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Johannesburg - Talks to end a three-week strike at South
Africa's Lonmin [JSE:LON] platinum mine, where violence claimed 44 lives, have been
postponed to Monday after two days of negotiations failed to broker a deal.
Mine managers, unions, workers representatives and
government mediators are seeking a "peace accord" after the killing
of 34 striking workers two weeks ago by police - the worst day of police
violence in South Africa since the end of white-minority apartheid rule in
1994.
"Last night we agreed that the group from the striking
workers will go back and give feedback to the workers... and talks will resume
on Monday afternoon," said Senzeni Zokwana, the leader of National Union
of Mineworkers (Num).
Zokwana said the talks were aimed at getting all the parties
to sign a peace accord so that the workers could return to work and were not to
negotiate wages.
The talks will resume on Monday to allow the workers to
attend the last remaining burials of their colleagues.
"We hope that by Tuesday everybody could go back to
work," said Zokwana.
But the workers are adamant that they will not be returning
to the job unless their wage increase demands are met.
The striking workers who claim not to belong to any union
want a wage increase from R4 000 a month to R12 500.
Lonmin, the world's number three platinum producer, says the
workers already earn around R10 000 when bonuses and other compensation are
included.
"We can't say that we are happy with the progress so
far. The employer has not made any wage offer, all they want is for the workers
to simply return to work," said Zolani Bodlani, a representative.
On August 16 police opened fire on striking workers at the
mine killing 34, after an escalating standoff between rival unions that had
already killed 10 people including two police officers.
Police arrested 270 people after the bloodbath, who were charged Thursday for the murder of their colleagues.
