Good start for Mining Charter negotiations; social dialogue returns to mining sector – Solidarity
19 March 2018
Negotiations on the draft Mining Charter started this weekend under the direction of Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources, and Godfrey Oliphant, his deputy. Apart from Amcu, all interested parties, including mining trade unions Solidarity, the NUM and Uasa, the Chamber of Mines, SAMDA, members of the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and key officials and advisors of the Department of Mineral Resources were present.
“While the role players were unanimous as to the importance of the mining sector and the challenges the sector has to overcome, robust debating about burning issues contained in the draft mining charter took place. Especially the status of the draft mining charter that led to many court cases, new forms of “taxes” that are proposed in the charter, and ownership of mines generated hot but constructive debating,” Gideon du Plessis, Solidarity’s general secretary said.
According to Du Plessis, it was also the first time in almost two years that the principals of the respective interested parties sat down to reflect on important mining matters after the previous Gupta minister, Mosebenzi Zwane, had undone all consultation structures instituted by his predecessors. “Fortunately, vital social dialogue was revived this weekend and it was also a unique occasion due to the fact that members of the Portfolio Committee were involved in the negotiations as part of their oversight role,” Du Plessis said.
As a result of the weekend’s negotiations, a mining charter task team and a competitiveness task team were established. The mining charter task team, consisting of representatives of all interested parties, will try to settle as many as possible of the differences between the parties and to produce its first report by 10 April 2018. All parties committed themselves to the finalisation of the charter within the three-month timeframe agreed upon by Minister Mantashe and President Cyril Ramaphosa.