NUM Highveld Region to fight tooth and nail against Seriti’s arrogance in relation to section 189A

Media Statement, 25 November 2024

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Highveld Region is dumfounded by the persistent and continuous arrogance displayed by Seriti Resources in relation to the Section 189A of LRA which affects 1143 workers.

Despite our stance as the NUM unequivocally opposing the Section 189A rationale and having declared a dispute in our last consultation meeting that took place on the 14^th November 2024 at Irene, Seriti continues to communicate to our members as if there is an agreement.

During the aforementioned consultation meeting, the NUM’ sole position was an extension which is provided for in the labour relations Act, and this position was met with strong resistance  by Seriti citing that they see no reason to extend as they complied with 60 days’ notice.

“Seriti relies heavily on coercing and threatening our members to accept Voluntary Separation Package (VSP) which will eventually make them appear as if they have not been retrenched. They do so to appease their partner in crime, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), which is failing dismally to hold Seriti accountable to meet their commitment as advanced during the process of obtaining  the mining rights in 2018,” said Tshilidzi Mathavha, NUM Highveld Regional Secretary.

The NUM is confident that pursuing this matter legally will expose both Seriti and the DMRE as there is no rationale to this intended retrenchment.

During all our consultation meetings Seriti indicated that they are retrenching permanent employees replacing them with contractors. This is inconsistent with long standing agreements that companies in the mining industry will not outsource the core business.

We will fight both tooth and nail as the NUM to prevent this catastrophic event that is to befall on our members. 

 As COSATU affiliate we stand firm with the long standing resolution of the federation that we reject labour brokering in our country. We find this retrenchment by Seriti as spiting on the face of the federation that says no to labour brokers, but still retrench 1143 employees for them to be handed to labour brokers.

As the NUM we will therefore embark on vigorous and rigorous campaigns in exposing the capitalist mentality of Seriti that it is informed by greediness and super exploitation.

Let Seriti surrender the mining license to those who are willing to maintain permanent employment. To start with,  Seriti did not come with coal in all these affected areas, Coal is a natural resource that must benefit the citizens of this country in particular those that are affected by their mining activities.

Further to that we have already engaged with our alliance partners in the province and other progressive forces to revive the call to nationalise the mines in our country. We have now assessed and concluded that our future in the mining industry in not safe in the hands of rapacious capitalists.

To further confuse our members, the company CEO Mike Teke released a brief on the 22^nd November 2024. His writing was like a religious sermon , especially one given during the church service.

The brief  talks about the future of Seriti which will benefit all employees including the 1143 workers that are currently faced with retrenchment . This brief made us to remember what Karl Marx  said ‘’religion is the opium of the people in that religion was not only used by those in power to oppress the workers , but it also made them to feel better about being oppressed when they couldn’t afford the real opium’’.

Religiously, people are told to tolerate injustice as they will in the future have eternal life siting side by side with God. The newly ordained Pastor Mike Teke is doing exactly that, promising our members that they will in the future benefits from the business decisions of the day.

Using the Marxist , Leninist tool of analysis, a fundamental question remains unanswered, as to how will our members be part of the future when they are retrenched now? We have witnessed in the past where workers lost their lives as a results of retrenchments simply because as workers they have no any other means to survive but to sell their labour to those who own means of production.

The NUM and its members will never give in to the promise made by the employer and collectively we say the future is now.

This briefing by Pastor Mike Teke came as a shock to our members who were eagerly waiting for the feedback from the meeting that was arranged between Seriti, NUM Highveld Regional leadership, the Mpumalanga provincial COSATU, the SACP and the ANC on the 22^nd November 2024.

This meeting was aborted on the eleventh hour by the same Seriti. We now realise that the meeting was aborted precisely to further force and threaten our members to accept their nonsensical VSP. We believe we are not wrong to call Seriti arrogant as this bears testimony.

To that effect we have since communicated with our members to refrain from accepting the balderdash called VSP under the slogan Mayihlome as a commitment that we and our members, the alliance partners in the province are combat ready to meet Seriti capitalist tendencies on the trenches.

For more information, please contact:

Tshilidzi Mathavha, NUM Highveld Regional Secretary, 082 388 3297

Bizzah Motubatse, NUM Highveld Regional Chairperson, 082 264 6533

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