South African miner Gold Fields fired 8,500 striking workers for ignoring an ultimatum to return to work at its KDC East mine or face dismissal, local media quoting a spokesman for the firm as saying on Tuesday.
Company spokesman Sven Lunsche said dismissal letters were sent to all of the 8,500 striking miners at the KDC East mine near Johannesburg after they ignored a final deadline set for 04:00 pm (14:00 GMT) on Monday.
Lunsche said the move was prompted by the failure of negotiations aimed at persuading the striking miners to return to work by the set deadline. He added that the sacked workers now have 24 hours to appeal against their dismissal.
Gold Fields is the world's fourth-largest bullion producer. The company had earlier secured a court ruling that the strike was illegal. The strike at KDC East mine is linked to a local trade union dispute, and over wages like in several other South African mines.
Notably, Gold Field had resolved a strike at its nearly KDC West last week by using similar tactics. Some 11,000 strikers miners had returned to work at the KDC West mine last Thursday after a month-long stoppage, following a similar dismissal threat made by the company.
South Africa is currently struggling to contain unrest by workers at its mining sector, with more than 80,000 miners going in strike since August. Although some cases have since been resolved, strikes are still continuing at several of the country's mines.
At the peak of the miner unrest, at least 34 miners were killed after police opened fire on striking workers at the Marikana platinum mine on August 16. The incident marked the worst deadly police action in South Africa since it became a democracy in 1994.
President Jacob Zuma has set up a judicial inquiry commission to probe the deadly police shooting at the Marikana mine. The protesting miners were demanding pay rises and recognition of a new union. The strike at the Marikana mine, owned by Lonmin Plc, has since ended, with the company and the workers unions reaching a deal last month.
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