SOCIAL AND LABOUR PLANS--Mining rises to the challenge

摘要

In terms of the Minerals & Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), the Mineral Regulation, which is a division of the Department of Minerals & Energy (DME), will assess and then monitor mining outfits' compliance with the social and labour plan (SLP) programme. The DME says that SLPs are aimed at managing and minimising downscaling and closure due to the "impact of commodity cyclical volatility, economic turbulence and physical depletion of the mineral or production resources on regions, local economies and individuals." Currently, cyclical volatility and economic turbulence are the order of the day. However, one cannot argue the importance of a thorough SLP in light of the massive retrenchments in the South African mining sector as a result of the worldwide economic meltdown.