BusinessLive reports that Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant says mining companies are not making use of the government’s training layoff scheme, which has a fund of more than R2bn to up-skill retrenched workers.  

In an interview, she claimed mining companies were avoiding having to declare their finances to the Labour Department and disclose the real reasons behind retrenchments.  The scheme was established shortly after the 2008 global recession, but it has recorded little success and the minister blamed this on the intransigent attitude of business.  The Chamber of Mines (COM) denied there was a link between mining companies not using the training layoff scheme and unwillingness to disclose their finances as this was already being done to comply with section 189 of the Labour Relations Act.  COM spokeswoman Charmane Russell listed a number of challenges that stood in the way of mining companies "fully embracing" the scheme.  National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesman Livhuwani Mammburu said the failure by business to take advantage of the scheme boiled down to a "lack of concern" about the future of retrenched mine workers, who were likely to end up destitute.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page