In South Africa, nearly a quarter-million miners took to the streets of Johannesburg Tuesday in a one-day strike calling for better safety conditions and fair wages. Mineworker union president Senzeni Zokwana said the mining industry has failed its employees.

Senzeni Zokwana: “We believe that the mines have not done enough to save the lives of mineworkers. We believe that if employers would make sure that workers participate in deciding what kind of support is used underground, workers are given more power, that employers respect our members and treat them like human beings, this situation can change.”

An average of 200 miners have died in South Africa’s mines over the past three years.