Govt and mining bosses shirk responsibility critics say
Minister of minerals resources Susan Shabangu will address The New Age Business briefing delegates today (Monday) in Sandton Convention Centre on how to create a responsible mining sector.
Shabangu's address comes against the backdrop of a bleeding sector, with many investors already casting doubts on the country's ability to manage labour protests and attract more investors, The New Age Online reports.
While Shabangu and Minister of Labour Mildred Olifant are pushing for major bargaining changes in the mining industry, trade unions and parliamentarians alike are questioning the willingness of mining executives to lead the drive to prevent unnecessary labour disputes. Some critics have also seized the opportunity to call for a mining revolution, and for mines to be nationalised.
The degree of labour turmoil in South Africa continues to aggravate the increasing, broader, dysfunction experienced in the mining sector.
Earlier this year, South Africa ranked almost last in the world for "labour regulations, employment agreements and labour militancy or work disruptions" in a global survey ran by Toronto-based Fraser Institute. Yet, The New Age Online says, the government has for years ignored evidence that labour disputes resolution mechanisms such as the CCMA and Labour Courts are ineffectual.
Read the full article on http://www.thenewage.co.za
