* Kumba Iron Ore says 300 employees involved, limited effect
* Gold producer Harmony reports illegal strike at mine
* Spread of labour unrest ups pressure on Zuma government
* Action rattles investors in Africa’s largest economy
By Ed Stoddard and Agnieszka Flak
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 3 (Reuters) – A series of wildcat miners’
strikes spread to South Africa’s iron ore sector on Wednesday
and hit another gold firm in an escalation of the labour unrest
that is testing President Jacob Zuma’s leadership.
The country’s mining industry body has agreed to re-open
wage talks in the coal and gold mining sectors, the National
Union of Mineworkers said, a sign that more companies may be
forced to make costly concessions to end the crippling strikes.
The industrial action at Kumba Iron Ore, a unit of
global miner Anglo American and among the world’s top 10
producers, further dented investor confidence in the continent’s
wealthiest economy.
Workers at the Kusasalethu gold mine near Johannesburg,
operated by South Africa’s No. 3 bullion producer Harmony Gold
, also downed tools in what management called an
“unlawful” action launched outside the normal channels.
Continued…
