Strikes, South Africa and relational stability

This week's Friday Five was co-written with guest contributor Dr Zolile Mlisana

Quote

“To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”  Nelson Mandela

News

The official inquiry began this week into the deaths of 44 miners at the Marikana platinum mine in South Africa. The wildcat strike might have gone unnoticed had the unrest not escalated into the bloodiest confrontation between police and protesters since the end of apartheid, as 34 miners were killed and 270 injured on 16th August. The strike was called off after mine owners Lonmin increased their workers’ salaries by 22%.

As strikes continue in other mines, social reverberations continue to emanate from this disaster, calling into question some of South Africa’s cherished national successes – economic growth, political stability and black economic empowerment. What do these actually mean for the thousands of miners at the bottom of the economic pile, and for their families back home?

Mining companies are now required to improve the housing and living conditions of workers, and to invest in community development around the mines. Despite significant progress, it has often been done without consulting the miners themselves, and so can appear paternalistic.

The extractive industries represent a fifth of South Africa’s economy, so the growing industrial unrest is costing all stakeholders dearly. Although the wave of strikes focuses on pay and living conditions, there is a deeper, relational malaise behind them. It was hoped that the economic injustices of the apartheid era would have been overcome 18 years into majority rule, but the new black political elite have not succeeded in changing corporate culture, nor preventing pay differentials reaching unprecedented levels.

The rainbow nation, celebrated globally for modelling racial reconciliation, urgently needs to address the lack of parity between different economic groups, such as mine owners and workers. Parity is not the same as equality; it’s about respecting every person as a human being, and recognising the contribution each brings to the company. Where genuine parity in relationships increases, it will lead to fairer pay and conditions. But where it is neglected, strikers are more likely to resort to the one way they believe their voices will be heard – through violence.

Read On

The problem of poor housing for industrial workers can become a catalyst for social transformation. Read the story of how business owner George Cadbury created a whole new community for his employees over a century ago here.

Walk the talk

How does the tendency to measure people’s contribution to a company in financial terms influence the way we relate to them? What could you do to increase respect and understanding for someone else either above you or below you at work?

The last word

From the Bible, Proverbs chapter 22, verse 2: “The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.”