A strike has begun
at the world's biggest platinum miner, South Africa's Anglo American Platinum
(Amplats).
Amplats said that
less than 20% of staff arrived for work at its mining operations near the city
of Rustenburg.
Members of the
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) are protesting over
Amplats' plan to cut 4,800 jobs.
The company wanted
to cut 14,000 jobs, but abandoned that after objections from the government and
unions.
Job cuts receive a
lot of attention in South Africa, where unemployment is running at more than
25%.
The strike was
planned to last 48 hours.
Speaking on South
African radio, AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa said: "We have to always be
positive, but the ball is in management's court."
Last year,
Amplats, which is 80% owned by Anglo American, reported a 6.33bn-rand ($710m;
£452m) operating loss.
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