Strike ends at S Africa coal mine

Miners have ended a 6-week strike and returned to work at the Mooiplaats coal mine in northeastern South Africa after the company agreed to a 26 percent pay increase, Coal of Africa said Friday. The legal strike had begun on September 25 and staff returned to work at the colliery on Wednesday after the National Union of Mineworkers reached a deal with management. The company said the settlement "translates to an increase of approximately 1.0 percent on the Mooiplaats total cost per saleable tonne." South Africa is grappling with a wave of labour actions that started with violent wildcat strikes at a platinum mine and has since spread to gold, chrome and coal mines across the country. Many striking miners have returned to work in recent days but tensions remain at operations run by platinum giant Amplats and at a colliery in Dannhauser where security guards killed 2