Helping workers in South Africa

In a recent speech, South African President Thabo Mbeki emphasized the need for human dignity in all walks of life. Indeed, dignity should be uppermost in every employer’s mindset.

Mining is doing more than most industries to improve the lives of its employees and their families — by, for example, ensuring appreciable real wage increases, improving housing, expanding health care (even to “off-mine” communities), boosting retirement funding, enhancing skills development, and contributing to rural development.

There are many pressing health issues in our industry, such as HIV-AIDS, pulmonary tuberculosis, silicosis, and job safety.

Over the past 10 years, the main challenge for South Africa, and mining in particular, has been HIV-AIDS. Campaigns designed to educate people about the disease are on the increase.

In 2003, two important developments took place:

First, major mining companies that are members of the South Africa Chamber of Mines began providing antiretroviral treatment to mineworkers with HIV-AIDS. Since then, the government has begun providing antiretrovirals to the population at large.

Second, under the auspices of a Tripartite HIV-AIDS Committee for the Mining Industry, a summit was organized to consolidate and strengthen partnerships in the fight against the deadly disease.

The summit was the first of its kind in South Africa, and as a main sponsor and organizer, the Chamber of Mines is proud of what was achieved by bringing together industry stakeholders to adopt a common approach to fighting HIV-AIDS. The partners signed a joint declaration dealing with all the important aspects of HIV-AIDS, in particular, prevention, treatment, care and support, research, monitoring and evaluation, and socio-economic development.

The industry is also committed to reducing and eventually eliminating silicosis.

Since the early days of gold mining, measures have been taken to control dust levels (in particular by means of wet drilling and special ventilation systems) and thereby prevent the disease.

The Chamber of Mines has set up a Dust Elimination Committee, which reviews silica dust control programs and establishes best-practice guidelines. Also, long-standing statutory arrangements are in place, which guarantee compensation for employees who contract occupational diseases such as silicosis.

However, it has recently come to light that some ex-mineworkers have not received benefits from the statutory compensation system. Although compensation is the state’s responsibility, in terms of legislation, the mining industry is prepared to assist the government in identifying ex-workers who might not have claimed compensation.

Most health and safety initiatives are being undertaken jointly with other stakeholders in the industry, in particular, unions and the government.

— The preceding is from an address presented at the annual general meeting of the Association of Miner Managers in Johannesburg. The author is president of the South Africa Chamber of Mines.