NUM calls for alliance meeting

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is calling for a meeting of the tripartite alliance to "minimise a volatile situation in which alliance partners hurl insults at each other in public without having properly engaged each other on the issues at hand".

The ANC had be clear on its economic policy to avoid conflict in its alliance with the Congress of SA Trade Unions and the SA Communist Party, the NUM said.

"Policy formulation within the ANC must be cleared to avoid a situation whereby any component of the alliance can propagate policy positions publicly without exhausting internal processes.

"In any normal debate, people must up the content of their arguments and not insult and blackmail others to convince them."

The NUM said it had a "standing resolution" on the nationalisation of mines and that it had been at "the forefront" in ushering in the current policy regime in the country.

It would debate nationalisation at its policy conference in May.

The union also called on the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) to consider a seven to ten year tariff plan, rather than the current three year plan, "which leads to exorbitant electricity prices".

"The current rise of 24,8 percent will definitely have disastrous economic consequences for the mining sector in particular and the economy in general," the union said.

Nersa announced on Wednesday that it was granting Eskom a 24.8 percent tariff increase for 2010, 25.8 percent for 2011, and 25.9 percent for 2012.