crisis in the platinum sector

Titel van aanbieding – Subtitel van aanbieding • Naam van aanbieder • Plek, Datum

Crisis in the Platinum Sector

Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources 20 February 2013

Gideon du Plessis Solidarity


Content

1. Impact of Lonmin Marikana crisis on platinum sector

2. Consequences of general instability in platinum sector

3. Migdett platinum stakeholders commitments

4. Factors that have a negative impact on the industry


Impact of Marikana crisis on platinum and mining sector


Background and build-up

– Migdett Platinum Task Team established – June 2012

– Violence and intimidation at platinum mines from early 2012

• Impala Platinum Mine

• Aquarius Platinum

• Lonmin Marikana

– Spill over

• Anglo American Platinum

• Bokoni Platinum Mine


New extreme forms of power play


Highest level of violence and intimidation


Fatal police shootings


Shock to the nation


Marikana: A new labour dispensation

– Dominance of non-employees and disgruntled people

– High level of intimidation a test for the rule of law and IR

– Violence and intimidation rewarded: union membership, attention, recognition and wage adjustments

– Rise of opportunists and populists


Observations (cont.)

– Precedent set and expectations created

– Clear signs of socio-economic pressure, worker frustration and indebtedness

– Resolved as a labour dispute, but was it?


Migrant labour system under spotlight


Further underlying reasons for the unrest situation in the platinum sector


Dual labour market

• Two-tier system - employees versus contractors

Shift in union harmony

• High levels of intolerance

• Test for freedom of association

• Incident at Amplats’ Siphumelele shaft – 18 Feb. 2013

Recognition criteria • Industrial democracy in the spotlight • Union representation thresholds under review


Socio-economic

• Migrant labour dilemma - two households to maintain

• Informal settlements and incorrect use of housing allowance

• High density of workers/people and expectation from mines

Media and communication

• High media profile increased violent incidents

• Instability and unrest – provides opportunists access to

media and public opinion


Consequences for labour relations


•Failure of collective bargaining structures and CB discipline

• Collective agreements not honoured

• Negotiation with splinter groups and worker committees

•Recognised trade unions side-lined

• Management’s alienation from entry-level workers

• Lack of efficient employee share scheme (except at Kumba

Iron Ore)

Labour relations


Negative consequences

• Spill over of lawlessness to other sectors

• Unstable workplaces and fragile labour relations

• Culture of workplace anarchy

• Financial impact on employees

• Retrenchments and mechanisation

• Very negative for SA mining and business image abroad


Impact on foreign investment


Positive consequences

• Establishment of national platinum bargaining forum

• But slow progress:

• New concept to the industry

• Amcu not yet involved

• Thresholds obstacle

• Instability in platinum sector


Migdett Platinum stakeholders’ commitments


Migdett commitments

Commitment 1

The parties commit to limiting job losses where possible and to implementing retrenchments only as a last resort. However, where retrenchments become inevitable, the parties commit to ensuring strict adherence to the letter and the spirit of the legislation and statutory requirements governing the retrenchment of employees for economic and operational reasons, and the institution of industrial action.


Migdett commitments

Commitment 1 – Industry failure

1.Not enough transparency from employers with regard to cost-cutting measures as alternative to retrenchments2.Failure to initiate effective future forums as required by the MPRDA3.Labour unrest


Migdett commitments

Commitment 2

The parties commit to limiting the number of jobs to be lost in the platinum mining industry and its value chain in the short term and laying the basis for long-term sustainable employment retention and growth.In this regard, the parties commit to exploring retrenchment avoidance mechanisms and to exploring job retention strategies such as a Training Layoff Scheme


Migdett commitments


1.Insufficient involvement and interest of government departments e.g. Department of Labour2.Lack of detail in SLPs with regard to measures undertaken to alleviate the impact of job losses


Migdett commitments

Commitment 3

The parties commit to working together on innovative measures to help reduce costs in the short term for the purpose of improving the viability of the industry and to help protect jobs. The parties further commit to exploring all other cost drivers that have an impact on the short- and long-term viability of the sector.Given the stakeholders’ joint commitment to improving safety and health in the mining industry, the parties agree not to compromise safety and health standards in the processes focused on reducing costs.


Migdett commitments


1.Industry not responsive to joint measures to address industry cost drivers: electricity, steel prices, etc.2.Not enough transparency regarding input costs from employers

Industry successIndustry safety improvement in challenging operating environmentLonmin – Marikana 6 million FFS; 14 million FOG FFS


Migdett commitments

Commitment 4

The parties commit to developing proposals for consideration by relevant institutions with regard to adopting platinum as a possible reserve asset and/or alternative investment options.

Response:-No clear indication on progress -Could address short-term supply-demand imbalance


Migdett commitments

Commitment 5

The parties commit to supporting increased domestic beneficiation and downstream value addition of PGMs as a means of generating demand for platinum, while supporting the objectives of the national beneficiation strategy. The parties further commit to supporting R&D and the investigation of a materials lending facility.

Comment:- Long-term initiative


Migdett commitments

Commitment 6

The parties commit to a joint long-term programme to investigate strategies for sustainable growth in the PGM industry to support the long-term creation and retention of jobs in the sector through skills development, diversification of PGM applications and increased demand for PGMs.


Additional factors that have an impact on the platinum sector


Immediate factors

• High input costs of PGM sector• Supply and demand imbalance• Uncompetitive price of PGMs• Increasing threat of substitution • Impact of recycling (scrap)•Industry stability•Policy uncertainty


Immediate factors

Input costs

The rapid increase in “administered prices” such as electricity and water, diesel fuel and wages and salaries, and the import parity prices charged for inputs such as steel are key upward drivers of costs. In the past five years (2007 to 2012):

• Electricity prices to the mining sector have risen by 238% from 18 cents per kilowatt hour in 2007 to 61 cents per kilowatt hour in 2012. • diesel costs have increased by 69.3% in the five-year period, or an average of 15.7% per annum, on the back of higher international oil prices.• reinforcing steel prices have increased by 57.5%, or an average of 15.3% per annum in the same period; and • Employee remuneration


Immediate factors

Source: COM/ StatssaPPC mining 20/02/13

crisis in the platinum sector

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