Gideon du Plessis
Photo by: Duane Daws
Trade union Solidarity has called for the retirement age of underground miners be raised to 63, telling the Chamber of Mines (CoM) that the move would retain skills critical to the South African mining industry, thus promoting its sustainability.
According to the union, ten mining houses in South Africa, including three gold mining companies, had already raised the retirement age of their employees from 60 to between 62.5 and 65.
“It is high time that the CoM bring its policy on retirement age in line with this policy and that of thousands of others. If it was sincere about safeguarding the sustainability of the mining industry, it would agree to our demand that the retirement age of underground workers should be raised.
“It seems that the chamber is doing its utmost to prevent a raise in the retirement age of underground workers. Its feeble argument that legislation on occupational health and safety first has to be investigated holds no water,” Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis said on Monday.
He further noted that the union, which was currently in talks with the CoM over wages in the gold sector, had cut its gold wage increase demand from 12% to 9% but cautioned that it would not reduce its demand any further until the chamber had agreed to lift the retirement age for underground workers.
“Research conducted by Solidarity’s division for occupational health and safety showed that no legislation existed that would limit or hamper an increase in the retirement age.
“However, the underlying argument appears to be that a low retirement age for skilled employees would hold an affirmative-action benefit for mining houses,” Du Plessis explained.
Solidarity and the CoM would, on Wednesday, return to the negotiating table to continue gold wage discussions.