In our Monday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Friday, 30 September 2016.
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News24 reports that former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng wrote on Sunday in an open letter hitting out at his detractors some politicians have "not bothered to read or understand" court rulings against him and have undermined these through "legally suspect interpretation". Motsoeneng said "fair-minded observers" would know that no court had ruled that he was "not appointable as COO or unqualified for senior executive positions at the SABC". He added that the campaign to unlawful remove him from his current job “will be vigorously resisted and challenged in court if need be." Read this report by Tammy Petersen in full at News24 SABC’s Hlaudi faces chop 'by end of the week' IOL News writes that Hlaudi Motsoeneng could be fired by the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) by the end of this week after a meeting of Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications. The committee took strong exception on Friday to the SABC board's defiance of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment and wants answers on the rehiring of Motsoeneng in a different position. The SABC board and its executive management will be meeting MPs on Wednesday over the reappointment of Motsoeneng. Read this report by Siyabonga Mkhwanazi in full at IOL News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Alleged killer of Cape metro cop to appear in court on Monday Cape Times reports that a 27-year-old Kleinvlei man was due to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning following his arrest last week for the murder of a metro police officer in February. Ben Koopman was gunned down while on duty. Two people were spotted fleeing from the scene with his service pistol and a police radio. Read this report by Dominic Adriaanse in full at Cape Times Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Zwane’s promises of cash as hollow as Lily Mine’s mineshaft Sunday Independent writes that it has become abundantly clear that Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane will not be paying the monetary windfall he promised the disaster victims at Lily Mine on 5 February. Nothing has been paid so far as the minister seems to have dumped the hot potato in the lap of Lily Mine. But, this can only happen after Lily receives the R200 million it seeks to restart operations at the mine. Read this report by Don Makatile in full on page 6 of Sunday Independent of 2 October 2016. Read a summary of this report at SA Labour News Excessive safety audits underpin dysfunctional DMR, industry relationship David McKay writes that, in an interesting illustration of how the increasing number of safety audits on SA’s mines by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) was getting out of hand, .AngloGold Ashanti CEO, Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, has compared them to a freeway accident where the authorities had resolved to check the brakes of every car on the freeway instead of just the cars involved in the accident. Read this report in full at Miningmx Other labour posting(s) in this news category
Farming has been hit by perfect storm shaking it to its foundation TimesLive reports that tens of thousands of seasonal farmworkers, whose jobs are already on the line because of a crippling drought, are now facing another employment threat in that farmers, who claim they cannot any longer afford the prescribed minimum wages, are choosing to hire cheaper foreign workers. In 2013 the minimum prescribed wages for farmworkers rose by 52%. Read this report by Shenaaz Jamal in full at TimesLive Citrusdal farmworker wins battle against eviction notices Cape Times reports that in a David and Goliath-like legal battle, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has repealed the eviction proceedings against a Citrusdal farmworker after finding the eviction notices by his employers, Mgro Properties, were invalid. The SCA upheld Abraham Snyers’ leave to appeal, with costs, after a Land Claims Court (LCC) judgment had confirmed the validity of the eviction notices. The SCA also dismissed the applications to evict Snyer’s wife. Read this report by Siyavuya Mzansi in full at Cape Times Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Table Mountain cableway strikers accept wage increases of 8% to 13.5% TMG Digital reports that more than 100 SA Commercial‚ Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu) strikers at the Table Mountain cableway will be back at work on Monday after a pay deal ended their wage stoppage. The deal gives staff pay increases of between 8% and 13.5%‚ with lower income earners receiving the largest increase. Read this report by Dave Chambers in full at BDLive
Some SAA cabin crew members picket for better treatment, benefits EWN reports that dozens of members of the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) embarked on a protest outside Airways Park in Kempton Park on Friday morning. This was in an attempt to receive better treatment and proper benefits from SA Airways (SAA). The association said that cabin crew members were at the bottom of the barrel when it came to salaries and believed that benefits in the airline should be spread equally. Employees intended to hand over a memorandum of demands to SAA’s management. Read this report by Gia Nicolaides in full at EWN. Read too, SAA uses ‘dictatorship and mafia-style’ tactics to stop protest, at The Citizen. And also, SAA cabin crews hit back, at The Citizen
Cosatu considers ‘concretising’ free education demand by referring it to Nedlac Cape Times reports that SA Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) general secretary André Kriel issued a statement on Sunday, “with the permission of the Cosatu president”, condemning the destruction of university property and calling for an immediate return to classes no later than Monday. He also indicated that in support of the students’ demand for free education steps will be taken to “concretise” their demand in a form such as a Section 77 notice to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) so as to bring the various parties together to engage to find a solution. Read this report in full at Cape Times Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Transport union Satawu regroups after four years of factional and financial hardships BDLive writes that the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) is on the road to recovery and looking to expand after a tumultuous four years in which it suffered two splits, but the union now also faces competition from the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) which has broadened its recruiting scope to organise members across sectors. Read this report by Natasha Marrian in full at BDLive 'Flimsy charges' levelled by RTMC against National Trade Union Congress leader TimesLive reports that Steve Msiza, president of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), is accusing Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) bosses of trying to hound him into quitting his job as the corporation's chief of security by bringing a string of "flimsy charges", including testifying for a colleague in a disciplinary hearing and not applying for sick leave. Read this report by Sipho Mabena in full at TimesLive
Crunch time looms for Cosatu leader over who should succeed Zuma Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini seems set on a collision course with the majority of the labour federation’s member unions over the issue of who should succeed President Jacob Zuma. Dlamini has thus far projected himself as a nonpartisan player, though there is an expectation that he will steer Cosatu towards supporting Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. But, ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa's campaign within Cosatu seems to be at an advanced stage and Dlamini will have the almost insurmountable task of convincing the federation's biggest unions otherwise. Read this opinion piece by Sibongakonke Shoba in full at TimesLive
Staff shortage stifles role of police watchdog Ipid BDLive reports that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (Ipid’s) ability to keep the police in check, and the watchdog’s independence, are being stifled because of a staff shortage and a lack of investigating capacity, auditor-general Kimi Makwetu has warned. The warning comes at a time when cases of alleged police misconduct reported to the watchdog have soared. Read this report by Khulekani Magubane in full at BDLive
MTN names partner for call centre outsourcing TechCentral reports that MTN South Africa has named Adcorp subsidiary Rightsource as the preferred partner to manage its outsourced “hybrid” call centres. The outsourcing had earlier raised the ire of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which in August had sought an urgent court interdict to stop it from going ahead. The union later withdrew the action after MTN agreed to a formal consultation with it on the matter. Read this report in full at TechCentral
New DA mayor prepares to slash Tshwane’s bloated salary bill BDLive reports that Tshwane Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor Solly Msimanga is wielding the axe in the metro and will soon decide on how to purge a bloated staff complement in a bid to slash the municipality’s R6bn salary bill. The city spends 33% of its operating budget on employee costs. Msimanga had allayed fears of a wide-ranging purge after taking office, but this latest move suggests he is targeting ANC deployees in the city. Read this report by Penelope Mashego in full at BDLive We’ll oppose the DA’s anti-worker plans, says Samwu in Tshwane TMG Digital reports that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) says it will oppose plans by the City of Tshwane to terminate workers’ contracts. The union claimed Democratic Alliance (DA) mayors had received directives from the party’s federal executive to trim administrative staff and that these “anti-worker” plans “will leave thousands of workers out of jobs‚ with the City of Tshwane alone retrenching over 900 workers." Samwu will be monitoring all municipalities‚ and particularly those governed by the DA. Read this report by Kingdom Mabuza in full at BDLive. Read Samwu’s press statement at SA Labour News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet From Friday, 30 September to Sunday, 2 October 2016 at SA Labour News
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