What are South Africa’s green jobs?

The research report by the Sam Tambani Institute (SATRI), the research arm of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), mapping potential green jobs in renewable energy value chains and critical transition minerals (CTMs) like lithium, cobalt and nickel offers a detailed examination of the opportunities and challenges found in this shift. 
 
According to the report, the concept of green jobs remains contested. Many workers in South Africa’s mining and energy sectors associate green jobs only with renewable energy, overlooking opportunities in related fields like CTM exploration, processing and refining. Yet the report identifies significant job creation potential in renewable energy, particularly in manufacturing, construction, installation, operation, maintenance and research and development. However, these roles depend on local value addition and the learning of specialized skills. For instance, engineering, technical and scientific expertise are critical for developing green infrastructure and services, while operational management and monitoring skills will ensure efficient adoption of green technologies.
 
The report highlights that the main concern for trade unions is whether green jobs can offset job losses in the coal sector which employs over 90 000 workers. Further, it outlines South Africa’s energy transition questions on how many jobs will be created, whether they will be in regions like Mpumalanga, where coal-dependent communities face unemployment risks? Can coal miners be reskilled for green roles and will their hard-won rights, such as unionization, be preserved in the renewable sector? The report suggests that without clear answers, unions are unclear on how the transition from coal to renewable energy will benefit workers.
 
The report stresses that skills development is key to unlocking green job opportunities. It states that essential skills are in engineering and technical expertise for manufacturing green infrastructure, scientific knowledge for innovation, operational management to facilitate access to green products and monitoring to optimize the use of renewable energy sources. 
 
To attain the skills, targeted training programmes are needed to equip workers, particularly those transitioning from coal-based industries. For CTMs, job creation hinges on local processing and refining, which requires international technical and financial support to build capacity. 
 
The transition also poses challenges for informal workers, who dominate parts of the green economy in the country, argues the report. With South Africa grappling with a 32.9 per cent unemployment rate which is higher at 60.7 per cent for youth aged 15–24 and 35.7 per cent for women, formalizing green jobs is critical. 
 
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule Ndessomin, said:

“We continue to work with research organizations and partners to build knowledge on trade union policy positions on the green economy and the transition to renewable energy and this report is a contribution towards a just and inclusive transition for workers.”

 
The NUM is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union and the research was supported by the IndustriALL regional office for Sub-Saharan Africa and 3F – the United Federation of Danish Workers.
 

Sub-Saharan African unions launch online worker-education platform

The platform leverages technological advances in e-learning and open-access messaging apps to deliver cost-effective workers’ education, aiming to strengthen union capacity and improve workplace conditions in industries such as automotive, battery manufacturing, base metals, chemicals, energy, engineering, mining, oil and gas and textile and garments.
 
The forum responds to the digital transformation reshaping workplaces, emphasizing the need for union commitment to e-learning, language accessibility and tailored educational resources relevant to diverse manufacturing sectors. The forum aims to enhance worker empowerment and union resilience across the region’s industries. 
 
Workers require only a smartphone with internet access to participate, sharing experiences and accessing training. A participatory approach will guide the forum, with a survey determining preferred topics, followed by a flexible programme designed around participants’ schedules.
 
“This forum is for anyone involved in helping workers learn about their rights, improve their working and social conditions and organize for change. Whether through union education programmes, as a worker leader, a shop steward, or an active member supporting others informally, your contribution matters!” reads the forum’s pamphlet. 
 
The initiative seeks to address challenges faced by Sub-Saharan African unions, including limited external solidarity with Global North partners, by strengthening innovative training and organizing strategies. Skills development is seen as critical for unions to retain members amid technological and demographic shifts. 
 
Melanie Jules, IFWEA programme manager for the Online Labour Academy, described the forum as “a global effort to promote worker unity and grassroots education through digital tools, emphasizing flexibility and solidarity.” She said the forum’s approach is not academic but practical in ways that included union approaches to lifelong learning and had potential to reach thousands of workers at the factories where discussions will be in small groups such as study circles. Young and women workers would also benefit together with other marginalized workers making a living in the informal economies.
 

“Workers’ education is important in a region facing shrinking civic spaces, digital divides and limited resources. Trade unions need knowledge on how to confront job loses, low wages, unsafe workplaces and gender-based violence and harassment,” 

said Rose Omamo, IndustriALL vice president.
 
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule France Ndessomin, welcomed the platform as a vital step in adapting worker education to the digital era.

“As work evolves, so must our approaches to education to tackle emerging challenges and build trade union power,”

she said. 

Photo: Shutterstock 

Union fury erupts over forced Mothae Mine layoffs

The temporary layoffs, which commenced in June this year, have slashed workers’ wages to 50 per cent of their usual earnings, a move the mine attributes to a slow diamond market in Europe. However, IDUL, an IndustriALL affiliate, has condemned the decision as a breach of labour laws and collective bargaining agreements.

Mothae mine’s layoffs come amid a period of transition for the mine’s ownership. Lucapa stated that its divestment to Lephema Executive Transport in 2024 was part of a strategic retreat to focus on assets in Angola and Australia. The sale, finalised in September 2024, raised questions about the mine’s long-term stability. 

IDUL’s objections centre around the unilateral nature of the layoffs. May Rathakane, IDUL general secretary, said:

“Mothae Diamond Mine must respect trade union rights to collective bargaining and refrain from acting unilaterally where workers’ and trade union rights are concerned.”

He argues that Mothae mine’s management flouted legal obligations by failing to consult the union, as mandated by Lesotho’s labour laws and the recognition agreement with the company. Further, he said IDUL is concerned by the erosion of labour rights in Lesotho’s mining sector, where workers often bear the brunt of market volatility. IDUL says the government of Lesotho, which had expressed interest in acquiring Lucapa’s stake and is a shareholder, must intervene to safeguard jobs and ensure compliance with labour standards.
 
IndustriALL director for mining and diamonds, Glen Mpufane, criticised the use of market downturns as a pretext for wage cuts:

“Market volatility is not an excuse to withhold full wages. Diamond mining companies must plan for booms and slumps rather than sacrificing workers’ wages.”

The Mothae mine in Mokhotlong in the Maluti Mountains, in Lesotho’s Butha-Buthe district, has been a significant economic contributor since commercial production began in 2019. Initially developed by Lucara Diamond Corporation, the mine was acquired by Australia-based Lucapa Diamond Company in 2017, which held a 70 per cent stake until its sale in 2024 to local mining and construction company, Lephema Executive Transport.

The Government of Lesotho retains a 30 per cent stake, underscoring the mine’s strategic importance to the nation’s economy, which relies heavily on diamond exports which contribute 6-10 per cent of the country's GDP. In the past, Mothae has unearthed gem quality kimberlites that included a 215-carat diamond.
 
 
 

Calls to save jobs as Goodyear Tyres retrenches 907 workers in South Africa

Goodyear announced the closure on 2 June saying it is shifting to a tyre import-based model in which it will only retain its retail business.
 
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, says it was dismayed by the announcement and has received notices to retrench 907 workers and will start engaging in consultations with the tyre manufacturer through the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
 

“We are deeply worried about the impact on workers and their families. Whilst the outlook is bleak, we stand ready as a union to do everything we can to defend the jobs of our members, and negotiate for fair severance packages,”

said Mziyanda Twani, NUMSA regional secretary for the Eastern Cape.
 
NUMSA fears that Kariega, formerly Uitenhage, will become a ghost town after the closure of other tyre plants by ContiTech and Bridgestone. The union says this will worsen poverty in a province that has the highest unemployment rate in the country which is 41.9 per cent according to Statistics South Africa.
 
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, said:

“We are in solidarity with NUMSA strategies to engage the government on incentives to support local manufacturing and save jobs. This is critical for the survival of tyre manufacturing industries and the industrialization of South Africa. Import-based models create fewer jobs and destroy local beneficiation.”

 
South Africa’s tyre industry is concentrated in key hubs that include Gqeberha, Brits and Kariega and supplies mainly the replacement market for passenger cars and heavy commercial trucks. The industry also supplies to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including BMW, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Isuzu. But it faces stiff competition from low-cost tyre imports from China and imported used tyres. This prompted the International Trade and Administration Commission (ITAC) to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese tyres in 2023.
 
The South African Automotive Action Plan (SAAP) 2021-2035, the primary industrial framework supporting tyre manufacturing promotes localization, investment incentives, job creation and skills development, and trade protections to boost the automotive value chain. The incentives are provided through the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP).

Photo: Shutterstock

New research probes how workers in Southern Africa are reclaiming the Just Transition in critical minerals

The project, part of a broader initiative involving five research teams across Southern and Eastern Africa, is titled Fighting Back: Labour fragmentation and capital in the Just Transition and feminist eco-socialism. Supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Wits University’s Centre for Researching Education and Labour, the study examines the interplay of labour, capital and state dynamics in the shift to low-carbon economies.

Focusing on critical minerals mining, coal, renewable energy and logistics, the research spans case studies in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. The study will investigate case studies on the impact of mining critical minerals — such as copper, cobalt and manganese in Zambia and lithium in Zimbabwe — on domestic economies and working conditions in both formal and informal economies.

Key questions include how workers are organizing to improve conditions, their relationships with established trade unions and the forms of labour organizing needed for a worker centric Just Transition.
 
The study engages a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including IndustriALL affiliates the Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ), the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) and the Zimbabwe Energy Workers Union (ZEWU) alongside government ministries, artisanal miners, women in mining, mine-affected communities, traditional leaders, civil society and multinational mining corporations.

Sites of the research are Chinese multinational corporation Sinomine’s Bikita Minerals in Zimbabwe and artisanal and small-scale mining on the Zambian Copper Belt and the Northwestern Province. Central themes include green extractivism, the mineral-energy complex, feminist eco-socialism and trade union revitalization, with a focus on innovative organizing strategies amid industrial transitions. The findings of the research will be published in December 2025.
 

“This research will yield critical insights into fostering an equitable and sustainable future for workers,” 

said Professor Ruth Castel-Branco, senior researcher at SCIS and the research project lead.
 
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, said:

“As critical minerals drive the global shift to low-carbon, amplifying insider perspectives of the workers is critical and this study aims to ensure that labour’s voice remains central to the Just Transition narrative,”

emphasizing the importance of trade unions in shaping knowledge production and engaging in social dialogue.

Glencore faces global scrutiny over ESG failures

Delegates raised the company’s refusal to negotiate with workers on a fair and just transition and its ongoing aversion to sectoral dialogue that would ensure labour rights during the energy transition.

During the AGM, IndustriALL and its affiliates challenged Glencore’s board on a number of pressing issues. 

Canada: delegates questioned why a clause on just transition and social dialogue was excluded from the collective bargaining agreement at the Horne smelter. They called on the company to engage directly with workers’ representatives and to commit to negotiated solutions that protect jobs and communities.

Colombia: Glencore has announced plans to close the Cerrejón mine in La Guajira by 2034 and recently confirmed significant production cuts. The lack of transparency around the closure process—especially in light of the company’s deeply criticized handling of the Prodeco shutdown—has intensified fear and uncertainty among workers and local communities. Many are still grappling with the fallout from that earlier closure. At the AGM, Glencore stated it had no official closure plan to share for Cerrejón.

“We call on the company to release its official mine closure document, to enable workers, the national government and affected communities to prepare and plan for a just transition. This request is not a call for early closure, but rather a call for preparation, coordination and fairness,”

says Juan Carlos Solano Guillen, transition secretary- Sintracarbon.

Sintracarbon also urged Glencore to support retraining and alternative employment programmes for former workers at La Jagua in the Prodeco area, which remains abandoned after the company withdrew operations.

Despite the escalating material risks associated with its operations, Glencore has declined to participate in the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), a globally recognized standard for responsible mining practices.

While Glencore’s CEO, Gary Nagle, insisted that health and safety remains the company’s top priority, delegates and community leaders rejected these claims. They argued that rhetoric must be matched by concrete action. From smelter closures to environmental damage, Glencore’s operations continue to harm workers and communities with little evidence of accountability or redress.

“We call on Glencore to engage in global social dialogue, commit to responsible mining standards and ensure that the shift to a low-carbon economy does not come at the expense of workers' rights and livelihoods. Until Glencore acts, the global campaign for justice, transparency and a just transition will continue to grow in strength and urgency,” 

says Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director. 

In a Glencore network meeting, held a day before the AGM, union affiliates described a consistent pattern of misconduct. In Australia, Glencore is exceeding legal emissions thresholds and has dragged workers through the courts in an effort to block the “same work, same pay” campaign, instead of addressing pay inequality. 

In South Africa, Glencore has closed smelters with little warning or planning, leaving workers unemployed and communities devastated.

“Are they able to sell the smelters to other businesses? Is this something that Glencore can look into,”

asks Donald Makofane, regional youth secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). 

In Canada, pollution from the Rouyn-Noranda smelter continues to threaten public health, emitting arsenic at levels thirty times above the provincial limit. 

“We want to keep jobs, but not at the expense of our health,” 

says Kevin Gagnon from Fédération de l'Industrie Manufacturière – FIM-CSN. 

“Glencore cannot keep ignoring its responsibilities while communities suffer the consequences. We’ve campaigned for years and we’re not going anywhere. We will not be silenced.” 

said Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

Human rights due diligence: an imperative for critical raw materials in the Global South

Titled Critical Raw Materials and HRDD: Opportunities for the Global South, the webinar had 40 participants from the IndustriALL Global Union regional offices in Latin America, South East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa and affiliated unions, alongside speakers from Industriall Europe and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.

The webinar examined the interplay between the global energy transition and the socio-economic implications for mineral-rich regions, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. Discussions highlighted the necessity of responsible mining practices, exemplified by frameworks like the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), to mitigate human rights abuses and environmental degradation. Recycling was also noted as a partial solution to reduce reliance on new mineral extraction, though its scalability remains limited.

Theodore Kamwimbi, a human rights lawyer from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), provided a scathing assessment of the DRC’s mining sector underscoring the pressing need for responsible mining practices to confront human and workers’ rights abuses and environmental degradation.

Despite progressive mining and labour laws, implementation lags significantly. Kamwimbi documented pervasive abuses, including hazardous working conditions, discrimination, health risks, restrictions on trade union activities, forced and child labour, environmental violations, and sexual harassment. He cited reports noting that corporate cover ups and weak governmental enforcement worsened these issues. In Zimbabwe, trade unions reported that state collusion with Chinese multinationals in lithium mining stifles freedom of association and union organizing efforts.

Sophie Grenade from Industriall Europe outlined the European Union’s response to its dependency on critical raw materials from countries like the DRC, South Africa and China. The EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan and Critical Raw Materials Act aim to secure supply chains while promoting sustainability. Key regulations, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, mandate companies to report and address supply chain risks starting in 2026. However, Grenade cautioned that these regulations face resistance from some employers, who argue they undermine competitiveness, casting uncertainty over their long-term implementation.
 
Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining, stressed on the role of trade unions in advancing HRDD by “monitoring corporate disclosures and conducting risk mapping.” He noted the absence of national action plans in many African countries, urging unions to advocate for their adoption and enforcement.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, emphasized the need for binding international and national regulations to “ensure fair trade, responsible investment, and local mineral beneficiation,” which are critical for holding corporations accountable in the Global South.

Discussions on union strategies on critical mineral resources will continue in conferences being organized by the IndustriALL Sub Saharan regional office on human rights due diligence and African Industrialization in September and November, respectively.
 
 
 

Unionist appointed minister of labour in Gabon

Isaac officially assumed his duties this month, with a mandate to strengthen labour policy implementation, reduce youth unemployment, currently at 36.9 per cent according to the World Bank and promote decent work through social dialogue. The unemployment rate is even higher among young women, underlining the urgency of inclusive job creation strategies.

ONEP, which organizes around 3,000 workers in Gabon’s oil and gas sector, welcomed the appointment, calling on the new minister to prioritize the improvement of working conditions and the institutionalization of dialogue between workers and employers.

Gabon’s economy is heavily reliant on oil, which accounts for roughly 40 per cent of GDP. This dependence exposes the country to global price volatility. As oil reserves decline, the government is shifting focus to economic diversification and sustainable development.

ONEP has called on the labour ministry to play a proactive role in developing employment opportunities in emerging sectors, particularly in the context of the country’s Just Transition. The union participates in the Sub-Saharan Africa Energy Network (SSAEN), which supports union involvement in decarbonization strategies and renewable energy frameworks.

Beyond oil, Gabon is expanding into natural gas and other sectors such as agriculture, tourism, digital technologies and mining. The country holds strategic reserves of iron ore, manganese and rare earth elements, critical minerals for renewable energy technologies, including electric vehicles and battery production. The development of digital industries is also advancing under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which Gabon has signed.

As the country navigates structural shifts, IndustriALL and ONEP emphasize that social dialogue must remain central. The appointment of a labour minister with deep union roots presents a valuable opportunity to ensure that workers' rights and protections are embedded in Gabon’s economic transition.

“I congratulate Brother Isaac on his appointment as minister of labour. The appointment of trade unionists as government ministers is a signal that the head of government takes trade unions seriously and we will follow developments closely. . This appointment, which brings union experiences on collective bargaining and social dialogue to government must, benefit workers in Gabon,”

says Atle Hoie, IndustriALL general secretary.

With major multinational companies such as TotalEnergies, Perenco, Vaalco Energy, BW Energy and the state-owned Gabon Oil Company operating in offshore oil fields, the labour ministry’s role will be key in overseeing decent employment conditions and fair transitions across the energy sector.

South Africa: Women miners stripped naked at Kopanang gold mine

Kopanang Mine was sold to Hong Kong based Heaven-Sent SA Sunshine Investment company by AngloGold Ashanti in 2018.
 
Over 12 women miners have reported violations of the degrading body searches including being stripped naked by the mine security under the pretext of looking for stolen gold. The number could be higher as some workers have been intimidated and are afraid to speak out. Those who have challenged the humiliating searches which happen at the end of miners’ shifts have been suspended. For example, one worker was suspended after she refused to take off her underwear and open her legs during the searches. 
 
Further, the workers say that they are working for long hours and not allowed to take food underground. The NUM is considering taking legal action against Kopanang Mine and calling upon the department of mineral resources to investigate. The union is also meeting with Kopanang mine management and demanding that they desist from the violations. Additionally, the union says there are technologies that can be used in body searches that are designed in ways that respect workers’ rights to privacy and dignity instead of security guards stripping women miners naked. The ministry of women, youth and persons with disabilities, mine affected communities, and civil society organizations have also condemned the horrific violations.
 
At the NUM women’s conference in March, Magrett Gabanele, chairperson of women’s structure, said the union remains committed “to fighting against gender-based violence and harassment for women miners.”
 

“This is not only about labour violations and or privacy breaches, but also about gender-based violence at its most invasive and brutal. It is about the commodification of women’s bodies in the name of security. It is about the silent consent of those who benefit from systems that allow such dehumanization. When women’s bodies are sites of surveillance, suspicion and violence, it is not just an issue of poor management; it is a manifestation of entrenched patriarchy at the workplace,”

wrote Tania Bowers and Lebo Mncayi-Poloko former NUM women’s structure members in the Sowetan.

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

“The reprehensible actions of security guards at Kopanang Mine, which gravely violate the dignity of women, must be unequivocally condemned. The mine must urgently enact robust policies to stop this humiliation and gender-based violence.”

Vaal reefs mineworkers remembered

The event is part of the commemorations for the International Day for Health and Safety at work which is celebrated internationally on 28 April. 
 
According to reports, the workers who had finished their shift and were surfacing were hit by a locomotive causing their cage to plunge 460 meters into the shaft. Investigations attributed the cause of the accident to multiple failures caused by negligence to adhere to safety measures. An inquiry by the Leon Commission recommended prosecution for culpable homicide of Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company, a subsidiarity of AngloAmerican which later became AngloGold and AngloGold Ashanti. Although this did not happen, the NUM said a class lawsuit can still be made.
 
However, the commission led to the passing of the Mine Health and Safety Act and stricter regulations in the industry. Since then, fatalities in the mining industry have reduced with the South African mining industry recording its lowest fatality in 2024 when 42 workers were killed in mine accidents according to mine occupational health and safety statistics. The NUM says these statistics “starkly illustrate that the occupational death chambers within the mining industry still persist.”
 
David Msiza, chief inspector of mines in the department of mineral and petroleum resources said: “South Africa must continue to promote accident prevention as lives are still being lost to accidents and occupational diseases.”

The Vaal Reefs Disaster Trust was established to support the miners’ 431 dependants from Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Lesotho and South Africa and provided financial assistance for education up to tertiary level. The NUM, an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, said the trust which was set up at the insistence of trade unions has since been wound up.
 
Nomthandazo Joni, one of the trust’s beneficiaries studied commerce and later trained as a health and safety officer, expressed how devastated the families were by the accident:

“Our mothers suffered the trauma of losing their husbands and most did not survive for long. Some families collapsed. Worse still, even beneficiaries who completed their studies are unemployed.” 
 
Daniel Balepile, NUM president said:

“The trust’s main mandate was education and this was achieved as most of the beneficiaries completed tertiary education.”

“The Vaal Reef disaster reminds us of the dangers of neglecting safety in the mines and the greatest lesson from this tragedy is to remain vigilant on health and safety. We always stress on the workers’ right to refusal of dangerous work especially when their lives are at risk,” 

said Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining and health and safety lead.