National Union of Mineworkers Energy Policy Discussion Paper

Abstract

As the main union in the energy, mining, and construction sectors dedicated to the socio-economic emancipation of workers especially in these three sectors, it is the intention of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) to pro-actively participate in the formulation of any policy that may have a bearing on the interests of its constituency. NUM is well aware that the energy policy that is being proposed by the South African Government will have far-reaching implications for the well-being of workers in both the energy and mining sectors. Moreover, the effects will spread to all workers across all sectors of the South African economy because energy is a key input in all productive activities of the country. The effects of the energy policy will include, but will not be limited to, job losses, increases in prices of goods and services, and general economic exclusion of citizens whose lives are at the margins of the mainstream economy. The energy sector is an employer in its own right; but it is also a catalyst of employment in all other manufacturing sectors of the economy. Downstream, the energy sector supports employment in the mining sector by sustaining the demand for coal. As such, changes in South Africa’s energy sector have far-reaching implications for employment, and for the well-being of people and communities across the country. It is, therefore, the revolutionary duty of NUM to be vigilant in engaging and coming up with an informed position on the country’s energy policy and energy mix proposals. The Union’s engagement with energy policy and energy direction is not a new undertaking. As far back as 2009 the Union, in its own capacity and sometimes as part of COSATU, has interrogated and made pronouncements on the country’s energy policy direction. In the NUM resolution of 2009 to the COSATU National Congress, NUM requested COSATU to re-debate and re-visit its anti-nuclear energy position to assess whether concerns pertaining to nuclear energy that motivated the position were still relevant. The resolution also highlighted the position that the coal sector, as a major employer, still has to play an important role in the country’s energy space; although given the concerns around coal’s impact on the environment, research on Clean Coal Technology should be prioritized.