This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
The Citizen writes that fear of job losses linked to the transition from coal to low-carbon energy sources is not new, but with unemployment having reached a new record, there is a new urgency to discussions over how to achieve a just transition.
In Mpumalanga, which accounts for 83% of SA’s coal production – and which is home to 12 of power utility Eskom's power stations – coal is a key economic driver. Here, locals are particularly wary of the winds of change, fearing they will be stripped of their livelihoods – and left with few or no prospects in a country where unemployment is sitting at over 36%. SA is the world's 12th-biggest emitter of gases that contribute to global warming. But the coal sector employs some 92,000 people, making job losses a key consideration. Government has been at pains to assure mine workers that steps will be taken to minimise the economic impact of a just transition. But labour unions remain unconvinced. Sipho Dlamini from Ceppwawu in the Mpumalanga region said on Tuesday that in the union's opinion, there had been inadequate research on how the economy and employment would be affected by the transition, including communities from mining towns. Speaking at a public dialogue to unpack the key concerns of communities in Emalahleni and the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality in Middelburg, Dlamini said the union did not believe pollution was a good enough reason to shut down mines. Instead, Dlamini favours interventions designed to minimise carbon emissions, arguing that mines and power stations are the lifeblood of the Mpumalanga economy. Meantime, Middelburg is still reeling from the economic impact of the controversial closure of the Gupta-linked Optimum coal mine in 2018.
- Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard by Sibongile Khumalo at Fin24 (paywall access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page