The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) takes this opportunity to wish our sister union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) a successful 17th National Congress taking place from today, the 30th of March 2022 till the 1st of April 2022 under the theme “Back to basics is when we Defend and Build a Radical Movement”.

This Congress takes place at a difficult time for industrial unions and within the mining sector; with increased job losses, the ongoing Sibanye Stillwater deadlock wherein miners at the Free State and Gauteng plants are currently on strike, the year-long Eskom deadlock where disputes remain unresolved, and the upcoming Platinum sector wage negotiations set to take place immediately after this sitting congress.

We remain confident that the NUM will deliberate at length and come about with lasting solutions in their continued efforts to defend workers from the greedy mine bosses whose primary focus has been profit-maximisation over the safety and health of workers, and that government will equally heed their call to enforce stringent measures in holding these companies to book.

Most importantly, we wish all delegates the best in forging unity towards a stronger NUM that will forge stronger worker-controlled solidarity in improving working conditions within all sectors.

Issued by POPCRU on 30/03/2022

For more information contact;

Richard Mamabolo 

Secretariat: Media and Communication Officer 

Tel: 011 242 4600 

Fax:086 625 3054 

Cell:066 135 4349/063 695 6663

Email: mamabolor@popcru.org.za