* Lonmin workers defy deadline to return to work
* Marching strikers and police in stand-off
* Gold Fields hit by new illegal strike
By Ed Cropley
MARIKANA, South Africa, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Striking South
African platinum miners stayed off the job on Monday and marched
to press wage demands at major producer Lonmin
as 15,000 workers at the world’s fourth biggest bullion
producer, Gold Fields, also downed tools.
Thousands of Lonmin workers were defying a Monday deadline
to return to shafts that have been idle for a month at the
Marikana mine, 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.
Growing labour unrest is challenging the ruling ANC’s claim
to be able to defend workers’ interests while ensuring stable
economic growth. It culminated in mid-August in violent clashes
with police in which 44 people were killed at Marikana, most of
them strikers shot by police officers.
The killings conjured up painful memories of similar
incidents under racist apartheid rule, which ended in 1994.
Police have said they opened fire in self-defence but fresh
testimony that officers shot men who were fleeing or
surrendering seems likely to deepen anger against the security
forces and the African National Congress (ANC).
Continued…
