NUM fully support COSATU’s planned national strike on 7th October 2024

Media Statement, 30 September 2024

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is fully supporting the planned nationwide general strike by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) on 7th October 2024 against a number of socio-economic ills the country is faced with.

As a result, the NUM support COSATU `s initiatives to call for a stop on the following:

• Mass retrenched by companies in the mining ; construction and metal.
• Exploitation of workers and slavery salaries.
• Poor working conditions and lack of Health & safety at the workplace.
• Attack on Collective Bargaining by both public and private sector
• Austerity measures which disadvantage government to serve working class communities appropriately
• Rising cost of living which is decimating working class families High unemployment rate at 33%
  High crime rates

We further call on government to discharge the following progressive interventions aggressively with a sense of urgency:

• Speedy implementation of Zondo Commission Recommendations as part of escalating the fight against looting and corruption
• Implementation of National Health Insurance
• Act decisively on violence against women, children, and the vulnerable

The NUM would like to pledge for support and solidarity towards workers at SERITI Resources who are directly affected by the imminent retrenchments.

• SERITI Resources has been on a wild streak of Section 189 notices which will leave a staggering 1 143 workers out of jobs.
• SERITI Resources is proving to be a callous employer with exploitative intentions and relentless greed.
• It has served retrenchment notices to employees at its operations at Middleburg Mines, Khutala, Klipspruit, Kriel and MMS. What is beyond shocking is the company’s replacement of permanent, highly skilled employees with contractors to fulfil its main objective of exploitation and to maximise profit.
• SERITI Resources has clearly demonstrated an unsavoury attitude towards collective bargaining and trade unions in the name of adopting a so called ‘New Business Model’ after taking the reins from Anglo and South 32.
• To impulsively embark on a jobs bloodbath at the expense of hundreds of workers who have families to feed in a strained economy is vicious.

If SERITI Resources is unable to run operations that have had successful business models for years and boomed through the blood, sweat and tears of the very workers they plan to discard, it should seek assistance instead of taking ill-conceived decisions. 

For more information, please conduct:

Mpho Phakedi, NUM Acting General Secretary, 082 882 3452 Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 083 809 3257
Luphert Chilwane, NUM Media Officer, 083 809 3255 / 073 354 6569

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/10086002340216