October 27, 2012

The front page of the newspaper today showed bloodshed and spears, a scene scarily reminiscent of apartheid South Africa. Miners have been going on strike at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine and today the violent protest was met with automatic weapons. 45 were deemed dead this morning. The strikes and protests have ensued as miners have demanded a 300% raise in wages.

There seems to be two sides this argument; those in favor of corporate capitalism and those who sympathize with the miners and their working conditions. The capitalists continue to argue against unions as a reason for poor FDI in the country, citing the already high wages in comparison to neighboring countries. Likewise, the continuing strike has almost surely destroyed the chances of Lonmin reaching its full year goal of salable platinum which will surely have global repercussions.

There is also the idea that these miners are in life threatening situations for 12 hours a day and are compensated for the equivalent of $500 per month. This, unlike many gold miners, is compensation without housing as well. At what point can big business continue to profit off the backs of the hard working populace. While unemployment skyrockets and poverty lines remain stagnant, the few and select elite continue to grow richer.

When I first read this story I immediately took the side against the strikers. These miners were armed with spears, rocks and machetes vocally ready to shed blood. While reading UNDP’s an Employment Targeted Economic System for Africa, I learned that many companies cite unions as the reason as a constant struggle to work with as well as a motivating factor for capital intensive methods of production.  Unions are also very abundant in Africa as they were a means of protection during the apartheid era. Initially, it was these factors that led me to believe that the strikers and unions were not only destroying the economic growth of South Africa but also discouraging any sort of FDI that could help the country.

However, the more I look at the situation, the more I see a call to reform and the start of what is an overdue revolution. First, these strikers are not a part of the Nation Union of Mineworkers. They have separated to form a much more radical union called the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. They too are fed up with the inconsistencies and lack of true representation. The simple fact that I make almost as much in a week as a line chef as these workers do in a month risking their lives with full day shifts has made me reevaluate my position and see justice in the strikes.

The excessive violence however runs a thin line. These strikers were quoted saying they would kill anyone who attempted to go back to work, but this strike could be the start of a revolution. Almost every monumental revolution has its grounds in violence as a means of upsetting the status quo. Perhaps this demonstration was a necessary means of relaying the message that labor will no longer be treated as slavery. I am not advocating a socialist revolution, but a capitalist system in which 1% dominate the population as something similar to indentured servants must end eventually.