Production at the world's third-largest platinum producer came to a halt as workers, mostly rock drillers, embarked on a wildcat wage strike last Friday over a wagedispute.
As for the Northwest dispute, some observers trace it not just to the 1993 agreement (in which the pilots' wage concessions were alleviated by the award of stock in the company and a seat on the board) but to dislike of the abrasive style of Al Checchi, chairman until last year, before his quixotic decision to run for governor of California.