South Africa: the mining crisis upsets the social model

The violent crisis which shakes the South African mines shows that one part of workers doesn’t trust traditional syndicates anymore, until now a guarantee of certain social peace in spite the deep inequalities of the society. The high increasing of the salary has been done this week after a long period of negotiation between the government and the syndicates which claim more money in their salary and is the cause of 46 deaths and has also destruct buildings.

Since this movement, a lot of observatories see it as an invitation for others mining site in pushing them to launch others strikes of the same kind. It’s already the case since some days with Anglo American Gold and platinum producers and Gold Fields, where the strikers feel encouraged and motivated by what is considered as a victory to their colleagues in Marikana. But as a government, they fear anarchy. Since long-time, in South Africa, social relations are formalised, representative syndicate having the exclusivity of negotiation with employees, through a process extremely beaconed.

In the past, syndicates were affirmed as one of force of opposition most active against the apartheid era.