P. M. BRIEFING - 6,500 Miners Strike in S. Africa
At least 6,500 miners at all five diamond mines of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. struck today for higher wages in the first national strike in the company’s history, company and union officials said.
By this afternoon, almost 100% of workers on two shifts had joined the stoppage, but total support for the strike will not be clear until a full work cycle has been completed, De Beers spokesman Sejamothopo Motau said.
The total black labor force in the five mines and one geology department was about 9,000, Motau said. The white mining work force was unaffected by the strike, he said.
Some of the mines are highly mechanized and it was not clear to what extent production was affected, Motau said.
De Beers has offered a wage increase of 17%, which would raise the minimum monthly wage from 553 rand ($205) to 647 rand ($240) and keep pace with inflation. The NUM is demanding a 37.6% increase to 761 rand ($282) a month.
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