Around 300,000 members of South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will be asked to down tools on December 4th, in protest at safety standards in the mining sector, it has been announced.

Senzei Zokwana, President of the NUM, confirmed the proposed date for industrial action yesterday at a forum for mining unions in Thailand.

The NUM must now wait for confirmation that the strike can go ahead, which it is expected to receive at a meeting of mining companies and an arbitration authority set to take place next Tuesday.

The nationwide strike would be the first in which all South African mines have been closed since the miners' strike of 1987.

News of the strike action comes as the South African government announced that its mooted safety audit of 700 mines nationwide will begin on December 7th.

Source:

UPDATE 1-SAfrican mining union plans safety strike Dec 4, 23/11/07
http://investing.reuters.co.uk/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=allBreakingNews&storyID=2007-11-23T090423Z_01_L23591337_RTRIDST_0_MINING-SAFRICA-STRIKE-UPDATE-1.XML&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=InvArt-C1-ArticlePage1

Mines face safety strike, 23/11/07
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=631746

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