This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 13 December 2017.
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Outlook bleak as SA sheds 31,000 more jobs Fin24 reports that employment levels declined again during the third quarter of the year, with an analyst expecting employment to remain flat going forward. The economy shed 31,000 jobs in the third quarter of the year, according to the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) by Statistics SA (Stats SA). Compared to the same period last year, this was down 0.9%, or 83,000 jobs shed. FNB senior economic analyst Jason Muscat commented that the job shedding was greater than market expectations and that it was of concern how broad-based the shedding was. “We maintain that the employment rate is likely to remain flat over the forecast horizon given low levels of investment, confidence and economic growth,” he indicated. The decline was driven by job losses in the community services sector, which were down 0.4%, or 10 000 jobs shed. Other sectors which lost jobs included manufacturing (down 0.4% - 5,000 jobs), the mining sector (down 1.9% - 9,000 jobs), electricity (down 1.6% - 1,000 jobs), trade (down 0.3% - 7,000 jobs) and business services (down 0.3% - 6,000 jobs). There were increases in employment in the construction industry, up 4,000, and the transport industry, up 3,000. Read this report by Lameez Omarjee in full at Fin24. See too, Business bleeds 31,000 jobs in the third quarter, at Business Report. And also, No letup in SA’s jobs haemorrhage, at BusinessLive. As well as, SA economy suffers third straight quarter of job losses, at TimesLive Rising unemployment a sign of a 'deeply troubled economy', warns Seifsa ANA reports that the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) said on Tuesday that SA’s employment statistics showed signs of a "deeply troubled economy" and were a serious cause for concern. This comes after Statistics SA released its Quarterly Employment Statistics showing that employment decreased by 31,000 quarter-on-quarter, from 9,620,000 in June 2017 to 9,589,000 in September. Seifsa’s chief economist, Michael Ade, said the data showed that the manufacturing sector, of which the metals and engineering sector was part, lost 0.4% of total employment, or at least 5,000 jobs in the third quarter of 2017. He said that the data confirmed a direct negative correlation between employment numbers and manufacturing production, as companies chose to utilise existing excess capacity and more capital in productive processes. "Of specific concern is that, despite the positive contribution made by the manufacturing sector towards an improvement in real GDP growth, which contributed 4.3 percent in quarter three of 2017, the benefits did not translate to an increase in employment," Ade pointed out. He highlighted the need for multiple approaches to the unemployment problems facing SA. Read this report in full at IOL News. Read Seifsa’s press statement in this regard at Seifsa online Jobs outlook for the first three months of 2018 Business Report writes that the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the first quarter of 2018 was released on Tuesday and showed that chances of finding a job will be highest in the Western Cape, with the Free State province to have the least job opportunities. Lyndy van den Barselaar, MD ManpowerGroup SA, commented: “The Western Cape continues to attract visitors and tourists in the first few months of the year, as the South African summer reaches its peak. This could continue to have a positive effect on hiring intentions among the province’s employers.” The Cape Town International Convention Centre has already secured 58 major international events up until 2022, which could also be assisting with job creation in the coming months. In general terms, the report found that SA employers reported conservative hiring intentions for the January-March time frame, with 15% of employers expecting to increase staffing levels, 8% forecasting a decrease and 75% anticipating no change. The study also found that hiring plans will improve in six of the 10 industry sectors when compared with the previous quarter. Read this report by Kabelo Khumalo in full at Business Report
Cop shot dead on Cape Town highway while escorting truck containing perlemoen News24 reports that a police officer was murdered along a Cape Town highway, early on Tuesday morning, while escorting a truck containing perlemoen (abalone). It is understood that the warrant officer, a member of the Hermanus police, was shot dead shortly after 01:00 and that a vehicle with blue lights was involved in the attack. Apparently the officer, who is understood to have been off duty at the time, had been in a vehicle which was escorting the truck along the N2 to Cape Town International Airport. His official firearm was found at the scene. No arrests have been made. A Western Cape Hawks spokesperson said cases of murder, attempted murder and attempted hijacking were under investigation. A short report by Caryn Dolley is at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Suspects in attempted murder of Amcu official in court on Tuesday TimesLive reports that thee men were due to appear in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with the attempted murder of Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) branch chairperson Malibongwe Mdazo. He was shot five times on 22 July 2017. National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) member Nkosinathi Mantashe was arrested and released on R10‚000 bail on 8 November in connection with the case. Police spokesman Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said the three suspects who were due to make their first court appearance on Tuesday were linked to the case and were arrested on Sunday. The ongoing rivalry between Amcu and the NUM has been blamed for a spate of killings in the platinum belt in Rustenburg. Both unions have distanced themselves from the killings and have condemned the violence. Read this report by Bafana Nzimande at TimesLive
SABC wage strike may block airing of ANC conference TimesLive reports that a work stoppage at the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), scheduled to commence on Thursday, will take place two days before the five-day national elective conference of the African National Congress (ANC) and could affect coverage of the event. The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (Bemawu) told its members on Monday that it had given the SABC notice of its intention to strike. The union is demanding a 10% increase; while management is offering 4.5%. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has also reportedly notified management of plans to strike. Besides salaries and given the SABC's shaky finances, the unions have taken issue with a reported R3.9-million paid to members of the interim SABC board. The SABC posted a R977-million loss after tax for the 2016-2017 financial year. This short report is at TimesLive
Consumer inflation slowed for second month in November to 4.6% Bloomberg News reports that SA’s consumer inflation rate (CPI) fell for a second straight month in November as food prices climbed at the slowest pace in two years. Statistics SA reported on Wednesday that CPI slowed to 4.6% from 4.8% in October. Price growth has now been within the SA Reserve Bank’s target range of 3% to 6% for eight months, the longest run since 2015. The central bank forecasts that inflation will remain within the target band until at least the end of 2019. Food prices climbed 5.2% in November from a year earlier, which was the slowest pace since November 2015 and compared with 5.3% in October. Core inflation, which excludes the prices of food, non-alcoholic beverages, energy and gasoline, slowed to 4.4% in November, which was the slowest rate since May 2012. Read this report by Simbarashe Gumbo in full at Moneyweb. See too, Consumer inflation eases to 4.6%, at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Medical unions warn of court action should there be unplaced interns in 2018 The Witness reports that medical unions have sent a clear warning to the Department of Health to ensure medical students secure internships and community service posts next year, or face court action. Students in their final years of the MBChB degree have to complete a two-year internship and a one-year community service stint at a public medical institution. But at the beginning of 2017, scores of medical students were left without places. At a meeting with a number of unions last week, the Department of Health’s (DOH’s) director-general, Malebona Matsoso, gave an assurance that all students would be placed by the start of 2018. Unions, however, expressed pessimism over this promise, saying the backlog created by students not being placed in 2017 would likely compound the problem. Dr Donald Gumede of the National Healthcare Professionals Association warned: “If next year (2018) the same thing as this year (2017) happens, we will take [the department] to court.” The SA Medical Association’s KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson, Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, said the union would also seek legal action against the department if students were not placed next year. Yet, Dr Michael van Niekerk of the Junior Doctors Association of SA (Judasa) said their union was part of the meeting with Matsoso and they were hopeful that all students would get places. Poonitha Naidoo of the Medical Rights Advocacy Network doubted that all students would be placed, because of the backlog. The DA’s shadow minister of health, Patricia Kopane, said they would be in “full support” of unions taking legal action against the DoH. Read this report by Kerushun Pillay in full at The Witness
Denel needs R250-million to pay withheld salaries and bonuses Business Report writes that Denel executives met on Tuesday with trade unions to discuss what steps will be taken to ensure that workers’ salaries and bonuses are paid. This came after the state-owned company failed to pay workers their ‘self-made’ bonuses at the end of November (workers forgo a part of their monthly salary which is then due to be paid out to them at the end of November, which essentially serves as a bonus for December). Willie van Eeden of the United Association of SA (Uasa) reported: “We were briefed yesterday by Denel CEO and CFO on the company’s financial state. They acknowledged that they are facing huge liquidity problems. They said they have met with Treasury prior to attending this meeting (with unions on Tuesday) and are expecting feedback this Thursday to get relief.” According to Denel, the company is in need of R600-million. Of this amount, approximately R350-million is needed to pay suppliers, while the remaining R250-million is needed to pay salaries and bonuses. Van Eeden indicated that, although the situation was devastating to Denel employees, they would not embark on strike action. Read this report by Zeenat Vallie in full at Business Report Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Steinhoff probe initiated by DTI amid concerns about state employees’ pension fund and jobs IOL News reports that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has directed the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) to launch an investigation into possible non-compliance with the Companies Act by the SA-based global retailer Steinhoff. This comes after the company faced a near collapse following revelations of financial irregularities, with its share price tumbling by about 80% last week, although there was a modest recovery by Tuesday. The investigation will start before the end of the year. There could be dire consequences for the company executives and auditors if the CIPC finds any wrongdoing. The chairperson of the parliamentary finance committee, Yunus Carrim, said the Steinhoff scandal confirmed the need for tighter regulation and monitoring of companies. “We are concerned not just about the financial losses suffered by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and the government employees they represent, but also about the prospects of major job losses for workers in Steinhoff companies,” Carrim pointed out. Read this report by Kailene Pillay & Bheki Mbanjwa in full at IOL News. See too, Steinhoff has cost investors almost R300 billion, at Moneyweb. And also, GEPF protected, but JSE must take action against Steinhoff, says Fedusa, at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
At least 106 KZN cops implicated in Ipid report in crimes Daily News reports that at least 106 police officers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have been implicated in crimes ranging from culpable homicide and assault with grievous bodily harm, to unlawfully discharging a state firearm and torture. This is according to statistics released exclusively to the Daily News by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid). Most of the cases investigated involved the death of suspects while in police custody, while the discharging of a firearm and torture also featured high on the list. Apart from these criminal cases, there were many misconduct cases in which Ipid made recommendations and police officers were found guilty. Phoenix, Durban Central, Inanda, uMlazi and Osizweni police stations had the most cases in which police officers were under investigation. Phoenix recorded 60 cases for the 2016/2017 period, while the remainder recorded 56, 45, 35 and 32 respectively. The stations with the lowest incidence of police-initiated crime were Kokstad and Richards Bay, both 14, Cato Manor and Verulam, both 13, with Brighton Beach recording 12 reported cases. Mary de Haas, KZN violence monitor, said while she welcomed the findings, she believed it was only the tip of the iceberg. Read this report by Se-Anne Rall in full at Daily News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Commuters on Metrorail's Cape Town central line still stranded on Wednesday Cape Argus reports that commuters travelling on Cape Town's central line, which runs through Kapteinsklip, Khayelitsha and Bishop Lavis, have had to use alternative transport again on Wednesday. Service on the line remained suspended after cable theft, vandalism and damage to critical infrastructure, including signalling equipment, rendered it inoperable earlier this week. The cancellation of trains on Monday caused chaos for commuters, many of whom queued for hours to get other forms of public transport to and from work. It also caused an increase in road traffic congestion. Metrorail said technical recovery teams were continuing with repairs, testing and safety checks before services could be reinstated. "Customers are encouraged to public address announcements at stations, to consult Metrorail's passenger information channels and their phones if registered to receive short message alerts and to share the information with fellow commuters," Metrorail said. Read this report in full at Cape Argus. See too, Sanco says Metrorail must provide alternative transport for Cape commuters, at IOL News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet on Tuesday, 12 December 2017 at SA Labour News
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