Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to examine the practicality of how
mineworkers, organised under a trade union, can participate
in employers’ productivity-increasing initiatives in a mutually
beneficial way in South Africa. A critical analysis of the concept
of productivity and its practical application in the mining
business environment, including the aspect of relationship
dynamics between mineworkers and employers is done. It is
highlighted that defining productivity in the sector is subjective
and characterised by information asymmetry in favour of the
employers. Moreover, low productivity has frequently been used
as a reason against mineworkers’ quest for higher wages; as a
result, the concept is viewed with suspicion by mineworkers.
For a trade union to aggressively encourage its members to
participate in productivity initiatives at the workplace, it needs
to get some assurance that its members will benefit from
the resultant increase in productivity. This will require that
mineworkers and employers have a prior agreement on the
definition of productivity, the parameters to measure it, and the
extent to which a change in productivity will influence workers’
wages and benefits. Given the precedent of mineworkers’
exploitation and the existing trust deficit between parties
in South Africa’s mining sector, the onus lies on the side of
mining businesses to demonstrate and convince unions that
the productivity initiatives are not just another tool to exploit
workers. Otherwise, there is no doubt that increased productivity
can be beneficial for both mining businesses and mineworkers
