In den letzten Monaten kam es vermehrt zu Streiks in allen möglichen Sektoren, auch im öffentlichen Dienst, in SA. Der Minenarbeiter Ausstand hat indessen rd. 110.000 Personen erfasst und ist somit der grösste Streik seit 18 Jahren. Rund 40.000 Produktionsunzen gehen täglich verloren und dies allein sollte zu einem Anstieg des POG führen sollte sich die Situation nicht entspannen.
... Oder ist dies ein Auftakt für grössere Unruhen in SA? Immerhin hat sich in den 10 Jahren nach Apartheid die Situation der schwarzen Bevölkerung eher noch verschlimmert. Ein Abgleiten in Anarchie, a la Zimbabwe liegt durchaus im Bereich des Möglichen. Sollte dies eintreten ist mit einem "Short Squeeze" am Goldmarkt zu rechnen.
Immerhin hat sich der Goldpreis vom Juni 1987 (Streikbeginn) von rund 440 auf über 500 per Jahresende bewegt. Erwarten wir dies nicht auch ohne Streik in SA?
"Stalemate persists in gold strike
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Unions and producers met yesterday to try to end the biggest strike by South African gold miners in 18 years, but no end to the stalemate was in sight, negotiators on both sides said yesterday.
The Solidarity trade union, traditional representative of white workers, has joined the strike led by the black National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) -- keeping some 110 000 workers away and bringing mines to a standstill in the top bullion producer.
"It doesn't seem as if we're making progress, the parties seem to be very far apart," Frans Barker, chief negotiator for the Chamber of Mines that represents gold producers, told the domestic news agency SAPA.
Barker told Reuters separately: "There have been offers placed on the table by gold companies. Unions say they are ready to look at some (parts of the offers) while they say others are unacceptable. It is all very mixed at the moment."
NUM General Secretary Gwede Mantashe confirmed that his union had met some producers.
"We are still engaged," he said. "I am unable to give you any specifics at this point."
The strike is the latest and biggest of a series of industrial actions in recent weeks in South Africa, which is plagued by huge income gaps between the rich and mostly black poor more than a decade after the end of white minority rule.
The NUM launched the strike on Sunday and the Chamber's Barker said it had brought mines to a standstill.
Barker said the strike paralysed the South African mines of the world's No. 2 gold producer AngloGold Ashanti, fourth-ranked Gold Fields, sixth-placed Harmony Gold and South Deep.
The Chamber, which negotiates wages on behalf of gold producers, estimated a daily loss of around 40 000 oz of gold production and R130-million in combined lost revenue per day due to the strike.
The two unions called the strike after rejecting the latest offer by the Chamber of Mines of a 4.5 to 5.0 percent wage rise plus bonus payments.
Unions are demanding a rise of between 10% and 12%.
In talks on Sunday, AngloGold and South Deep, a joint venture of South Africa's Western Areas and Canada's Placer Dome, offered wage rises of between 5,25% and 6,5%.
On Tuesday AngloGold and South Deep added an increase of 10-16 percent in housing subsidies, Barker said.
Gold Fields and Harmony have put on the table offers of 5%-6% percent in wage increases and a rise of 10% in housing subsidies, Barker said.
The NUM says its point of reference in talks is a wage increases of 7%-8%, a one per cent raise in the miners' risk cover and higher accommodation allowances.
Miners, some of whom descend more than 3 km (nearly 2 miles) underground to drill ore in sweltering, narrow tunnels, typically earn R2 500-R3 000 per month.
Muneer Ismail, an analyst at Deutsche Securities, said on Monday a public holiday in South Africa yesterday would reduce the strike's impact as mines would not be running at full capacity and some would in any case be shut.
A third 15 000-strong union, the United Association of South Africa (Uasa), mostly made up of supervisory staff, said it would consider the offers from AngloGold and South Deep.
Tim Kruger, Uasa's spokesman, told Reuters on Monday his union would decide on Friday whether it would join the strike or not. Uasa had no immediate comment yesterday.
South Africa accounts for around 15% of global gold output. Statistics South Africa said on Monday the mining sector contributed 6,6% to the country's gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2005.
South African gold stocks index fell 2% on Monday. Markets were closed on Tuesday.
The failed miners' wage talks are symptomatic of wider discontent in South Africa, recently hit by a wave of work stoppages by municipal, supermarket and national airline staff".