Undermining Labour: The Rise of Sub-contracting in South African Gold Mines

Abstract

The rapid growth of sub-contracting in South African mines has been virtually ignored to date in the mainstream research literature on mining and migrant labour. In part, this is a result of the tunnel vision of researchers; and in part it is because of the difficulties of research and access to the mines. This paper explores the growth and implications of sub-contracting in South African gold mines since 1990. It has three main objectives. The first is to document the dimensions and trends of sub-contracting operations in the industry. Secondly, the veracity of claims about the negative impact and implications of sub-contracting on the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the working conditions of black miners is tested. Thirdly, the paper explores the perceptions of sub-contracting by workers themselves, many of whom are not, or are no longer, NUM members. Lesotho was chosen as the research field-site. A companion survey of ordinary miners in Lesotho in 1997 allows systematic comparison between regular and sub-contract workers. As this study shows, the conditions of employment under contractors are significantly worse than for regular miners. Sub-contracting has also been very damaging to the NUM. It produces new tensions within the union, between regular and sub-contract miners, and between union and ex-union members. Without a more informed understanding of what drives sub-contracting and an assessment of the real need for sub-contracting companies, it is unlikely that the NUM's attempts to regulate sub-contracting will bear fruit.