GLENCORE laid criminal charges on Thursday, after offices and trucks were torched at its Wonderfontein coal mine in Mpumalanga, in a further sign this week that a wage strike by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) is becoming more violent.The petrol-bombing incident on Wednesday night was the 10th since Amcu-affiliated employees downed tools last month, Glencore said.Violence, which had been increasing steadily, included petrol bombing, the intimidation of contractors, and the stoning of company vehicles, it said.This is the third such incident this week. Glencore on Wednesday rejected allegations by Amcu that the mine’s management had ordered security officials to open fire on striking employees.Glencore said a confrontation had ensued between a farmer and striking workers, when the farmer had attempted to access his land via a road adjacent to the strikers’ picketing area."The mine’s security intervened with the use of rubber bullets to protect the farmer,...
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