Tripartite Meeting on the Evolution of Employment, Working Time and Training in the Mining Industry

Geneva 7-11 October 2002

Productivity in the mining industry has risen across the board in the last ten years or so. New and refurbished mines are increasingly capital-intensive, requiring fewer workers per unit of production, but needing several crews to enable continuous operation. But direct employment in mining has fallen significantly.

In many long-established mining regions mine closures, as part of restructuring programmes, have led to unemployment in areas dependent on the mine. This highlights the importance of having the means to address the needs of former mineworkers, and to ensure continuity and replacement in the remaining workforce.

The mining industry is an employer of mostly male, predominantly full-time workers, an increasing number of whom are contractors. In many traditional mining countries, the average age of the mining workforce is considerably above that of industry as a whole. These developments have implications for the different patterns of working time that maximize the use of equipment, and for training.

Training is a link between employment and working time. It is the key to ensuring that: new workers are competent and as productive and safe as possible; existing workers can keep abreast of changes that effect their world of work; workers who are to leave the industry are able to continue to lead productive lives.

Because of the position of southern Africa in the world of mining and the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the region, it is important to examine how the entire mining sector is addressing the pandemic that is affecting the mining workforce, and their families, companies and communities.

Moreover, in the light of the debate on the contribution of mining to sustainable development in the context of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and beyond, this Meeting provided an opportunity to consider how the social partners and the ILO can contribute to ensuring that the mining industry can continue to operate in a context of sustainable development while ensuring decent work for all concerned.

About 100 experts from over 40 countries, representing governments, employers and workers' organizations met to discuss these issues. The meeting adopted a set of conclusions (pdf, 122k) that, among other things, call for more research into the relationship between working time and occupational safety and health.

The meeting also adopted two resolutions: the first (pdf, 97k) calls for increased and improved tripartite cooperation in promoting the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in the mining industry, taking into account the MMSD report "Breaking New Ground". The second resolution (pdf, 79k) calls for support in addressing the environmental, economic, health and social impacts and benefits of mining throughout its life-cycle - including decent work, health and safety.

A report prepared by the International Labour Office was used as the basis for discussion: The evolution of employment, working time and training in the mining industry (pdf, 542k).

The Note on the Proceedings of the meeting is now available (pdf, 281k).

Contact for further information

Norman Jennings,
Sectoral Activities Department,
International Labour Office,
4, route des Morillons,
CH-1211 GENEVE 22 -- Switzerland
Tel. +41.22.799.7529, Fax +41.22.799.7967,
e-mail: jennings@ilo.org or sector@ilo.org