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Johannesburg - Job losses in the mining and construction industries are worrying, the National Union of Mineworkers said on Wednesday.
"As you know, Harmony has indicated that it's likely to shed about 2 000 jobs," NUM general secretary Frans Baleni told reporters following a meeting of the union's national office bearers in Johannesburg.
Of those jobs, 1 500 were at the company's Target three mining operation in the Free State.
"We will be sending our experts to verify the claim made by Harmony of... challenges in Target and give us an opinion."
Harmony Gold announced on August 19 that despite initiatives by management and labour to return the mine to profitability, cash flow losses continued.
The operation would be placed on care and maintenance.
Baleni said NUM was not certain about the platinum mines.
"Our sense is there are likely to be further job losses, notwithstanding the denial made by Lonmin," he said.
"We are also aware the sub-contractors are very vulnerable. Quietly contracts are being terminated in a number of these platinum mines."
On August 26, Lonmin's board dismissed reports that it would retrench workers at its mines in Marikana, near Rustenburg, North West.
Company spokesperson Sue Vey said in a statement at the time that the reports were "entirely without foundation". She said no decision had been made about the extent of any restructuring.
Baleni said in the construction sector more needed to be done to ensure workers with experience were not retrenched once projects had been completed.
"We are aware that major projects like Medupi, certain phases have been concluded and some of those workers involved in those phases have become jobless," he said.
"That is a trend in the other projects. Our view is that there should be [a] systematic approach between these projects... there must be proper planning so we don't lose these skills and experience."
The union was extremely concerned by the rising number of fatalities in both the construction and mining sectors.
"2014, we have lost 67 workers... We've seen a sharp rise in Harmony. They've not been doing well... lately Impala" Baleni said, "and we are urging serious measures to be taken to reduce these fatalities and to prevent injuries.
"We have also seen an increase in the construction sector - injuries and fatalities."
From the union's interactions with workers, it appeared standards in the construction industry were very poor.
"There is no effective inspection done by the department of labour and we are urging the department to ensure that it ups its game insofar as the inspectorate is concerned," Baleni said.
