Deputy Minister Patekile Holomisa: MHSC Tripartite Occupational Health and Safety summit

Program Director,
Minister of Mineral Resources, Advocate Ngoako Ramatlodi
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers here present
President of Contralesa Kgoshi Thobejane and all Royal Highnesses
Directors General and Senior Government officials here Present
Leaders of Organised Labour, Leaders of Business
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

It is indeed a great honour for me to address you on this auspicious occasion organised by the Mine Health and Safety Council. The theme of this summit “Every mine worker returning home unharmed every day, striving for zero harm” resonate well with the objectives of the Department of Labour and that of government in general.

Andrew England once wrote a piece in the Business Day that went something like this, and I paraphrase; Many mine workers still remember the humiliation that came with applying for the job in the mining sector being forced to strip naked in a room full of other men, then stepping onto scales to be weighed.

Once you have landed the job, you travel hundreds of kilometres from your village to a mine, where you will have to quickly get used to plunging deep beneath the surface of the earth at lightning speeds. Seeing the cage-like lift for the first time, you wonder whether its exposed cables would hold. The contrast between the tranquil rural environment in which most of the mine workers had grown up and the hustle and bustle of life at a mine strikes you, the individualism, the strange languages, and the strict control and discipline imposed on workers, is all foreign to most workers.

These men, who left their remote villages near Lusikisiki in South Africa’s Eastern Cape in the 1960s and 1970s, were part of a vast pipeline of cheap labour that allowed the gold and platinum sectors to flourish. This system, developed during colonialism and extended under apartheid to become a pillar of the economy, is still at the heart of South African mining 20 years after the end of apartheid and remains a source of bitterness.

Programme Director, How the industry addresses concerns over the migrant labour system will be central to the stability of some of the planet’s most important mines. When a shocked nation sought to explain the unrest in 2012, the migrant labour system was singled out as being the main culprit. The platinum belt unrests of 2012 shook the country to its core and put a sector that employs 500,000 people under intense pressure to change its ways. It also forced South Africa to re-examine the yawning disparities in one of the world’s most unequal societies. Like government, companies were accused of failing to address the lingering legacies of apartheid and hanging on to cheap labour as the modicum of doing business in the country.

The former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe once told mining companies that the migrant labour system was a "scar on the face of democratic South Africa".

Many workers who followed their father and brothers to the mines, offer a more plausible explanation as to why the Eastern Cape has been a fertile recruiting ground for mining: This is what they say and I quote, "In this area of ours there’s no industry and a lot of people are still uneducated so the easiest place to find a job is in the mines." Close quote. In an area where many families rely on subsistence farming, miners have historically been among the wealthier members of the community.

It is estimated that one miner is on average the breadwinner for 10 people. Most workers say that it would be a "very bad situation" if the mines suddenly stopped recruiting from the area. This is the crux of the challenge: the migrant system is deeply entrenched and has been a critical source of jobs for many poor communities. Industry officials warn that dismantling it would risk inflicting serious economic consequences on rural economies such as Lusikisiki. Andrew aptly observed.

I am convinced that most people in this auditorium agree with Andrew’s observations and for me; it presents the logical starting point towards addressing health and safety in the mining industry. The notion of every mine worker returning home unharmed every day, requires a holistic overhaul and redefining the industry and its role in society.  What does it mean for the mining industry to be a good corporate citizen?  What does this mean for labour sending areas and the host communities?

Are mineworkers considered an important asset to companies that employ them? Is it possible for mining companies, without being cajoled by government policy or law, to invest in the upliftment of their workers and host communities?

Is it possible for the industry to uphold and adhere to minimum health and safety standards without some enforcement Authority or government agency breathing down their necks? I am amazed by how loud business would scream for less government regulation and more self-regulation, yet when government creates an environment to promote self-regulation; most employers see that as a gap and/or weakness to be exploited.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Both the manifesto of the ruling party responsible for my deployment in this portfolio, and the National Development Plan (NDP) adopted by our government, enjoins all of us to ensure that decent work through inclusive economic growth permeates all that we do.

Decent Work is defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as work which entails opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive employment in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. In giving effect to this objective our country together with the social partners agreed on a Decent Work Country Program (DWCP). One of the DWCP priorities is that ….Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions of work.

Kofi Annan, the then General Secretary of the United Nations in his Speech delivered in New York on the occasion of Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April 2002 eloquently advocated the decent work objective when he said “…Safety and health of workers is a part and parcel of human security….. Safe Work is not only sound economic policy; it is a basic human right…”

The ILO its Global Employment Agenda: Discussion Paper prepared in March 2002 further amplified the importance of health and safety. The ILO in the abovementioned paper contends that “Safe work creates no obstacles to being competitive and successful. In fact, no country – and no company In the long run – has been able to jump to a high level of productivity without making sure that the work environment is safe.”

Programme Director, it is an indisputable fact that business exist to maximise profit for its shareholders. Profits can only accrue to the shareholders when the business has been able to derive maximum benefits from the use and deployment of its assets. I have no doubt that key to the attainment of high productivity levels is the harnessing of human capital. Most economists argue that there is a direct relationship between economic growth and productivity. It is widely accepted that productivity measures are the key indicators of economic performance. Productivity measures are often used to indicate the capacity of a nation to harness its human and physical resources to generate economic growth.

Most importantly for us as the state, in harnessing the human resources, we contribute towards improving labour productivity. We do this by regulating working conditions and thereby improving input of labour, which has a direct relationship with output. Due to the fact that, labour productivity, is linked to output per hour worked, it is our responsibility as the state to ensure that workplaces reduce lost time due to injuries and occupational diseases contracted at workplaces. Occupational accidents and disease impose an enormous cost on South Africa.

Based on the claims submitted to the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act (ODMWA) and the Compensation Fund (CF), the cost of occupational accidents and disease is equivalent to just over R30 billion, equating to 4% of the national Gross Domestic Product. Costs to employers include property damage, lost production time, lost skills as well as the cost of engaging and retraining replacements.

Most importantly ladies and gentleman is the social impact of these incidents. It is common knowledge that what happens at a workplace permeates through to society. The impact of occupational diseases contracted and injuries sustained at workplaces are felt beyond the gates of our workplaces. This has a potential to exacerbate the problem of unemployment, poverty and overburdens the social security and primary health care systems. Lest we forget, the economy of this country is built on the backbones of workers. Workers too are citizens of this country.

“Every mine worker returning home unharmed every day, striving for zero harm” is this a mirage or an attainable vision? If we doubt that zero harm is attainable, then we are all accepting the notion that the mining industry is inherently dangerous and therefore contracting of occupational diseases and fatalities are the acceptable prices to be paid by workers. Well as for my part, ladies and gentleman, I refuse to accept that accidents are inevitable occurrences to be expected and accepted. There is a growing body of empirical evidence that all incidents are preventable. I fully subscribe to this notion, hence my equivocal support for the theme of this summit..

Markets are said to work at their best when there are no effects on parties not involved in the market transaction. This means that during production of the goods, and during its consumption and disposal after use, there is no positive or negative impact on other citizens. Whilst there are positive externalities our government through our labour market policies deals mostly with the externalities. Many mining houses and companies are still exposing their workers to conditions that are not good for their health and safety. Occupational health and safety is good for business as well  as being a legal and social obligation. Mining companies should appreciate that occupational health and safety prevents people from being harmed or made ill through work, but it is also an essential part of a successful business. Occupational health and safety:

  • helps demonstrate that a business is socially responsible,
  • protects and enhances brand image and brand value,
  • helps maximise the productivity of workers,
  • enhances employees’ commitment to the business,
  • builds a more competent, healthier workforce, 
  • reduces business costs and disruption,
  • enables enterprises to meet customers’ occupational health and safety expectations, and encourages the workforce to stay longer in active life.

Ladies and Gentleman; The Mining sector has a reputation of having a high number of incidents. This has created a bad image for this sector which contributes significantly in our economy. Good companies have long recognised the importance of their image and reputation.

According to the Economist ‘Companies with their eye on their “triple-bottom-line„ outperform their less fastidious peers on the Johannesburg stock Exchange.’ Large organisations are expected to demonstrate ever higher standards of corporate governance and greater transparency in reporting practices. The combination of operating in a market driven economy alongside a society that is more aware of risks means that many enterprises now realise the significant gains that can be made from integrating occupational health and safety performance into their  wider business model. These include:

  • improvements in the image, brand value and reputation of the  enterprise,
  • delivering on corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments,
  • maintaining and promoting investor confidence, and
  • developing positive stakeholder engagement.

The boards should recognise that both the group’s corporate performance and its value to stakeholders are affected by its occupational health and safety performance. It therefore requires the Chief Executive Officers and all employees to demonstrate a positive approach to health and safety issues.

Programme Director, we are also mindful of the fact that the state cannot do this all by itself. It is therefore our intention as government to work with those people, bodies and institutions that can have the greatest impact in incident elimination in these areas and through our enforcement agencies, seek high levels of assurance that effective health and safety management systems are in place and working.

Although our focus is on prevention, our enforcement agencies will continue pursuing enforcement actions against those who put themselves and others at risk and where there’s significant breach of the law.

I therefore believe that, this summit serves as another step towards safeguarding the rights of workers. Social partners must work together to achieve the Constitutional objectives of ensuring that all workers have a right to fair labour practice and have access to an environment which is not harmful to their social wellbeing. I hope that the commitments that we shall all declare today will be translated into tangible actions that will yield positive results in the foreseeable future.

Lastly, one of our esteemed writers, Mziwakhe Phinda Madi, in his book entitled “ The Leadership Lessons from Emperor Shaka Zulu The Great” writes that “ if you are a leader that seeks to build enduring monuments, you must be consumed by nothing else, but your sense of mission”. Our sense of mission is to eliminate injuries, diseases and fatalities at our workplaces. Our mission is to ensure zero non-compliance with the occupational health and safety. We are on the “Road to Zero” harm. Let us all march together Ladies and Gentlemen. Together we can take South Africa forward.

“Every mine worker returning home unharmed every day, striving for zero harm” will require a real commitment from all and sundry. It will take more than a Charter, more than even a cleverly crafted Declaration to translate this theme into tangible reality.

It will take a complete change in the way we do things in the industry, such as, safety before profits others say, real corporate citizenship others argue. It must be the business of this summit to find the correct ingredients of how to achieve zero harm in the industry.

It was reported recently that about R15bn in benefits is lying unclaimed in retirement funds overseen by the Financial Services Board (FSB) and at least a third of the money may belong to former mine workers.

Teba, which has a database of 1.3 million mine workers, former workers and their dependants, is anxious to secure a role for itself in tracing and securing payments for the beneficiaries of these funds. Teba, which is more than a century old, used to secure labour from rural SA and neighbouring countries mainly for gold and platinum mines, but there has been a dramatic shift in the labour dynamics on mines. More than 80% of labour is now drawn from communities around the mines and 20% from distant areas, reducing the need for Teba’s services.

Some say that Teba is now trying to carve out a new role for itself by identifying this activity as its potential revenue source.

What about the living conditions of the mine workers? Despite this being the integral part of the mining Charter and the Social Labour Plans,  progress on this front still leaves much to be desired.  The situation was so bad in the 70s that Bra Hugh Masekela summed up the conditions and the socio-economic challenges of working in the mines as follows;

There is a train that comes from Namibia and Malawi, There is a train that comes from Zambia and Zimbabwe, There is a train that comes from Angola and Mozambique, From Lesotho, from Botswana, from Swaziland, From all the hinterland of Southern and Central Africa.

This train carries young and old, African men who are conscripted to come and work on contract in the golden mineral mines of Johannesburg and its surrounding metropolis, sixteen hours or more a day  For almost no pay.

Or when they sit in their stinking, funky, filthy, Flea-ridden barracks and hostels.

They think about the loved ones they may never see again,  Because they might have already been forcibly removed  From where they last lived,  Or wantonly murdered in the dead of night  By roving, marauding gangs of no particular origin, … they think about their lands, their herds That were taken away from them…

And when they hear that Choo-Choo train, They always curse, the coal train, The coal train that brought them to Johannesburg.

How much of this is still the case in the mining sector?  This is the repertoire not worthy to be proud of I dare say.

However through Working Together, it is  possible that every mine worker can return home unharmed.  It is possible that our Traditional Leaders are not left with the burden of looking after victims of mining fatalities back in the villages. That Mining houses will cease to be the reason for widowed women and single parented children whose parents are swallowed by the mines on a regular basis.

Let’s join hands and deal with this scourge.

I thank you.

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