Mass job losses in mining will be one of the thorny issues on the agenda at the annual Mining Indaba that starts at the Cape Town International Convention Centre tomorrow. And the dire straits in which the industry finds itself due to low commodity prices mean attendance at the conference will be lower than in recent years.Sibanye Gold CEO Neal Froneman said this week that the biggest issue on everyone's mind would be commodity prices and how long they would remain in the basement.story_article_left1For South African players, the platinum wage negotiations would be widely discussed, he added.Delegates had to focus on the need to create a positive investment climate and the need for regulatory certainty, Froneman said, "and for South Africa, in this downturn, how we can save jobs and avoid closures".The oversupply of iron ore and low metal prices had forced companies to look beyond just reducing production; they were cutting costs by closing or selling assets."Supply discipline is a very important thing that has to be managed," Froneman said.BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, the world's biggest iron ore producers, are still pumping their ore into the market despite the glut, but they announced last month that they would reduce production.Makwe Masilela, portfolio manager at BP Bernstein, said the labour issue should be front and centre due to the tough mining climate.Lonmin's planned retrenchment of about 5,000 people would have a major impact on the areas where it operates, "especially because they tend to operate in less-developed communities", he said.story_article_right2Last week, Kumba Iron Ore also said about 3,000 jobs would be cut, highlighting the urgency with which the issue needs to be addressed.The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, which will be attending the indaba for the first time, said it had no expectations."We are solely going to be there to make sure that the workers' voices and the communities they come from are heard," said union spokesman Manzini Zungu."We are saying 'yes' to investments, but we are also saying enough is enough on apartheid salaries."So the question would be how we make sure that the sector is economically viable for everyone."Although the Mining Indaba is still an influential event, the drop in delegate numbers is a telling sign of the strain the industry is under.With many miners battling to stay afloat, fewer are willing to shell out the £1,300 (about R30,000) registration fee, plus airfares. Attendance is expected to be 6,000, about 15% fewer delegates than the record in 2013.There are 25 delegations from African and non-African governments registered to attend, down from about 45 in recent years, according to Jonathan Moore, MD of the event.He said the number could increase with late additions.story_article_left3Even though the mood is more sober, the conference is still among the most influential in mining and will feature speeches by executives including Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani.One item likely to be on the agenda: deals. The $1.4-trillion (about R22-trillion) collapse in mining stocks since 2011 is poised to reshape the industry as companies struggle with billions of dollars of debt and years of sliding commodity prices."The deal-making that takes place here makes this a unique event," said Moore."Some of the larger corporations are going to send fewer delegates," he said. But for mining companies with "not a lot of money to put to work towards events, this is probably the one that you're going to make sure stays on the calendar".Companies like Rio Tinto, Glencore and BHP Billiton have scaled back their involvement in the conference as the industry tries to rein in costs. All three companies have seen their value halve in the past year as China's economic slowdown sent metal prices tumbling.- Additional reporting by Bloomberg..