The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has expressed its frustration at not having been invited to participate in a two-day energy summit held in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, earlier this week.
The union says the Mpumalanga government had undermined it as a key stakeholder in the just energy transition.
The summit was led by Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tshipane and attended by various provincial and national stakeholders including representatives from the Congress of South African Trade Unions and power utility Eskom.
NUM Highveld chairperson Bizzah Motubatse says any summit or talks around a just energy transition should involve the union, which represents employees in the coal mining sector.
“We are utterly disgusted and perturbed by the behaviour of the Mpumalanga government after they convened but saw no purpose to inviting the NUM.
“We want to make it categorically clear that we are at the centre of defending the jobs of our members,” he states.