World’s richest woman would prefer to pay her miners $2 a day

[Jon Miller]

African miners would prefer to work for $2 a day to subsistence farming or whatever it is they are doing now.

Producer surplus
Consumer surplus
Gains from trade

Right now they are dying:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/07/south-africa-mining-shooting_n_1864805.html

What it doesn't say is that while 12000 rand (1560 $ per month) is more than double their current take home pay... the reason why their take home pay is so small is because the Union takes over half of it (it is 4500 or something while the unions take ~5500).

JM

[Hauldren Collider]

They are not dying because their job doesn't pay enough or their work is dangerous, they're dying because cops shot them. (Note I am not saying whether these shootings are appropriate or not)

PS: Unions

[Jon Miller]

I have actually spent over a month in South Africa.

To stay in a poor, safe place near Johannesburg (one of the suburbs), you spend ~7000 rand per month for 2 bedrooms + a living room/kitchen (+ a bathroom/toilet).

It isn't a cheap place to live, at least not the cities.

JM
(It isn't helped by the fact that to not be raped/robbed/killed you have to live in a place with significant security, apartments have guards/electric fence/etc and private homes have significant security costs too. And things still get stolen.)

[Felch]

I thought South Africa would be safe, given their strict firearm regulations. How could they possibly have any crime at all?

[DaShi]

I have actually spent over a month in South Africa.

To stay in a poor, safe place near Johannesburg (one of the suburbs), you spend ~7000 rand per month for 2 bedrooms + a living room/kitchen (+ a bathroom/toilet).

It isn't a cheap place to live, at least not the cities.

JM
(It isn't helped by the fact that to not be raped/robbed/killed you have to live in a place with significant security, apartments have guards/electric fence/etc and private homes have significant security costs too. And things still get stolen.)

Hey, if they didn't live like that, do you think they would still work for $2 a day? Think of the economy.

[Hauldren Collider]

Felch, I'm pretty sure SA actually has loose gun control?

[DaShi]

Are you unsure if you're pretty sure or not?

[Kuciwalker]

Right now they are dying:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/07/south-africa-mining-shooting_n_1864805.html

What it doesn't say is that while 12000 rand (1560 $ per month) is more than double their current take home pay... the reason why their take home pay is so small is because the Union takes over half of it (it is 4500 or something while the unions take ~5500).

JM

Wait, your semi-rebuttal of my post is "unions are evil thugs"?

[Jon Miller]

My rebuttal is that miners in africa are not willing to work for 2$ a day....

I had an additional point about unions acquiring too much power over their workers in industries where the employer does not act in a reasonable manner. (south africa in the past especially, and still right now)

JM

[Kuciwalker]

My rebuttal is that miners in africa are not willing to work for 2$ a day....

Um, OK, I just got that number from the OP.

[Kidlicious]

African miners would prefer to work for $2 a day to subsistence farming or whatever it is they are doing now.

Producer surplus
Consumer surplus
Gains from trade

Another obvious statement is that they would prefer to get paid $100 a day.

[regexcellent]

Felch, I'm pretty sure SA actually has loose gun control?

SA used to have loose gun control. The ANC implemented absurdly strict gun control, which is very sad because SA is one of those places where private access to firearms could dramatically increase safety. There are limits on how many you can own, ostensibly "to prevent theft" i.e. criminals getting their hands on weapons by stealing legal private weapons. However, criminals regularly get their hands on guns from corrupt police and from stashes the ANC smuggled into the country back when it was involved in violent terrorism.

[pchang]

The world's richest woman is a real piece of work. She would certainly have uttered the "Let them eat cake" line. Perhaps she will suffer a similar fate.

[Proteus_MST]

I thought South Africa would be safe, given their strict firearm regulations. How could they possibly have any crime at all?

They don´t need guns ... they just need a tyre and petrol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necklacing

[Felch]

If only the police have guns, the South African people would be safe. It's not like the cops would fire into a crowd of people, kill dozens, and then arrest the survivors or anything.

The ANC and ZANU-PF are so ****ing ****ed, they make you yearn for the good old days of institutional racism.