Gold strike, relating to cry,
Gold strike, relating to cry,�Gold mining union plans one-day Free State strike�
An article dated March 17, 2000
NUM, or South Africa�s National Union of Mineworkers, is organizing a one-day strike at Free State gold mines. They are protesting the poverty and job losses from the mines. NUM is the country�s biggest mining union with 50,000 members, and on March 22 the strike would affect five gold companies; AngloGold Ltd., Gold Fields Ltd., Harmony Gold Co., Avgold and African Rainbow Minerals. NUM spokesman Ikaneng Matlala didn�t say, however, how many members of the union would participate on the strike, but did say �All the gold mines in the Free State gold fields are going to embark on a strike.�
The protest is against the gold mines because of the huge job losses in the last fifteen years. In 1987, gold, being the backbone of the economy, employed 530,000 miners. After the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa�s economy was open to foreign competition, and the gold industry had to be restructured....
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