Monday, November 12, 2012

Platinum - Striking workers reject Amplats offer

JOHANNESBURG (REUTERS) - Source

More than 30,000 striking workers at Anglo American Platinum's Rustenburg mines in South Africa rejected the firm's new return-to-work offer on Saturday, a labour leader said.

Amplats said on Friday it offered a 4,500 rand ($520) one-off payment and agreed to start wage talks ahead of the expiry of current agreements next year.

The offer would lapse if workers do not show up for work on Monday, Amplats said.

"Nobody is going back to work on Monday. The strike continues," labour leaderEvans Ramokga said. "We are not happy with the conditions on the offer like the final warnings and threats of disciplinary actions for dismissed workers."

The company fired 12,000 workers who went on an illegal work stoppage inRustenburg.

The cost of the wildcat action, in its second month, is mounting and Amplats said it had lost almost 168,000 ounces in platinum production, worth over $250 million at current spot prices.

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