About 22 000 jobs were under threat in the beleaguered mining industry, the National Union of Mineworkers said yesterday, accusing companies of attacking the government politically through layoffs. The Department of Mineral Resources has held many rounds of talks with companies and unions over planned job cuts. Firms have warned they have to cut costs and close struggling mines to cope with sinking commodity prices, rising costs and labour unrest."We view the practices of the companies as a political attack on the government," NUM's general secretary David Sipunzi said."We believe that the massive retrenchments may send a message that the ANC is useless and that it can't defend the workers," he added. ..