Mining Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi claims the lengthy platinum strike "could have been settled much sooner" if the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and Nedlac had done their jobs.
The strike was declared over this week after the three largest platinum producers agreed to a deal with Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) to hike wages.
But the new mining minister claimed the strike took so long to resolve partly because "our institutions like Nedlac and the CCMA need to work".
This is pointed criticism since, soon after the strike began, the minister of labour referred the striking parties to the CCMA - which appeared out of its depth, before walking away.
The CCMA furiously denied claims that it was incompetent.
But when asked if he believed the institution could improve, Ramatlhodi said: "Well, I'm not the minister of labour. But obviously, in light of what happened, I think all our institutions should be strengthened.
"But it doesn't help to strengthen the CCMA when the whole regime stays the same.
The entire labour relations regime has to be revisited," he said.
The National Union of Metalworkers said its 220000 members would down tools on Tuesday - far more than Amcu's 70000 members - potentially crippling the engineering, communications and automotive sectors.
On Friday, the Mail & Guardian reported that Ramatlhodi was not a neutral party in the dispute as he held a R20-million stake in Atlatsa Resources, Anglo American Platinum's BEE partner.
Ramatlhodi said the strike showed the balance between labour and mining companies had been upset, and the government should intervene.
Ramatlhodi has called for the system of balloting, in which workers vote on when to strike, to be changed. Decisions to strike are typically taken in mass meetings through a show of hands by union members, which can lead to intimidation.
He said that "secret balloting is one of the options that must be discussed". However, unions have strongly rejected the call for secret balloting
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