NUMSA considers legal action to stop violence against strikers

Over 10 workers were hospitialized after they were injured when a heavily armed guard opened fire on striking workers.

“NUMSA condemns MAHLE Bher for this unnecessary loss of life of comrade Njabulo Mpulo, the heavy handedness of its security, and the decision by the company to use heavily armed and aggressive security during a protected strike. Workers have the right to strike. We will be considering legal action because we have lost one of our members,”

said Mzamo Khoza, the union’s regional secretary for KwaZulu-Natal Province.

In another incident at SA Steel Mills, which trades as Alfeco Holdings, four workers were shot with rubber bullets at close range and hospitalized. The workers were protesting the dismissals of 162 workers who lost their jobs after going on a protected strike. The union is demanding protection of striking workers as per the law. The SA Steel Mills workers have been on strike since 22 May and will picket on 7 June at the offices of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to demand recognition of shop stewards so as to enable them to defend workers' rights and interests at the workplace. Further, the union wants compliance with health and safety laws to curb serious regular accidents at the company in which some workers have been killed.

NUMSA has been reminding employers that workers have a right to strike according to the South African constitution and that the Labour Relations Act (LRA) also protects this right. The laws also protect the rights to form and join a trade union and to participate in union activities and programmes.

Additionally, the Occupational Health and Safety Act states that the employer must ensure that the work environment is safe and without health risks to workers. However, during strike action employers have used excessive force to break strikes often injuring workers as in these two cases that NUMSA raised.

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director, who is also responsible for health and safety, said:

“The use of excessive force by security companies contracted by employers is unlawful. It is unacceptable that workers continue to lose their lives for exercising their right to strike. This violence against striking workers negates the social dialogue and collective bargaining approaches that unions are always using to resolve labour disputes.”

Glencore must go beyond words

“Glencore’s extensive workers’ and human rights violations dominated the meeting yet again. We are concerned with the different treatment of workers at different plants, we are worried about lack of worker consultation when mines close and the exclusion of workers in the company’s future,”

says Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

The board and shareholders were reminded about the irresponsible closure at Prodeco mine in Colombia which did not involve any social dialogue and transparency.

“Glencore and Prodeco dismiss staff and then rehire them as a sub-workforce with no support. This often leads to conflicts. There is no social dialogue between employers and workers. This is no way to run a company sustainably. I want to know what measures Glencore will take to avoid these situations, because what you say in public is not what is happening on the ground,”

says Claudia Blanco, from IndustriALL Colombian affiliate SINTRACARBON.

Jaime Lopez, national secretary of SINTRACARBON, was concerned about the contract between Cerrejon and the government which will end in 2034 which means that the mine will close.

“Employees need to know that there is a plan in place for closure and that they can access it. Does this plan consider labour, community, and environmental aspects?”

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL’s mining director, highlighted that the recent strike at Mumi mine in DRC was a result of different treatment of workers employed by the same company, Glencore.

IndustriALL stressed that Glencore needs to address the arsenic air pollution at the Rouyn-Noranda’s smelter in Quebec, which emits the carcinogenic 30 times more than the allowed provincial limit. IndustriALL and its affiliate Fédération De L’industrie Manufacturiere (FIM) intend to urgently push for fast tracking the AERIS initiative.

The Glencore CEO and chairman tried to address the issues raised but much like last year workers were told to speak to regional management.

“We are cautiously optimistic; the CEO and the chairman came across as engaging. They indicated that they are willing to engage further, and we intend to hold them accountable to that. They can’t portray one image publicly and behave differently on the ground, they must take responsibility for all their actions,”

says Glen Mpufane.

Nigerian unions suspend strike to allow for negotiations with government

The unions announced they are entering into dialogue "to achieve favorable outcomes and safeguard the rights and welfare of all Nigerian citizens and workers."

The unions, who proposed 494 000 Naira ($332) as a national minimum wage, rejected the government’s minimum wage proposal of 60 000 Naira ($40) which they say is inadequate for workers to meet the ever-increasing cost of living. According to official reports, the Tripartite Committee on the national minimum wage is meeting to consider the union proposals.

Workers strated the strike on 3 June with most economic activities brought to a halt. Other union demands are on the reduction of the electricity tariff which they say worsens the workers’ financial difficulties.

“The indefinite nationwide strike action is therefore relaxed for one week from today to allow for a concrete and acceptable minimum wage,”

said Joe Ajaero, NLC president and general secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), in a joint statement with the TUC.

Afolabi Olawale, general secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) added:

“We urge the Federal Government to utilise this grace period of one week to do all the needful for meaningful engagement and address the concerns of Nigerian workers to avoid further escalation of the crisis.”

both NUEE and NUPENG are affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union.

“The calls for a national minimum living wage by the union federations are important for Nigerian workers to meet their living expenses and be able to provide for their families. It is unacceptable to promote conditions that create the working poor – where wages fail to lift workers out of poverty,”

said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa.

In February, unions protested the removal of petrol subsidies through demonstrations and pickets. They argued that the subsidy removal triggered food and transport costs increases and hiked inflation currently over 33 per cent according to the Central Bank of Nigeria. This is the highest level that inflation has reached since 1996, adversly affecting workers' wages. Additionally, the unions expressed concerns that the government’s austerity economic policies were anti-worker and exposing the poor and marginalised communities to poverty.

National action plans in Africa must be inclusive and participatory

Over 20 trade union delegates from 10 African countries participated in a workshop on developing national action plans (NAPs) on business and human rights in Africa in Accra, Ghana, 27-28 May. The unions participated alongside other stakeholders from civil society organizations, national human rights institutions, and governments departments.

The workshop, held with support from FES AU and UNDP (Regional Service Centre for Africa) RSCA, promoted learning, sharing and making effective strategies among the NAP stakeholders. There was also emphasis on the importance of inclusive engagement and participatory strategies in the making of the NAPs.

Issues discussed included using NAPS as tools to engage mining companies on community concerns over loss of land to mining operations, and for measures to stop pollution of water sources. NAPs could also be used to stop gender-based violence and harassment and gender discrimination. On union demands, NAPs were key in promoting responsible business practices and human rights due diligence to end workers’ rights violations by some businesses including multinational corporations. Further NAPs were also important to enforce compliance with national and international labour standards.

Facilitators included those from the AU and the UNDP RSCA. Notably, the workshop took place at a time when the African Union’s draft policy on business and human rights is in the final consultative stages. So far only three countries – Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, have developed NAPs while others including Ethiopia, Ghana, and Tanzania, have begun the consultations to establish the plans. In sharing experiences about the NAP processes, some countries said they were at various stages of consultations.

Delegates from IndustriALL affiliates, the United Workers Union of Liberia (UWUL), and the Tanzania Union of Industrial & Commercial Workers (TUICO) also participated in the workshop.

Beatrice Francis Ouko, from TUICO said:

“We learnt a lot from experience sharing on the Ghana NAP processes and were also able to meet with Tanzania’s Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance, who are leading the NAP process in Tanzania. This will enrich union engagement.”

Amanuel Desalegne, FES AU programme manager said:

“Africa's abundant natural resources demand that laws be harmonised, and synergies increasingly built to ensure that human rights are protected and respected and that remedies are accessible to victims of abuses including workers and communities.”

“This workshop is an important engagement strategy by trade unions with the African Union and other NAP stakeholders. The development of a business and human rights policy by the AU is a positive development in our campaign for the inclusion of labour clauses in AU policies including the African Continental Free Trade Area,”

said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ivorian union campaigns for gender equality in the mines

These issues make up the agenda of on-going workshops which began in April and will end in July. The workshops are part of the IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa regional activities on women in mining.

The series of workshops began with the mining prospects for Côte d’Ivoire workshop which took place at Agbaou gold mine, 25-26 April in which workers from Bonikro Mine also participated. The mines are owned by Allied Gold Corporation, a Canadian gold mining multinational listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which also has operations in Ethiopia and Mali. Côte d’Ivoire also has some of the critical minerals that are needed for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. These included bauxite, lithium, and manganese.

The Allied Gold mines, which employ women as administrators, engineers, dump truck drivers, and occupational health and safety officers, have a combined workforce of over 700 workers. The workforce comprises 11 and 15 per cent women at Agbaou and Bonikro, respectively.

Over 100 women from the Federation Ivorienne des Syndicates des Mines, Metaux, Carrieres et Connexes (FISMECA), which is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, participated at the workshop. The issues discussed included equal-pay-for-work-of-equal-value, the collective bargaining agreement with the mines, how the union is engaging the mines on the gender pay gap, and the beginning of social dialogue with the ministry of mines to discuss decent working conditions. Ministry officials present at the workshops said the government welcomed engagement with trade unions organizing in the country’s growing mining sector.

Participants applauded the current collective bargaining agreement which gave women miners one year maternity leave. However, some participants raised concerns that mining companies could use the long maternity leave to further widen the gender gap to marginalize women through loss of benefits and opportunities.

Zogba Karidja Traore, chairperson of the FISMECA women’s committee, said the union is campaigning for gender equality.

“Often women are excluded from training and not promoted especially when they return from maternity leave. This affects their wages which will remain lower that their co-workers.”

She added that FISMECA is supporting women candidates in the coming union elections so that they are represented in the leadership.

“The gender pay gap must be closed as women miners are equally qualified as their male co-workers. One of the ways to end this discrimination is to have gender responsive workplace policies as per International Labour Organization Convention 190 to end violence and harassment in the world of work,”

said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa, who participated at the workshops together with the project team.

Union protests massive job loss at gold mines in South Africa

The march took place in Carletonville, Johannesburg, and comes after 3,107 permanent workers were given retrenchment notices, while 915 contract workers will also lose their jobs. The NUM said the job losses will impoverish mineworkers who support up to ten family members.

The union said it is surprised that the retrenchments are taking place when the gold price is high, and while Sibanye Stillwater, listed on the Johannesburg and New York Stock Exchanges, is paying millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses to its CEO, Neal Froneman. For example, Froneman earned R291 million (US$15,8 million) in 2021, R198 million (US$10.8 million in 2022) and R56 million (US$3 million) in 2023. The NUM said these amounts were too high for a company that claims financial difficulties as part of the reasons for the retrenchments.

“Sibanye Stillwater has been retrenching workers yearly to cut costs and make huge profits at the expense of mineworkers. The retrenchments are taking place even though the gold price is high. We are surprised that the retrenchments were announced just before the commencement of the wage negotiations with the company,”

said Mpho Phakedi, NUM acting general secretary.

The NUM, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, said over the years Sibanye Stillwater has put some mining shafts under “care and maintenance” as an excuse to retrench workers and the union is calling upon the departments of mineral resources and energy (DMRE) and employment and labour to investigate this practice. The NUM also says the government must enforce the “use it or lose it” principle with regards to the mining licences that the multinational is holding.

The NUM is also concerned because Sibanye Stillwater is amongst the worst mining companies in South Africa when it comes to health and safety as eight workers were killed in mine accidents at its operations in 2023. The union attributes this to non-compliance with the Mine Health and Safety Act, and that this was worsened by ineffective labour inspection by the DMRE which has fewer inspectors than are required for the inspections.

“Sibanye Stillwater must seriously consider workers livelihoods before embarking on mass layoffs. The concerns of workers and communities must be prioritised before closing the mines. Mining multinationals should not only be driven by the profit motive, but by environmental, social, and governance issues,”

said Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director.

In a solidarity letter to the NUM, the United Steel Workers (USW) Local 11-0001, an IndustriALL affiliate in the US, said:

“The treatment of the skilled and dedicated South African workforce by Sibanye Stillwater is deplorable. We would like to convey our concerns as well as our support with the troubling situation that Sibanye has placed them in.”

Liberian union signs collective agreement

The CBA will benefit about 700 workers out of a workforce of over 1200. According to UWUL some of the gains from the collective bargaining agreement, which will cover the period from January 2024 to December 2026, include a 10 per cent increase that will be paid to the lowest paid workers whose average wages are US$250 per month. There will also be a US$50 payment for all workers in the second and third shifts, educational assistance for three dependants of US$110, standby allowances, relocation allowances, and electricity benefits.

The CBA also awards Independence Day bonuses which are paid on 26 July, when the West African country attained independence from the United States of America in 1847, and annual bonuses. For the first time, the union also negotiated for a five-day paid paternity leave.

An article in the CBA also includes provisions on workplace policies that are derived from International Labour Organization Convention 190 on ending gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work. This is the fifth CBA to be signed by UWUL with the Liberia Electricity Corporation. About 33 per cent of the workforce is made up of women.

Vacus Wilmont Kun, director of education and training said:

“The workers are pleased with the outcome of the negotiations especially the increase in benefits because these have monetary values. For example, the electricity benefits will give workers electricity coupons for six months during the rainy season and this contributes significantly to living wages.”

He further explained that the CBAs have made incremental gains over the years, and this has improved workers livelihoods and that during the rainy season the country’s hydroelectric power generating capacity was at the peak and workers would benefit from this energy generation.

“With the increasing cost of living, we always celebrate when unions negotiate wage deals that are above inflation and increase benefits as this eases the financial pressure on workers and their families. IndustriALL applauds UWUL for continuing the campaign for living wages in the energy sector in Liberia,”

said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary.

Will Africa’s transition minerals create green jobs?

Experts say that with increasing demand for the critical minerals, there is potential for this demand to spur economic growth and development in SSA. This will be an opportunity for the countries, which are currently facing high levels of poverty, unemployment, and inequality to develop?

The critical minerals include copper, cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel, platinum group metals, and rare earth elements, and are in high demand for use in the manufacturing of products that are required in the energy transition from electric car vehicles to solar panels and other components.

Researchers Thomas MacNamara and Siziba with support from La Trobe University and the IndustriALL regional office for SSA, went out to find some answers on how unions can influence debates and policy engagement on the Just Transition and on the job creation potential of the transition minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The four countries are major producers of the transition minerals with the DRC producing as much as 70 per cent of global cobalt while Zimbabwe has huge resources of lithium.

The researchers of the baseline report entitled Influencing a Just Transition in the mining sector in Sub-Saharan Africa say the green jobs must be assessed on quality, sustainability and appropriateness.

They argue further that, “Almost all sustainability advocates argue that the transition away from fossil fuels will generate more employment than unemployment. However, investigating their claims more thoroughly encourages that the jobs are quality (well-paid, unionized, and safe), sustainable (long-term employment) and appropriate (in areas where mining jobs are being lost and/or requiring similar qualifications).”

The researchers estimate that most of the jobs will be in the construction phase for instance during the installation of solar panels. They cite a Price Waterhouse Cooper (2021) study, in South Africa, which estimated that while 800 000 jobs were created in the construction phase only 21 000 jobs were retained in the operation and maintenance phase. In Zimbabwe, about 7,000 jobs will be created on lithium mines but more jobs can be created through beneficiation of lithium instead of exporting raw lithium to China.

In the informal mining economy in the DRC, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, especially in artisanal and small-scale mining(ASM) millions of jobs can be created. In the DRC alone, the ASM economy has over two million workers but without formalization ASM activities fall short of the decent work agenda.

The research report, which analyses the diverse definitions of what is meant by a Just Transition, and the complexities of COP processes, gives examples of different models and best practices of the Just Transition in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Canada, India and Indonesia, Italy and other countries from which lessons can be drawn for Sub- Saharan Africa.

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining said:

“This research report shows that trade unions should be cautiously optimistic about green jobs and continue to demand decent working conditions in the critical minerals sector. Mineworkers’ unions have consistently fought for better working conditions and living wages and should maintain their vigilance in defending workers’ rights and interests.”

Influencing a Just Transition in the mining sector in Sub-Saharan Africa is published on this link and complements other IndustriALL publications that include A Trade Union Guide of Practice for a Just Transition.

Union forced out of May Day celebrations in Zimbabwe

According to ZDAMWU, an IndustriALL affiliate who organizes in the diamond and mining sectors, the union’s tent was destroyed. Further, one of the unionist’s mobile phones was forcibly taken from her after a brief abduction where she was dragged to a car by thugs who are known in the area. She underwent a humiliating body search, and her phone was smashed into pieces.

“It was a sad Workers Day for ZDAMWU. As a union we have been fighting harassment, long working hours, and corruption by some managers who ask for bribes for workers contracts to be renewed. Additionally, sexual harassment is rampant at Bikita Minerals,”

said Justice Chinhema, ZDAMWU general secretary who believes that the attack is meant to intimidate the union.

“Law enforcement agencies must investigate this intimidation and protect workers' rights that are in the country’s constitution and labour laws. Mineworkers in Zimbabwe have a right to freedom of association and assembly and should not carry their activities in fear,”

said Glen Mpufane IndustriALL director for mining.

Trade unions have raised concerns at the International Labour Conference on violations of International Labour Organization conventions in Zimbabwe especially Convention 87 on freedom of association and the protection of the rights to organize, and Convention 98 on the right to organize and collective bargaining.

On environmental, social and governance (ESG), local communities have raised concerns and said that although the ESG guidelines exist on paper, Sinomine never applies them. For example, the villagers say their source of water for drinking, market gardening, and livestock has been polluted by toxic chemicals as evidenced by the death of fish and aquatic life at Matezva Dam. Further, communities have lost fields and land to the mining company due to opening of new mining sites, road construction and the building of power lines. Some of the displaced villagers say they never received compensation from Sinomine.

ZDAMWU, which has 672 members at the mine, made a report to the police and will write to the ministry of labour to protest how the union officials were treated at Bikita Minerals.

Bikita Minerals, which is owned by China’s Sinomine Resource Group, is the largest lithium mine in Zimbabwe which is Africa’s largest producer of lithium ore. Lithium is one of the critical minerals required for the transition to renewable energy sources. Lithium is used in the manufacturing of rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, computers, and electric vehicles. Other minerals mined at Bikita Minerals include petalite which is used in ceramic and glass manufacturing.

Lesotho miners remembered

Tankiso Tsoeu, a data analyst at Storm Mountain Diamonds’ Kao Mine who survived the accident, says the vivid memories of the horror crash continue to haunt her.

Tankiso Tsoeu, a member of the Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho (IDU), an IndustriALL affiliate, remembers:

“On 8 February 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, our lives were scarred in a horrendous accident. We were supposed to go home, and excited to finally have a break and be with our families after working on a 12-hour shift for 14 days. The buses which arrived at Kao Mine at midday brought the incoming shift workers and were also supposed to take us home.”

“I was exhausted when we boarded the bus and fell asleep when the bus started moving. After what felt like a few minutes-although it was more than an hour- I felt my head hitting something, and lost consciousness. Then a colleague woke me up. I could see we were in a bus wreck lying on its side and workers were shouting for help. The driver had lost control on a road which had become slippery following a hailstorm and the bus had overturned.”

Tankiso Tsoeu recalls how workers were trapped in the wreckage.

“Whilst injured workers were rescued from the bus, unfortunately others were trapped. Some were even under the bus. There are no words to describe seeing someone lose their life while you watch and cannot do anything to help them.”

To worsen the tragedy, there was no mobile telephone connection.

“Amongst the survivors, most had lost their phones and there was no mobile network coverage. One of us had to walk up a mountain to try and find a network connection to call for help.”

The workers only got help when rescue teams arrived from Letseng and Kao Mines.

“Sadly, some workers died on the spot, while those with serious injuries were taken to Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital in Maseru. Out of 35 passengers, eight died.”

The survivors received treatment at Letseng mine clinic and Kao Mine hired a medical doctor and clinical psychologist to attend to the workers.

Despite all the help she received, Tankiso Tsoeu says recovery has been tough.

“I am still battling. The most difficult part is that everyone expects you to be fully recovered after three years and talking about the accident might seem an exaggeration. Yet I face every day struggles especially with anxiety which never used to be the case before the accident. Recalling episodes of the anguish of the trapped miners often leads to sleepless nights.”

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director of mining and lead for occupational health and safety, said:

“As we commemorate the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, we remember the eight Kao mine workers and wish the survivors full recovery from the scars and trauma emanating from the accident. We commend the efforts of both Letseng mine clinic and Kao mine for providing post-traumatic treatment to the injured workers, recognizing that the duty of care extends beyond the mine fence.”