firmed to US$1 461/1 466 an ounce, from US$1 455/1 459 late in New York.It earlier rose as high as US$1 462,50, its highest since Nov 27.Shares in Anglo American , which has interests in platinum, gold and coal fell 3,11 per cent to 439,99 rand.AngloGold Ashanti , the country’s top gold producer and the world’s number-three producer, said it would not produce any gold on the day, saying even those workers that showed up would be trained on safety issues rather than mine gold.”It ranges from full absence to partial absence from mine to mine, but in total it’s a substantial absence,” spokesman Steve Lenahan said.The company could not give a daily production breakdown but said its South African operations produced 618 000 ounces of gold in the quarter to end-September.Some 900 kg of gold (28 935 ounces) and about 590 kg in platinum output could be lost, an analyst said.Anglo Platinum , the world’s biggest platinum producer, which accounts for 40 per cent of world supplies said it was too early to assess tell the strike’s impact.Nampa-Reuters