NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
Mr K A Sinclair (COPE-NC) to ask the Minister of Labour:
Whether, with regard to the recent strike action and union debacle in
Lonmin mine in Marikana, he will review the minimum wages in the
mining sector irrespective of the wage bargaining agreements that are
in place; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Minister of Labour replied:
Wages and conditions of employment in the mining sector are negotiated
by employers and trade unions, either through the Chamber of Mines or
through company level negotiations.
In terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997, the
Minister of Labour may make a sectoral determination for sectors where
workers are vulnerable and where there is no collective bargaining or
only bargaining with limited coverage. There is no sectoral
determination for the mining sector and no plan to investigate a
sectoral determination at this stage.
END