National Union of Mine Workers (NUM) perspective on Employment Equity by Eddie Majadibodu at the 2013 Mining Lekgotla. 28 August 2013

1. THE NUM PERSPECTIVE ON EMPLOYMENT
EQUITY
MINING LEKGOTLA 2013
SANDTON CONVENTION CENTRE
27-29 AUGUST 2013
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2. THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
Understanding the Labour Market
• SA transition from apartheid described as triple transition
Political democratisation
Economic liberalisation
Need to deracialisation of society- that often stand in
contradiction
• Contradiction of triple transition become visible at the
workplace where apartheid labour market was formed
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3. THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
The workplace is also where this legacy has to be unmade
(Von Holdt 2003)
Government has made targeted interventions (EEA, SDA, AA),
etc. to unmake apartheid workplace regime. However, success
especially on objective measures of EE remains lacklustre.
Since labour (LM) is not a commodity, its reproduction is social
and relatively autonomous.
LM involves process of incorporation, allocation, control and
reproduction (Peck 1996)
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4. CLASS, RACE & THE MINING
SECTOR
An examination of the role and structure of the South African
mining industry has been central to analysis of the
relationship between capitalism and apartheid.
The system of labour control, which includes migrant labour,
contract labour, racial despotism and single sex hostels is one
of the cornerstones of race and gender relations especially in
mining.
(Bezuidenhout)
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5. CASULISATION,EXTERNALISATIONAND
INFORMALISATION
Emerging forms of non-standard employment in the mining and
other industries are often designed to undermine contracts of
employment in order to make implementation of regulation
difficult
It would be ill-considered not to re-examine the sustained impact of
mining industry on South Africa’s post apartheid order (See
MacDonald, Seekings & Nattrass 2006)
An often overlooked structural shift in the industry is the fact that
of every 3 mineworkers, one is employed by one of many of the
outside contractors
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6. Contracting-OutinSAminesbycommodityin2005
Established Employees Outside Contractors Employees
Mining Sector Male Female Male Female
Gold 133 569 3 665 23 373 13
Platinum Groups 96 734 3 402 54 667 966
Iron Ore 4 452 415 2 424 201
Copper 1 894 110 1 710 32
Manganese 1 645 221 1 414 56
Chrome 4 731 176 2 880 52
Diamonds 14 339 1 469 5 860 300
Coal 33 582 2 261 20 809 207
Brickmaking materials 333 33 129 1
Special clays 294 66 25 9
Dimension stone 1 802 177 758 2
Limestone 1 874 127 341 41
Aggregate & sand 9 119 720 5 501 130
Salt 575 137 34 0
Other minerals 3 839 302 630 24
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7. TheImpactofcontractingoutonEmploymentEquity
Evidence suggest that:
Workers who are contracted out receive wages considerably lower
than permanent employees
They are often housed in separate hostels with appalling
conditions.
They are sometimes used in areas considered to be too dangerous
for permanent employees because of informal nature of
employment arrangements.
They are treated differently from permanent mine employees.
These treatment and practice cheats the requirements and defeats
the purpose of the Employment Equity within the same industry.
The link between exploitation and BEE needs deeper analysis.
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8. EE Commission Report 2011-
2012
ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE POPULATION
Male Female
No.
1. African Male 40.3% African Female 33..8%
2. Coloured Male 5.9% Coloured Female 5.2%
3. Indian Male 1.8% Indian Female 1.1%
4. White Male 6.6% White Female 5.3%
5. Foreign Male 0% Foreign Female 0%
TOTAL 54.6% TOTAL 45.4%
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9. AnalysisofEmploymentEquityReportsReceivedin
2011
TOP MANAGEMENT BY GENDER MALE FEMALE
80.9% 19.1%
TOP MANAGEMENT BY
RACE
African Coloured Indian Whites
18.55 4.8% 7.5% 65.4%
TOP MANAGEMENT BY
DISABILITY
Disabled Others
1.9% 98.1%
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10. Industry/Sectorworkforceprofileat senior
managementlevelbyrace& gender
Sector Male Female Foreign
National
Total
African Coloured Indian White African Coloured Indian White Male Female 100%
Mining &
Quarrying
16.3% 2.2% 2.5% 63.4% 3.5% 0.3% 0.9% 8.4% 2.4% 0.3% 100%
Elect, Gas &
water
24.3% 4.9% 8.1% 34.1% 12.3% 2.5% 2.5% 9.2% 1.7% 0.2% 100%
Construction 12.2% 4.6% 4.6% 61.7% 4.4% 0.8% 1.3% 7.2% 3.1% 0.1% 100%
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11. Mining Sector Workforce
Profile
WORKFORCE BELOW GRADE 9 (NQF 1)
No. Year %
1. 2007 55%
2. 2008 53.2%
3. 2009 48.9%
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12. RacialDistributionofemployeesinthe sector&
accordingtooccupationgroupsin2009
Race Distribution in Sector
No. Race %
1. African 84%
2. Coloureds 2.2%
3. Indians 0.5%
4. Whites 12,7%
Racial Distribution per occupations
Occupations Africans Coloured Indians Whites
Managers 22% 3% 3% 72%
Professionals 36% 3% 3% 57
Techn &Trade 54% 5% 1% 41%
Cleric/Admin 58% 6% 2% 33%
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13. ANALYSIS & PERSPECTIVE
The pace of transformation very slow
Contracting out employment deliberate stand to undermine
transformation
BEE used to manipulate process of transformation
Skills levels not conducive for employment equity thus
equitable share of income
Resistance to deal with race
Race continue to create skewed distribution of income
Inequality based on race and gender dominates the industry
Black managers not firm on transformation and contributory
to slow pace of transformation
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14. What needs to be done
Rearrange power relation between lower mine operations and
corporate offices at senior management levels.
Sector based targets (Skills Development & EE matching levels
of education and skills challenges ( No low targets when
challenges are high).
Centralising coordination of sector skills development,
employment equity and affirmative action.
Analysis of company HR departments influence on HRD and
production related requirements.
Eliminating IR disputes with potential to distract
transformative interventions.
THANK YOU
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