Jobs bloodbath in mining industry tackled in crisis talks
- Published on 7 Aug 2015
- HR Pulse News Desk
Emergency talks which started on Wednesday, the state, unions and mining houses mulled proposals to stem the looming job cuts in the industry.
The participants were under pressure to come up with solutions as Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi demanded commitments from all parties towards mitigating retrenchments. On Wednesday night, the Department of Mineral Resources said proposals by stakeholders would be considered over the next few days in Pretoria and a consolidated plan would be adopted by industry principals next week.
Ramatlhodi on Wednesday summoned leaders from business and labour for the crisis talks and said to them: "None of us must leave here without committing something to the table. It’s about jobs, jobs, jobs." Earlier on Wednesday, cautious notes were struck by both the Chamber of Mines and organised labour.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) both said companies’ failure to spread benefits to workers during boom periods would mean that they were not prepared to settle for below-par wage increases during downturns.
