Abstract
There is a growing perception within South Africa’s mineral exploration industry that mineworkers have lost trust in trade unions due to their absence of engagement pertaining to representation and bargaining council. Despite union membership in the mining sector gradually declining from 421 000 to 301 000 over the past 10 years, trade unions have an ability to stimulate mineworkers and impact on daily operational performance. The principle aim of this study was to establish whether there is a trust deficit amongst mineworkers and trade union representatives, and how this impacts on labour and organizational performance. This study was quantitative and descriptive. A valid research instrument was used to collect data. The target area – Platinum Mining industry in South Africa, focussing on one occupational mining category. Sample descriptive analysis was utilised to answer the main research question. The statistical findings corroborated the main research question tested.