Modern Mining March 2021

OPENCAST MINING

Opencast contractors reminded about Bargaining Council

The trend for opencast and surface mines to increasingly out- source mining and infrastructure activities has drawn in a number of new players – many of whom may not be aware that they have fallen into the jurisdiction of the Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry (BCCEI).

“The rehabilitation of waste dumps, as well as those areas where earthworks or mining has been conducted, also falls under the BCCEI,” she says. “The range of related work includes, for instance, topsoil spreading, hydro-seeding and watering.” When subcontracting this kind of activity, a mine or its contractors often make use of plant hire com- panies to supply and operate earthmoving and other equipment. This, in turn, engages the plant hirer in civil engineering and obligates them to register with the BCCEI. “As the BCCEI is a statutory body established under the Labour Relations Act, it is compulsory for companies within our jurisdiction to join,” she says. “What many companies do not realise, however, are the considerable benefits of being a member – both to the company itself and to the industry as a whole.” Key functions Fourie highlights that the philosophy behind the establishment of bargaining councils is to ensure a stable, fair and sustainable working environment, which is a good outcome for all stakeholders. The key function of the BCCEI is the facilitation of industry-wide wage negotiations between the main

“ T here are a number of operational functions conducted on a mine that are actually civil engineering activities,” says Lindie Fourie, operations manager at the BCCEI. “Perhaps the most important of these is the loading, hauling and dumping of mineralised material or waste mate- rial, but any excavations and bulk earthworks is also included in the BCCEI’s scope of application.” The scope of these activities is determined by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) and were accepted by the Department of Employment and Labour; any company performing them is required by law to register as a member of the BCCEI. Fourie notes that the work normally associated with the civil engineering industry includes the con- struction and maintenance of access and haul roads, drilling and blasting, topsoil stripping and the prepa- ration of bench areas in an opencast operation.

The rehabilitation of waste dumps, as well as those areas where earthworks or mining has been conducted, falls under the BCCEI.

34  MODERN MINING  March 2021