South Africa's biggest miners' union said today it had launched at midnight a one-day strike to protest against mounting mine deaths in mines across the world's top producer of platinum and gold.
Almost a quarter of a million members of the country's biggest mining union are expected to down tools in the first-ever national and industry-wide strike on safety, as the death toll in the mines hovers around 200 this year.
Officials say 199 workers died last year and 202 in 2005, in rockfalls, explosions or buried underground after earth tremors. "The strike started at midnight and we plan a protest march for workers later," Lesiba Seshoka, the National Union of Mineworkers' (NUM) spokesman said.
Mr Seshoka said some 40,000 of the mineworkers were expected to attend the march in downtown Johannesburg as part of protest actions countrywide, in their hope to try to put pressure on the mining industry to improve safety standards.
"Thousands of other workers will be engaged in protest actions throughout South Africa," he said.
Analysts have said metals prices may jump on supply jitters. Platinum rose to its highest level in a week on supply concerns ahead of the strike. Cash platinum rose to $1,461/1,466 an ounce, from $1,455/1,459 late in New York. It earlier rose as high as $1,462.50, its highest since November 27th.