On August 27, 2024, over three hundred members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) in KwaZulu Natal, embarked on a strike over wages. Despite ongoing efforts, the employer has yet to meet the workers’ demands. The Managing Director has taken over negotiations, sidelining the company’s negotiating team, and has presented offers with unfavorable conditions, which has further angered NUM members.

The ZAC management has threatened to close the company if workers do not accept these conditions, which include a long-term agreement with only CPI increases and a 13th cheque tied to production targets. This approach is seen as negotiating in bad faith, and NUM members are determined to continue their strike until their demands are met.

NUM, the majority union at ZAC, remains steadfast in its stance. The union recalls that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the employer retrenched all the workers despite a directive from the Department of Minerals and Energy against such actions. NUM calls on the Department to withdraw the mining rights from the employer if they proceed with the intention of retrenching striking workers.