Has Marikana opened a Pandora's box?

Already there are indications that it has, with miners at other platinum mines demanding a similar deal. It is a major concern for Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who described the Marikana deal as a 'dangerous precedent'. According to a report on the News24 site, Vavi said: 'If those workers forced the hand of the company in that fashion through an unprotected strike, what stops Driefontein doing the same?' Earlier yesterday Vavi had to leave Cosatu's national congress to deal with a strike at Gold Fields Driefontein mine in Carletonville where 15 000 workers have been on an illegal strike for the past 10 days. Leaders of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) accompanied him. On his return Vavi said the mineworkers were demanding a salary of R12 500. This was the same demand made by workers at Lonmin's Platinum mine in Marikana, North West. On Tuesday Lonmin workers accepted a final offer of a 22% increase giving some workers R11 000 a month. Vavi warned that other workers would think that they too could get substantial increases by going on illegal strikes. 'We are not saying that workers do not deserve their money, but if we are not careful this may mean an end of the central bargaining system in the country. Workers will just embark on wildcat strikes and steam ahead and force us to follow them.' Full report on the News24 site See also a City Press report

The first indication of a spreading problem surfaced at a mine run by the world's biggest platinum producer Anglo American Platinum. A report on the IoL site says police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters as demands surfaced for matching pay rises. Within hours of Lonmin agreeing to wage increases, workers at nearby mines called for similar raises, spelling more trouble after six weeks of industrial action that has claimed more than 40 lives and rocked the local economy. 'We want management to meet us as well now,' an organiser for the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) at Impala Platinum, the second biggest platinum producer, is quoted as saying. 'We want R9 000 a month as a basic wage instead of the roughly R5 000 we are getting,' said the organiser. Full report on the IoL site

A detailed examination of the wage issue is offered in a Sake24 report. It claims the Lonmin increase is in effect barely 3%. Although Lonmin announced agreed increases of between 11% and 22%, these include guaranteed increases of between 9% to 10% already agreed a week earlier, says the report. It adds these increases would have become effective from October with or without a strike. The report also notes that it was the rock drill operators who received 22% increases - an increase that included the 'drill allowance' of R750 that was offered before the strike, meaning the actual pay rise agreed this week amount to about 3%. Furthermore, 9 000 of the 37 000 workers at the mine will get no increases as they are contract workers. Lonmin spokesperson Abey Kgotle said the contract workers would have to take up their wage issues with their employers. Full Sake24 report

The Lonmin deal was not the end of the matter, according to research group, the Bench Marks Foundation. Briefing Parliament's Mineral Resources Committee yesterday, head researcher David van Wyk said SA could not afford to look away, as the same situation could repeat itself next year. Van Wyk said recent remarks by those in the mining industry perhaps indicated a shift. He quoted acting CEO of Lonmin mines Simon Scott, as telling an international mining conference that 'the industry must stop dictating to communities and take their lead from them'. Van Wyk made the point that many shack dwellers were subcontracted labourers. 'The subcontractor makes a deal with the mining company and pockets most of the money - and doesn't pay the rock drill operator (enough).' This was a huge problem that needed urgent attention. 'He (the subcontractor) makes a huge profit out of the situation while those he subcontracts live in appalling conditions...' said Van Wyk. Full report on the Fin24.com site

Another person has died at Markikana, bringing to 46 the number of deaths since the unrest began. According to a City Press report, an ANC ward councillor confirmed the death of a woman allegedly hit by a police rubber bullet on Saturday while buying food from a spaza shop in Marikana. Paulina Masutlo, an ANC councillor in Wonderkop, died at the Paul Kruger Hospital in Rustenburg on Tuesday. According to ward councillor Nelson Mpongwana, he saw a deep gash on Masutlo's knee on Saturday before arranging transport for her to hospital. Full City Press report