Amplats offers to open early wage talks to end strike

Anglo American Platinum said on Friday it had offered to start wage talks ahead of the expiry of current agreements in the middle of next year in a bid to get more than 30,000 workers back on the job at several of its mines in South Africa.

"If the offer is accepted, the understanding is that employees would return to work on Monday, 12 November, after which date the offer will lapse," the world's top platinum producer said in a statement.

It also said it had lost a total of 167,681 ounces of platinum production during the illegal strikes. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Ed Cropley)