Dialogue with Trade Union Delegates on Workers’ Rights

Kolwezi, DRC | 9 May 2025

As part of its ongoing commitment to amplifying the voices of workers in the mining sector, the Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) facilitated a critical dialogue with trade union delegates from across the Lualaba Province on 9 May 2025 in Kolwezi. This engagement followed SARW’s earlier dialogue with artisanal mining cooperatives, forming part of a broader strategy to foster inclusive dialogue and systemic change in the Congolese mining sector.

The session aimed to generate a shared understanding of the structural drivers behind the persistent violations of labour rights in the province and to collaboratively identify concrete, context-relevant solutions. Union representatives reflected on the lived realities of workers in industrial mines and highlighted a broad range of violations affecting workers’ dignity and wellbeing. These included lack of job security, underpayment, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, restrictions on freedom of association, limited access to social security, and a severe shortage of affordable housing for workers and their families.

Participants unanimously agreed that the root of these challenges lies in the state’s failure to enforce existing labour laws. Weak institutional oversight, coupled with political and economic complicity, has allowed mining companies to operate with minimal accountability.

Key recommendations emerging from the dialogue included:

• Strengthening enforcement of the Labour Code and holding non-compliant companies legally accountable.

• Increasing the guaranteed minimum wage (SMIG) to reflect living costs and ensure dignified livelihoods.

• Empowering trade unions to report violations and conduct awareness campaigns among workers on their rights.

• Reinforcing corporate accountability, urging mining companies to align their operations with national laws and international labour and human rights standards.

This dialogue served as a platform for honest exchange, strategy building, and renewed resolve among labour advocates to collectively demand fairer treatment, improved working conditions, and structural reform in Lualaba’s mining sector.