National Union of Mineworkers

Name

National Union of Mineworkers

Legal name

National Union of Mineworkers

Website

https://num.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Union Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor Hire & Specialist Workforce Services (Operators, Trades, Technical Staffing) (IMAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Collective bargaining
• Worker representation
• Trade union services
• Occupational health safety
• Workforce advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is South Africa's largest mining-affiliated trade union, providing collective bargaining, worker representation, and occupational health and safety advocacy for workers in the mining, energy, construction, and metal sectors. It negotiates wages, benefits, and working conditions with employers and industry bodies such as the Chamber of Mines and Eskom. NUM also delivers training through the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training College and runs community development programs via its Women's and Youth Structures.

Product overview

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is a trade union organization, not a technology product company. It provides union services to workers in the mining, energy, construction, and metal sectors. The organization operates through 11 regional offices across South Africa, offering services including collective bargaining, health and safety advocacy, worker representation, training and education programs through the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training College, and policy advocacy. The union's core offerings consist of membership services, workplace representation, negotiations with employers (Chamber of Mines), Eskom-related advocacy, wage agreements, and community development initiatives such as the Women's Structure programs and Youth Structure activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NUM Membership
• Collective Bargaining Representation

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WFTU (World Federation of Trade Unions)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025WFTU celebrated its 80th anniversary with participation from NUM. WFTU was established in Paris in 1945 and represents workers globally. NUM maintains fraternal relations with trade unions across the African continent through WFTU.
• COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985NUM was instrumental in founding COSATU in 1985. The union was the first to adopt the Freedom Charter and remains a founding and key member of COSATU, participating in May Day rallies, policy advocacy, and coordinated labor action across sectors.
• ANC-SACP-COSATU Tripartite AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM is a key component of the Tripartite Alliance between the ANC, SACP, and COSATU. The alliance advances the National Democratic Revolution and supports correct political leadership through the ANC as governing party.
• SACP (South African Communist Party)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM works closely with the SACP within the Tripartite Alliance. Many NUM leaders are also SACP members, and the party provides political ideological support to the union's class struggle.
• IndustrALL Global UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM maintains strategic relations with IndustrALL Global Union, which represents workers in mining, manufacturing, and energy sectors globally.
• BWI (Building and Wood Workers' International)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM collaborates with BWI, an international trade union federation representing workers in construction and related sectors.
• JB Marks Education Trust FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM partners with the JB Marks Education Trust Fund to provide educational opportunities and honor graduates. The trust fund supports worker education and development.
• MDA (Mineworkers Development Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM and MDA host dialogues on challenges facing ex-mineworkers, providing support and advocacy for workers transitioning from mining employment.
• ACEF (Africa Civic Education Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM partnered with ACEF to combat gender-based violence in the mining sector, demonstrating commitment to workplace safety and workers' rights.
• SANCO (South African National Civic Organization)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUM maintains relations with SANCO as part of alliance structures and community mobilization efforts.
• Chamber of MinescoreOthersNUM negotiates wage agreements and working conditions with the Chamber of Mines, representing major mining companies. The relationship involves formal collective bargaining processes and documented agreements spanning multiple years.
• EskomcoreOthersNUM represents workers at Eskom through Central Bargaining Forum negotiations. NUM opposes Eskom's unbundling and privatization while engaging in wage negotiations and defending workers' rights.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Solidarity Trade Union: Solidarity is a general trade union that competes with NUM for mining, energy, and construction workers, particularly among higher-skilled and Afrikaans-speaking members. Solidarity jointly referred disputes to CCMA with NUM (e.g., Sibanye-Stillwater) but operates as a distinct, often more conservative alternative to NUM.
• CEPPWAWU (Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood & Allied Workers' Union): CEPPWAWU is a COSATU affiliate union that overlaps with NUM's energy sector scope (including Eskom workers) and shares similar federation-level coordination structures. It directly competes for members in energy, chemical, and paper sectors where NUM also organizes.
• NUMSA (National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa): NUMSA represents workers in the metal, engineering, and related sectors and overlaps with NUM's newer metal sector scope. Both are COSATU affiliates competing for members in metalworking, manufacturing, and engineering trades across South Africa.
• AMCU (Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union): AMCU is South Africa's primary rival mining and construction union, directly competing with NUM for membership in the platinum belt, gold mines, and construction sectors. The two unions contest organizational rights at major mining houses (e.g., Impala Platinum) and have a documented history of inter-union conflict over member allegiance.
• UASA (Union of South African Artists and Allied Workers / United Association of South Africa): UASA is a general trade union that also participated in the Sibanye-Stillwater wage dispute referral with NUM. It competes with NUM across mining, manufacturing, and energy sectors for professional and technical members.

Emerging players

• CWU (Communication Workers Union): CWU is a COSATU affiliate representing telecommunications and postal workers with similar federation structures and political positioning to NUM. It provides a comparable model of sector-specific organizing within the same alliance framework.
• FAWU (Food and Allied Workers Union): FAWU is a fellow COSATU affiliate union with overlapping federation membership and similar political alignment. While focused on food, beverage, and agriculture rather than mining, it shares NUM's Tripartite Alliance participation and organizational models for worker mobilization.

Others

• NAPTOSA (National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa): NAPTOSA represents teachers and operates as an independent union (not COSATU-affiliated), providing a comparable model of membership-based South African union governance, dues collection, and collective bargaining outside of NUM's core sectors.
• SACTWU (Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union): SACTWU is another COSATU affiliate union operating in a different sector (clothing and textiles) but with comparable organizational structure, collective bargaining approaches, and Tripartite Alliance participation. Useful as a peer for governance and federation dynamics rather than direct competition.

Broad incumbents

• COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions): COSATU is the federation of which NUM is a founding affiliate, representing over 20 affiliate unions across all major sectors of the South African economy. While not a direct competitor, COSATU shapes NUM's strategic direction through sectoral determinations and the Tripartite Alliance, and coordinates cross-union collective bargaining that overlaps with NUM's mining/energy scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NUM_Media
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6u5G-7qSkslOveZrBSmFIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalUnionOfMineworkers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-union-of-mineworkers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Union of Mineworkers