Limpopo- Striking Bokoni Platinum Mine workers in Limpopo are expected to return to work today. More than 3 000 miners embarked on an unprotected strike about two weeks ago, demanding to be paid R 16 500 per month. 

Labour unions, the Transport and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (Tawusa) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), have urged their members to return to work after management said it would fire them if they did not do so. 

NUM spokesperson William Mabapa says, “If the workers are not back to work it won’t be the issue about the union, it’ll then be an issue about the employee and the employer, because by Monday (today) the company will start to have the powers and the prerogative that if they dismissed the workers they may re-employ them with low salaries and that’s not what we want as the union because that’s going to take us back to square one, we urge our members to go back to work.” 

The union says it has lost its members after violent protests in Marikana in the North West

Meanwhile, the National Union of Mineworkers says it’s concerned about the escalating violence targeting its members in the Rustenburg area. The union says it has lost its members after violent protests in Marikana in the North West. 

It says four of its members were killed in August. Two people are expected to appear in court today in connection with the killing of an NUM shop stewart in Marikana two weeks ago.

For more details go to http://www.sabc.co.za