S.African miner Gold Fields fires 8,500 strikers: spokesman

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South African miner Gold Fields on Tuesday fired 8,500 workers who refused to halt an illegal stoppage at its KDC East mine, a spokesman said.

"All 8,500 people who were on strike did not come back. They did not return to work, so we have issued dismissal letters to all of them," spokesman Sven Lunsche told AFP. Workers have 24 hours to appeal their dismissal, he added.

Mass dismissals are not unheard of in South Africa and are often part of a hard-ball negotiating strategy on the part of mine owners.

Tens of thousands of workers across South Africa's mining sector have been involved in a spate of illegal strikes over pay and conditions.