Lonmin strikers march as S. Africa mine unrest spreads
About 10,000 workers from the South African mine Lonmin, who have been on strike for the last month, marched at the mine, stopping others from returning to work. Talks to end the strike were expected to start Monday, but a mediator said that the process could only take place if workers returned to work, which the majority failed to do. The strike turned violent in August, when 34 people were killed in a clash with police, and strikers say that some were killed while trying to surrender. Workers at a gold mine have also begun a strike, after the company ended a similar strike at another mine, with about 15,000 workers at the world's fourth largest gold mine striking. The workers at Lonmin are asking for substantial raises, which the company says it cannot afford.
See "Lonmin strikers march as S. Africa mine unrest spreads", Ed Cropley, Reuters, September 9, 2012