Johannesburg - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the founding general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called on the union to go back to basics and reclaim its successes from the late-1980s.
Ramaphosa led the union during the 1987 mining strike which crippled the industry and proved the strength of the NUM.
It was at some point the fastest growing union in the world, but has seen a steady decline with the growth of the Associated Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) in both the platinum and gold sectors.
The union claims its latest membership figures stand at 230 000 but this is been vehemently disputed.
“The industry started realising the mineworkers were taking control. And take control the NUM did in 1987,” Ramaphosa told congress delegates.
“This was inspired by what happened in the 1987 congress. A congress is a great opportunity for leaders and members to talk to one another, to try to find great ideas, to debate issues and new innovative issues come up with to improve the lives of mineworkers, ideas to build our union.”
He said the “industry reverberated with the power of the NUM”.
“Leaders must lead with humility, and serve members even if you have to go down on your knees to serve members. Members were attracted to NUM because it was on the cutting edge of serving members.
“When they got injured, when they died underground, when they got dismissed at work, the NUM was there defending. The NUM was there negotiating for better conditions.”
He called on union leaders to go back to the shaft-floor when organising.
“We were filled with a determination to recruit members into the union. At one point the NUM was the fastest growing union in the world. If you were a shaft steward, you were there to work, and for the members,” he said.
Labour Bureau