Minerals Minister Susan Shabangu made no bones about the mines of the future being less labour intensive when she addressed the central executive committee of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at the weekend.

The former unionist was also unequivocal about the fate of migrant labour.

She made the point that, going forward, it would be technological innovation and research and development that would drive mines and that recruitment traditions would have to change in view of so many young unemployed people now living close to mines.

Urging the NUM to rise to the new challenge, Shabangu denigrated the current migrant labour system of recruitment as unsustainable, and gave notice that the new models would be far removed from those that have characterised this industry for the past 136 years.

“These mines will inevitably have to accommodate young people who will need to operate them, armed with the appropriate skills, technological knowledge and training.

“There’s no doubt that the mining industry of the future will be driven by technological innovations and research and development, and I’m sure the NUM will rise to this challenge,” Shabangu said.

The headwinds from a fragile world economy had conspired to make the mining sector a difficult economic terrain, not just for workers but also for government as regulator and policy-maker, and business.

Critical domestic issues contributing to the vulnerability of the South African economy were fractious labour relations, the risk of protracted work stoppages and downside risk to job creation.

She urged the NUM to resist the forces that appeared hell-bent on bringing it down, in the same way as the once powerful British National Union of Mineworkers had been brought down in the mid-Eighties.

An analysis of what was happening in South Africa currently showed that these forces were targeting the same outcome for South Africa’s NUM that had befallen Britain’s NUM, which was once seen as one of the most powerful forces of the twentieth- century.

The UK government of the time had taken advantage of union discord, similar to what is taking place in South Africa currently, to close or privatise mines, and Britain’s NUM had never recovered from the blow.

If it were to succeed in using its huge mineral resources to grow the South African economy, government now required effective partnerships with both labour and business.

“So, all unions organised in this sector have to work together in partnership with government and the mining industry to ensure that this agenda is not diverted and that its objectives are achieved,” Shabangu urged.