The Nationwide Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will rejoice its fortieth anniversary on the outdated Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo, on December 4.
Established in 1982 in Klerksdorp (now Matlosana), the NUM was initially led by common secretary Cyril Ramaphosa, president James Motlatsi and deputy president Elijah Barayi, changing into one of many quickest rising unions on the earth with a membership over 300 000 mineworkers within the Eighties.
The NUM grew to become a key stakeholder within the formation of the nation’s largest federation of unions, the Congress of South African Commerce Unions (Cosatu) in 1985.
The NUM grew to 14 000 members inside 12 weeks of its institution and had 4 areas – Carletonville, Free State, Klerksdorp and Westonaria – in addition to eight branches established at its first elective nationwide congress.
In lower than a yr of its formation, the NUM was recognised by the then Chamber of Mines because the union representing mineworkers in classes one to eight mining in August 1983.
Subsequently, the NUM prolonged its scope of operation to cowl vitality, significantly for Eskom and development workers within the early 2000s. It additional prolonged its scope to the metallic employees sector from 2019 and now operates within the mining, vitality, development and metallic and allied industries.
The NUM, since formation, aligned itself with the African Nationwide Congress, in its wrestle to overthrow the apartheid authorities and formally adopted the Freedom Constitution as its political guideline in its nationwide congress in 1987. The NUM additionally made Nelson Mandela an honorary lifetime president.
As one among its historic occasions, the NUM organised the 1987 strike which took 21 days to barter.
Among the many most influential calls for tabled by the NUM was an extension of provident fund advantages to black mineworkers. Between 1987 and 1989, white mineworkers had been afforded retirement funds, whereas black mineworkers had been disbarred from such advantages.
In 1989, the Mineworkers Provident Fund was fashioned to accommodate black mineworkers.
The NUM additionally performed an element in negotiating for inclusion into different retirement funds, such because the Building Business Retirement Fund Profit Fund.
In different developments, the NUM constructed the Elijah Barayi Memorial Coaching Centre (EBMTC) in Yeoville, Johannesburg, in 1993, which the union has used to enhance the numeracy and literacy ranges of its members and store stewards.
The NUM additionally has a second school, the EBMTC Artisan Academy in Midrand, which opened in 2019 to supply coaching to artisans.
The JB Marks Training Belief Fund was based in 1997 by the NUM and named after African Miners Union’s first president John Beaver Marks. The belief, celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this yr, has supplied 1 717 bursaries, a few of which have gone in the direction of NUM members and their households.
The NUM additionally factors out that it has championed for black mineworkers to be allotted homes in order that they might stick with their households.
On this regard, the NUM says it has engaged mining firms, via the then Chamber of Mines – now the Minerals Council South Africa – to promote its housing inventory to mineworkers at discounted costs.
Associated to this, the NUM says it and platinum group metals miner Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) have developed a housing technique that goals to advertise house possession for all RBPlat workers.
As a part of this Worker House Possession Scheme, RBPlat accomplished the primary section of the undertaking at a operate held on September 16, 2014 on the Waterkloof Hills Property, handing keys to 422 new householders.
