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Johannesburg - A large number of 5 400 illegally striking
mine workers at a Harmony Gold Mining Company [JSE:HAR] mine shaft clocked in
ahead of a 06:00 (04:00 GMT) deadline on Thursday, a company spokesperson said.
The firm on Tuesday told strikers at its Kusasalethu shaft
near Carletonville south west of Johannesburg to return to work on Thursday or
be fired.
"We're really very pleased and encouraged by the fact
that a large number of the workers have returned to Kusasalethu. Obviously we
don't know exactly how many at this stage," said Harmony Gold spokesperson
Marian van der Walt.
"Because we asked all of the guys to be back at the
shaft and not shift-by-shift there's really thousands of people at the
moment."
"It's certainly a very large percentage of people back
at the shaft," she added.
The only striking shaft at the mine's ten underground
operations had downed tools on October 2 demanding higher wages amid a wave of
wildcat stoppages across the mining sector.
By Tuesday the firm said it had lost 13,000 ounces of gold
production because of the industrial action.
Harmony Gold was the latest of the country's major gold
producers to threaten wildcat strikers with dismissals after neighbouring Gold
Fields [JSE:GFI] let go 10 000 and world number three producer AngloGold
Ashanti [JSE:ANG] on Wednesday said 12 000 could lose their jobs when they
missed a return deadline.
Many fired Gold Fields workers have appealed their
dismissal.
Wage strikes flared up two months ago in the platinum sector,
where over 50 people have died in clashes, including 34 killed by police in a
few minutes at the Lonmin [JSE:LON] platinum mine northwest of Johannesburg.
Main gold operators and unions were expected Thursday to ink a new wage deal that could raise pay for lowest-earning mineworkers.
