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ANC backed National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are lobbying the Chamber of Mines to bring forward wage talks in a desperate attempt to hold on to their position of power and privilege. The DA believes that the Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, must take steps to ensure that small labour unions are given a voice in collective bargaining agreements.

NUM are in trouble. A record of poor worker representation has seen a gradual erosion of the union’s credibility as workers flock to sympathising rival unions who appear less preoccupied with self-enrichment. The Platinum industry has best personified the trend up to this point. In 2011, NUM lost 13 000 members at Impala Platinum Mine to the up and coming Associated Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).

Now it appears as if the Gold and Coal industries are under threat.

Now NUM is seeking to bring forward wage talks with the Chamber of Mines, originally scheduled for 2013. In a blatant attempt at a quick fix solution, the union hopes to show members that it still identifies with their plight and as such, has their best interests at heart.

If the union had effectively consulted with its members last year, they would not find themselves in their current predicament of having to compile a fresh list of workers’ demands in an attempt to reopen talks a year ahead of schedule.

NUM’s failures are symptomatic of an industrial relations framework heavily skewed in favour of the majority labour union.

NUM remains the largest COSATU affiliated union with a total monthly contribution of R800 000 in membership fees. NUM are, in a labour market context, too big to fail. This view is corroborated by Cosatu president, Sdumo Dlamini, who earlier this year stated that “if NUM decides to withdraw [from COSATU], indeed, we will go down”.

This is true not only in an economic sense, but also politically. As a pivotal part of the tripartite alliance, it is highly unlikely that the ANC would allow such an eventuality to come to fruition. This in turn creates a significant incentive for the ANC to ensure the longevity and prosperity of NUM. This unfortunately does not bode well for prospective smaller unions.

The simple answer to boosting union efficacy would be to introduce legitimate and recognised competition. This would incentivise all participating unions to compete for members through the exhibition of an exemplary worker representation record. The winner at the end of the day would undoubtedly be the workers.

Given the draft labour laws currently before the committee, I will be urging the Minister to lower union representativeness thresholds to promote competition and ensure the protection of workers interests.

The ruling party’s insistence on a labour relations system that marginalises workers must be challenged if we are to avoid another Marikana massacre.