NUM media release 12 March 2025

The NUM held its NEC on the 27-28 February 2025, this was the first NEC of the year. This is a very important meeting of the organization with decision making and an opportunity to do assessment of the work of the organization across all the structures and regions of the organization.

The meeting had an opportunity to reflect on issues affecting the union across all the sectors that we are organizing in. amongst the issues it was the announcement of the job losses in ArcelorMittal; continuous retrenchment in the mining sector and imminent shut down in various smelter houses of ferrochrome producers; reflection on SONA and failed budget speech by the minister and anticipation for the upcoming one of the 12/03/25. The NEC reflected also on issues of upcoming wage negotiations for the current year.

ArcelorMittal possible shut down of three operations

The situation in the steel sector; is a serious concern and challenge to the economy of the country. Steel remains an important commodity for the economy of the country. The imminent shutdown poses a serious threat to job security; negative impact to the economy and broader society. The company has announced job losses of about 3500; that is a bloodbath for the poor workers.

The NEC is calling upon the Government to intervene in saving the situation and avoid job losses. The impact of high tariffs relating to operational cost; transportation and exportation are raised as among others as a challenge.

Steel remains a critical commodity that the Country needs most; it is for that reason that the Government should intervene. The NEC believes that this is the right time for Government to reclaim the giant steel producer in the interest of our economy.

We call upon all the stakeholders to come together with the interest of finding a long-lasting solution; in the interest of workers and the communities of Newcastle Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging. The possible shutdown will affect small businesses that are depending on the operations.

TRANSNET and THE IMPACT ON ECONOMY

The NEC is concerned about the impact of Transnet's dysfunctionality, causing inefficiencies in logistics for mining companies. This results in decreased production and often leads to retrenchment and worsening unemployment.

Functional SOEs play a vital role in the economy and contribute to public finance oversight. We believe that avoiding a neoliberal trajectory is essential to prevent unemployment, deepening inequalities, and poverty. Functional SOEs provide developmental states with a mechanism to guide and influence the economic development path in the interest of NDR in reversing the legacy of apartheid and colonialism in all key sights and fronts of struggle. Moreover, the closure of certain Transnet operations has led to increased reliance on trucks for the transportation of goods. This places additional strain on road infrastructure, contributing to a rise in road fatalities. An urgent intervention is need without compromising the national interest. Privatization cannot be the only solution but the role of Government is critical.

POSSIBLE BLOODBATH OF JOBLOSSES

FERROCHROME PRODUCERS

The ferrochrome producers are facing heavy pressure from the economy and fail to compete globally with countries such as China. High tariffs; high electricity prices; transportation of raw material without processing are sighted as contributing factors to the possible shutdown. This will have a negative impact on both Limpopo and North West Provinces. Once again we call for the intervention of Government through the following departments DoM≺ DoE&E;  DoTI & C and DoEL. Resources of the Government must be used to save the situation. From the policy direction there is a need to look at beneficiation policy to avoid exportation of all raw materials to foreign countries. This translates into basically exporting job opportunities to countries such as China. Ferrochrome producers have indicated that failure to find a solution and intervention from Government it will lead to shut down in the next few months.

Mining houses outsourcing core business.

The NEC reflected on the deliberate and intentional replacement of permanent jobs with better conditions of employment and opting for subcontracting with cheap labour and exploitation of workers. The NEC reiterated its position on subcontracting and fighting cheap labour as part of our program. We call upon mining companies to stop outsourcing under the pretext of cost cut; this is pure exploitation of workers and rather maximizing profit at the expense of workers.

Health and Safety in the mining sector

The NEC is deeply worried about the current mining facilities in the country, one fatality remained one too many. Fatalities take breadwinners away from their dependents and perpetuate poverty, unemployment and inequalities. 

The South African mining industry recorded forty-two (42) fatalities in 2024 marking the lowest-ever number of fatalities in the history of mining in South Africa. This represents a 24% improvement, year-on-year, compared to 2023 when we had fifty-five (55) fatalities.

While we were beginning to say let’s focus on all the right things we have done on the previous year as part of zero harm program; prior to the first quarter of the year already over seven fatal accidents have been recorded to date.

The NEC reemphasized its posture on Health and safety of workers; regions will focus on safety companies in 2025. Mining houses will be forced to ensure safety of workers. We call upon mining companies to stop prioritizing profit over worker’s life. We further remind workers to excise the right to work in a safe place and the right to leave the workplace if is not safe.

We call upon Department of Mineral and Petroleum, to hold mining companies accountable and responsible for the perpetual loss of life and fatal accidents.

WAGE NEGOTIATIONS

Due to challenges of economy we opted to sign one year agreement in some of the companies in the previous year.

As we approach midyear, we will start with negotiations in companies such as Sibanye Stillwater, we are on record saying we are not necessarily proud of the agreement signed last year. We are looking forward for engagement on an inclusive agreement on all aspects of conditions of employment.

Similarly, we will embark on the same process on the civil engineering sector and looking forward to improve working conditions of construction workers and related sectors.

Wage negotiations are taking place also in various areas at the company and regional levels where wage agreements came to an end. In our strategic review in December 2025, we reiterated our posture that no worker or agreement must be signed below the CPI. We are grateful that for the past year we have done well in that regard.

APPOINTMENT OF LABOUR INSPECTORS

We welcome the intendent appointment of labour inspector by the department of Employment and labour; it is long overdue since our call. We hope and trust this will increase efficiency and enforcement of the law in terms of compliance of Basic conditions of employment and labour relations acts.

The NEC noted with dismay that some of the companies do not report incidents and accidents at the workplace in particular in construction. We are hopeful that the appointment of Labour inspectors will be a relief in this regard. Men and women with integrity must be appointed in this position of trust the tendency of inspectors that are corrupted by employers must be rooted out.

SONA

The NEC noted the annual address of the President of the Country, that its intention is to map up the road map for the year. We have realized that, nothing much has changed from the previous ones and appreciated the fact that maybe is because nothing much has been done since the last addresses.

We took time to reflect on the address and thought is worth raising few issues as follows!

NUM appreciate the intention to grow the economy with 3% by the President, we think that might not be realistic considering the current state of the economy. We are afraid that might be a false hope and inspiration.

Considering the bureaucratic and inefficiency in the process of applying for mining rights, we should be excited about introduction of a new modernized mining rights system; however, we can only be hopeful that the regulatory framework will be introduced as a matter of urgency as it will unlock investment in exploration and production.

NUM supports commitment of adding value to South Africa `s raw materials in order to beneficiate the minerals before they are conveyed to the market. This commitment is an immediate need for action considering the situation of ferrochrome producers. We call for speedy implementation with clear timelines.

Commitment for infrastructure development, spending R940 billion on infrastructure in a period of five years is needed; as such project will lead to employment in a labor-intensive way. This is important given the fact that South Africa is at 40% unemployment in 2025.

However, the challenge could be that government may not sufficiently deliver on this promise as it has to raise this money from international investors and financial institutions as it does not have it immediately at its disposal which is a weakness.  More so that some of the financial institutions would most likely attach conditions to such lending.

The other limitation is that government wants to use such money to prop up SOEs. As the union we believe that more of such money should be dedicated more towards targeting rural development as part of economic development and job creation in the rural landscape. We have since waited for South Africa that is a construction side, we hope that dream will be finally realized under the circumstances.

NUM still remains opposed to unbundling of Eskom. However, we welcome the progress made by government in reducing the frequency of load shedding noting that we have experienced more than 300 days without load shedding. We hope and trust that workers will overcome the emerging instances of loading shedding in the recent past. We further call for the utility to prepare well for winter season and ensure less power cuts as that have negative impact on the economy.

With regard to Just Energy Transition, it remains NUM objection to the current processes undermining job security to advance commitments of Just Energy Transition. As a union we also oppose the unfair processes that exclude sufficient worker participation and communities that are affected.

The withdrawal of the financial support by US President Donald Trump demonstrates the risks of relying on international funding for South African course. The retraction calls for an urgent intervention by the international community and perhaps BRICS.

Thus, when it is important that our national interest is prioritized when we deal with this subject. We are firm and consistent in our call to have coal as part of energy mix; considering levels of dependency on coal for power generation it is equally critical mineral in the South African perspective. Given the levels of unemployment in SA job creations and job security should be our national priority and national interest. In this way the union will be defending its members and its own existence with all it takes.

The NUM welcome the passing of the following Acts by government, BELA; NHI; EXPROPRIATION and we call for swift implementation. The Government should resist the attempt by imperialist forces such as US to derail the deliberate and well-intended program to realize the objectives and vision of the Freedom charter and NDR. NUM commend the ANC for a bold and decisive move under difficult circumstances and disconcertment of GNU.

Overall, the SONA is a mixed bag of both positives and negatives. The revolution is indeed at the cross road. The labour movement must continue to fight for the interest of workers and the broader society.

Anticipation of the upcoming Budget Speech

The NEC is looking forward to the introduction of BIG and the appropriate budget allocation of the replacement of the Social Relief of Distress Grant which is overdue. The shift is important in increasing social protection for the poor and vulnerable.

The NEC is of the view that the government must come up with more measures that are supported by a proper budget to create jobs to attend to the high levels of unemployment in our country. Such job opportunities must assist in addressing unemployed graduates.

The NEC is fully behind the enactment of the National Health Insurance (NHI) and call for more funding allocation to enable its implementation.

Education needs more budget to address the challenges faced by the majority of children who are struggling with tuition and accommodation at tertiary institutions. No children must lose schooling because of the lack of funding in our country with such an endowment of resources.

Increase on VAT will be disastrous; we call upon the Minster to refrain from even thinking about increasing it. Majority of workers and the poor people in general cannot survive and they live below the bread line as things stands.

SANDF and its misfortune

Many questions have been asked about whether our soldiers on the mission forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo are adequately trained and equipped. Critics claim this deployment is suicidal.

The reality is that South African soldiers are well-trained and have served in numerous peace operations. Their extensive deployment means that they have accumulated valuable experience. The NEC acknowledged the fact that there are some valid concerns about our soldiers’ current level of preparedness for the DRC mission.

The combination of budget cuts, resource limitations, and the complex nature of the conflict raises questions about the South African National Defence Force’s ability to effectively achieve its objectives, and ensure the safety of its personnel.

The NEC urges all South Africans to rally behind our brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to bringing peace to our continent. We also advocate for the government to provide the soldiers with the necessary working tools and equipment so that they can efficiently execute their tasks of bringing peace and stability to our continent. We once more send our sincere condolences to the families of our heroes who lost their life on the battle field representing their Country; may their soul rest in eternal peace we will always remember them.

NUM Women Structure Conference.

The NUM National Women Structure held its national elective conference on the 7th to 8^th of March 2025, at Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg.

The conference is organized under the theme “Working-Class Women Advancing Socio-Economic Transformation".

The conference deliberated on many challenges faced by women which include gender inequalities at various workplaces, trade unions and in general society at large. They also advocated for the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ and persons with disabilities in various strategic positions. Delegates also expressed and lobbied for the review of the current ‘Last In, First Out’ (LIFO) principle as it is mostly disadvantaging women and the youth.

LGBQTIA+ Community

The NUM is worried about the victimization and harassment of the LGBQTIA+ community in the workplace and the communities. This disadvantaged community is being harassed based on people not understanding and knowing about their culture and behavior. The NUM Women Structure is currently rolling out workshops nationally to ensure awareness among our members so they do not victimize the community.

The structure closed its conference on Saturday afternoon after the announcement of the new leadership and agreed to put a clear program of action informed by the discussion of the conference.

We would like to wish our structure well in their new term of office and declare our support for the struggle of women emancipation in our life time.

For more detailed information, please contact: 

Mpho Phakedi, NUM Acting General Secretary, 082 882 3452

Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National spokesperson, 083 809 3257

Luphert Chilwane, NUM Media Officer, 083 809 3257

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