The proposed amendment to The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Regulations enter trade unions’ and mining companies’ territory unnecessarily regarding the prevention and handling of retrenchments.
According to the proposed amendment, which was recently published by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, the employer must submit within seven days, after the retrenchment consultation process between trade unions and an employer, a detailed report up to the smallest detail to the Department on the completed consultation process. The information is then referred to The Mining and Minerals Development Board for consideration and recommendations. Even if the process has been completed, the Board must meet with the employer and submit recommendations to the Minister on possible further intervention in the process.
This amended regulation does not make sense and must be scrapped for the following five reasons:
Solidarity recommends that the proposed regulation regarding the duplication of a retrenchment process be scrapped, but that it should also be considered to scrap The Mining and Minerals Development Board. The Board has a symbolic role only and has always been ineffective, therefore, an unnecessary expense tax payers must subsidise.