Statement of the National Executive Committee following the NEC meeting held on the 3rd to the 4th August 2017
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) met in a scheduled meeting from the 3rd to the 04th August 2017. The meeting received the Political overview from the President, the Secretariat report, reports from subcommittees and reports from regions.
The NEC expressed a grave concern at the recent and an emerging trend of massive retrenchments announced by mining companies. The NEC noted the following figures from Section 189 notices submitted by the following companies;
- AngloGold Ashanti is planning to retrench 8,500 workers with about 2600 contractors to be affected, Bokoni Platinum 2651workers with about 3000 contractors to be affected, Sibanye Gold 7400 workers also with about 3000 to be affected and Murray & Roberts to retrench 25 workers.
In relations to the retrenchment the NEC resolved as such:-
- Calling for a stakeholder meeting to discuss the future of mining industry in South Africa
- The union must fight these retrenchments using everything including the active involvement of government
- The union will engage the ANC over these retrenchments
- The union will organise a national march on a date to be announced
- The union will use researchers to check the ore body in the affected mines
- The DMR must appoint experts to assess the ore deposit at those affected mines before any s189 is concluded and submit a report. Where there is ore body, the minister must foster the stakeholder declaration signed on the 31st August 2015
- The union will ask COSATU to fast-track the section 77 on retrenchments
- The union will meet with potential investors intending to invest in the affected mines and that if the operations are viable, the mines must be kept operational
- The union will ask the President of South Africa to declare mining retrenchments a national crisis or disaster
The NEC noted with a grave concern the brutal killings of women in South Africa. The NEC encouraged all their structures from shaft committees, branches, regions and national to participate in the community structures that campaign for violence against women. The NEC further wished a prosperous month of August to all women in South Africa.
The NEC welcomed the new leadership elected at the Kimberley Regional Conference in June 2017; the NEC further encouraged all their ten (10) outstanding regions to conduct their regional conferences in line with NUM Constitution.
The NEC welcomed the report from the membership pillar and the NEC was delighted by the progress the union is making on its self-administration work to manage membership. The NEC encouraged all regions to fast-track the recruitment of new members in the union to mitigate the current massive retrenchments.
The NEC re-iterated their previous position to support the current mining charter in its current form and encouraged further engagement on the 14% allocated to BEE. The union is of the view that it must be reduced and the workers and community portion be increased to 10% respectively from 8%. The charter must have a clear criterion for the allocation of BEE to avoid TEGETA style. The NEC resolved to further engage the ANC Economic Transformation Committee to discuss the mining Charter.
Statement issued by David Sipunzi: NUM General Secretary, 9 August 2017
