Black S.A. miners plan strike

Press, 19 August 1985, Page 10

Black S.A. miners plan strike

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg The black National Union of Mineworkers is completing plans to launch a strike in South Africa’s goldmines on August 25. Industry experts say that they fear the strike, in the present climate in black townships, could unleash yet more unrest. The toll in 19 months of unabated rioting is more than 620 dead. The N.U.M., which says

230,000 of South Africa’s i 550,000 gold and coal miners i will down tools, wants a 22 i per cent pay rise. Mining firms paid 14.1 to . 19.6 per cent increases on July 1. J The Union’s general ( secretary, Mr Cyril Rama- ( phosa, said that N.U.M. committees were meeting this week-end to discuss the , strike. No talks were < planned with the Chamber <

of Mines, which negotiates on behalf of the mining companies. South Africa produces 70 per cent of the non-Com-munist world’s gold, and bullion provides about half of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. The N.U.M. has said that mining 1 companies are stocking up armoured personnel carriers and shot-

guns to deal with riots. ' More foreign countries added their voices at the week-end to the world reaction to Friday’s speech by the President, Mr Pieter Botha, which dashed high expectations abroad of a pledge of dramatic apartheid reforms. Meanwhile the police said that two blacks had been killed in week-end violence.