Some workers at South African gold producers Gold Fields returned to work on Wednesday, but about 22,000 remain on strike. The company has imposed Thursday afternoon as an end for the wildcat strike or it will fire workers. About two-thirds of output at the company's mines remains halted. Other mines have also cut workers who participated in wildcat strikes, including 12,000 at Anglo American Platinum. Analysts say that the companies are attempting to seem strong in the face of worker protests, but so far dismissals have not caused an end to the strikes or to the violence they include.
See "Some Gold Fields Workers Return as Deadline Looms", Devon Maylie, The Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2012