South Africa's top platinum mining firm Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) is seeking possible jail sentences for those leading an ongoing strike over wage.

On Friday, Amplats asked a labor court to hold leaders of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) “in contempt of court for their conduct in breach of the interdict.”

The platinum firm says that AMCU has ignored a previous court order that banned the intimidation of mineworkers who have not gone on strike.

Amplats is seeking $54 million in damages from AMCU, aside from the contempt of court charges.

Meanwhile, Impala Platinum (Implats) has said that the strike has cost the firm about 1.83 billion rand ($1.23 million) in lost revenue.

According to a member of AMCU legal team, tens of the union leaders may face jail terms or fines if the claim is upheld by the court.

“There is no safety for our members who are going to work in the platinum belt,” the union said. “Our members are intimidated and severely assaulted. It is totally unacceptable.”

On February 19, the three major platinum mining firms Amplats, Implats, and Lonmin issued an ultimatum to mineworkers on strike and said the union non would not agree with anything above the “fair and reasonable” amount it had offered.

The strike began on January 23, with mineworkers demanding a minimum monthly wage of 12,500 rand (about USD 1,200) for entry-level workers, an amount that is more than double the current wage.

Last month, the miners rejected an agreement that would guarantee a minimum seven-percent wage increase in each of the next three years.

South Africa’s mining sector has been paralyzed by strikes and violent protests since August 2012. Dozens of people have been killed in the strike-related violence ever since.