The fine article Migrant labour still a part of social dynamics of mining by Paul Kapelus, a director of Synergy Global Consulting, was first published in BDlive and here are some extracts with the kind permission of BDlive. It is highly recommended that the full article be read by clicking on the links.
“IN HIS articulate and considered piece Marikana is more than just a policing matter (August 22), Adrian du Plessis, in looking for the causes of the Marikana tragedy, makes a case for a re-examination of the collective bargaining structures and processes in the platinum mining industry. He also identifies migrant labour as a focus. He is right on both counts.”
“The tragedy at Marikana reveals challenges far deeper than inter-union rivalry. It is necessary to consider the long-standing tradition of migrant labour, which is so entrenched in the social fabric of rural and urban areas, and in the business models of the platinum mines.”
“It is also imperative that urgent attention be given to the economics and governance systems of the communities that surround and feed labour into the mines.”
“The arguments put forward about the cause of last week’s violence focus in the main on rivalry between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union and the illegal strike for increased wages by the rock drill operators at the mine.”
“The arguments do not appreciate the social conditions around the mines and in particular the role of migrant workers in the local communities. The day after the tragedy a group of women took to the streets in protest at the killing of the men. These women, as is the case of many women in mining communities around Rustenburg, depend on the migrant workers for their livelihoods. These men, mostly from the Eastern Cape and Lesotho, migrate between their homes and their places of work, mostly on an annual basis. This has been the case for decades, and the rock drill operators have kept these jobs within their families over generations. These men are the backbone of the South African mining industry.”
“A major problem, however, is that there is a lot less money flowing back to the rural areas from where the migrant workers originate. These men, who visit home maybe once or twice a year, might have a wife and children who need their support. But their salaries are split between their urban partners and their rural families. The current decline in the platinum industry, with shafts shutting down and costs of production escalating, and rising food and transport prices have made the situation very difficult for these migrant workers.”
“But it would be disastrous to end migrant labour as this would have severe economic consequences for the labour-sending areas.”
“What is needed is for the mining sector and all its role players to begin to rethink, on the one hand, how the migrant labour system is structured and, on the other, models for community development.”
“South Africa needs a modern migrant labour system that can improve the competitiveness of the industry. As with many mining sectors around the world that depend on migrant labour there are ways of ensuring that the workers can go home more often. If the migrants could work on a rotational basis it would increase the amount of remittances that flow back to the labour-sending areas. Further, their skills gained on the mines could be put to better use in these areas, which suffer from a dire lack of capacity.”
The communities around the mines depend on the migrant workers for their livelihoods. New models of community development are required that take advantage of the mining sector. The municipalities must lead the charge and provide the enabling environment for mining companies to support development.
But development cannot follow the old pattern, where communities wait for developers to direct schools, clinics, bursaries and buildings their way, resulting in a dependency syndrome. This is caused in part by mines historically taking on the role of government, and by the pressure to spend money on corporate social investment, tick the boxes on the black economic empowerment scorecard, and get the nod from the Department of Mineral Resources on the implementation of a social and labour plan.
“The key problem is that the communities do not decide for themselves what their future should look like, and then secure the support of the development partners such as the mining houses or municipalities. These communities need to construct development plans that support their ambitions with respect to their economics, their health, their environment, their education, their social welfare and their infrastructure.”
“Mines can respond to these plans in different ways. But the most important is to enable the communities to create their own economic engines; engines that take advantage of the mining companies’ local hiring, local supply chains and local economic development spend and to further diversify into other sectors such as agriculture.”
“It is no longer sufficient for the rock drill operators to be alone among the bravest of the brave. The leaders of the mining sector need to join those ranks — it is going to take brave leadership to turn the situation around and prevent further tragedy .”