Stakeholders in the mining industry on Monday signed a leadership declaration committing themselves to saving jobs and ameliorating the impact of job losses in the sector.

The declaration follows a mining leadership retreat held on August 5 under die Mining Industry Growth and Development Task Team (MIGDETT) to address job loss challenges facing the sector and to identify short and medium to long term interventions.

The retreat was attended by representatives of government‚ labour and business.

The signatories to the declaration on Monday included the Department of Mineral Resources (representing government)‚ Chamber of Mines‚ South African Mining Development Association‚ National Union of Mineworkers‚ UASA and Solidarity.

The primary objective of the process has been to identify short and medium to long term interventions to address the challenges currently faced by the mining industry‚ including recent and potential job losses‚ and the identification of possible solutions.

Chamber of Mines CEO Roger Baxter said social partners had committed to address the challenges facing the industry.

“Some of the issues being confronted include depressed commodity prices‚ unsustainable cost increases‚ electricity supply disruptions and the pressure on the viability of mining companies. Only through preserving the viability of our industry can jobs be preserved.”

The parties agreed to a number of job saving interventions:

- not unreasonably withholding extensions to consultation processes to allow for the implementation of interventions to address job losses;

- enhancing productivity and managing cost pressures;

- accelerated concurrent rehabilitation activities to create alternative jobs for mineworkers;

- facilitating the sale of distressed and other mining assets; and

- evaluating other alternatives to avoid job losses.

In respect of the interventions to ameliorate job losses‚ stakeholders agreed to provide support to mineworkers in the event that job losses cannot be avoided; and using the multi-national companies’ procurement levy to support employment opportunities for retrenched mineworkers.

In respect of regulatory framework and other enablers‚ stakeholders agreed to streamlining of processes for downscaling‚ updating of databases and exploring fiscal instruments; investment promotion and market development; as well as communicating responsibly and in alignment with the Stakeholder Declaration where there is a risk of job losses.

Baxter noted that the Chamber of Mines’ members were fully committed to the MIGDETT process‚ and that it is “important that all stakeholders collaborate to protect the viability of the industry and thus save jobs”.