[miningmx.com] – THE long-standing issue of overhauling the job grading system in South Africa’s mines was a key development that would overcome labour problems, said BDLive citing Frans Baleni, general-secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).
“It’s 4% across the board, and we are saying what bedevils the remuneration structure in the mining sector is the grading system, which has not recognised the environment,” BDLive quoted Baleni as saying.
“It does not recognise the challenges of working underground, the noise, heat, dust.. It looks at what authority you have and then says you have no authority, so you fall into this category,” he said.
Baleni said the Marikana tragedy could have been avoided if a better grading system had been in place in the platinum mines. The tragedy was proceeded by protests by the rock drill operators who had been overlooked for a wage increase.
“We [are] saying . agree to move away from this system. They are refusing. If you don’t, we have determined through our members mandate that entry level is at R8,000 — that’s where the problem is. We have been talking about this for 13 years,” Baleni said.
