S. Africa's Lonmin mine strike to end

JOHANNESBURG - More than one-month-long strike at the Lonmin Marikana platinum mine in South Africa is to be finally ended with the striking miners expected to return to work on Thursday, a leader of the striking miners said on Tuesday.

Striking miners dance and cheer after they were informed of a 22 percent wage increase offer outside Lonmin's Marikana mine, 100 km northwest of Johannesburg, Sept 18, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

The striking workers' leader Zolisa Bodlani informed the miners that the management at the Marikana mine in the North West province on Tuesday offered them a salary increase of 22 percent across the board and the representatives of the miners accepted it.

According to the agreed salary increase, a rock drill operator will now earn a gross monthly salary of over $1300.

In addition the mine has also awarded each striking worker a once-off bonus of 245 U.S. dollars.

Production teams and operators who were not on strike will also get the 22 percent increase of their monthly salaries.

Workers at the Marikana mine sang and jumped up and down in jubilation when Zolisa Bodlani informed them about the new offer.

The negotiators and the Lonmin mine management will sign the latest wage increase agreement.

Early in August about 3000 rock drillers from the Marikana platinum mine engaged on the strike, demanding to be paid $1500 a month from $485 they were earning at the time.

The strike turned violent, leading to 45 people killed, 78 injured and 270 arrested. Among those killed, 34 were shot and dead by police on August 16 at the deadliest conflict since the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994.

Striking miners dance and cheer after they were informed of a 22 percent wage increase offer outside Lonmin's Marikana mine, 100 km northwest of Johannesburg, Sept 18, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]