The chairperson of the portfolio committee on mineral resources and energy Sahlulele Luzipo has called on organized labour to use Workers Day to reflect on the health and safety conditions of workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
This comes as most workers in the mining sector will resume work after the country moved into Level 4 lockdown.
According to regulations issued in terms of section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, and published in Government Gazette 43232, Government Notice No. 465 of 16 April 2020, every employer conducting mining operations and activities in connection therewith at a mine, must implement appropriate measures to protect the health and safety of workers in respect of COVID-19, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe announced this week.
Luzipo urged organised labour to become vigilant in ensuring that employers adhere to the stipulated percentage of workforce that can report back to work, especially in the non-essential service mining sector.
“The need for close cooperation amongst social partners, especially employers and labour at working level, has become pertinent now, more than ever, as the country is plagued by a pandemic that is devastating to human lives and the economy. Organised labour should guard against situations where workers are forced to work under conditions that could expose them to the risk of contracting coronavirus,” he said.
Luzipo, in a joint statement with Chairperson of the Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy, Ms Tebogo Modise, further called on the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to increase the numbers of mine health and safety inspectors and ensure that they are trained in monitoring maximum compliance with the coronavirus preventative measures, as outlined by the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation.
On those mines that are contemplating to retrench workers as a mitigating measure to the impact of Covid-19, the chairpersons appealed to them not to use Covid-19 as a means to justify downsizing and cutting corners on operational responsibilities.
The Chairpersons believe that retrenchments should be a last resort, following all avenues of finding other alternatives, including talks with the DMRE, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
(Compiled by Inside Politics staff)
