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 Monday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Friday, 7 October 2016.
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Cosatu breathes fire at government as jobs are lost in second quarter Business Report writes that the government has come under fire from the labour movement for the latest losses in employment, with Cosatu calling the administration “feckless and uninspired” and out of its depth. The labour federation marched for decent jobs on Friday. Employment in the formal sector fell by 0.7% or 67,000 jobs to 9.218 million in the second quarter compared with the previous quarter, a survey by Statistics SA showed last week. The biggest decline was in the government sector, where 48,000 jobs were lost. Cosatu said the progressive policies of the ANC had been abandoned and replaced by policies that pandered to big business and ratings agencies. The Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) said it was distressed by shrinking employment. Read this report by Wiseman Khuzwayo in full at Business Report. Read too, About 48,000 ‘election’ jobs now gone, at The Citizen State job cuts lower wage bill growth by over 28% BDLive reports that Statistics SA’s quarterly financial statistics show that the government has managed to lower real employment cost growth by more than 28% year on year from its peak in the second quarter of 2015. This equates to about R8.5bn in employee cost-related savings in the first half of 2016 compared with a year ago. "This is a significant achievement given the higher inflation environment," said BNP Paribas Securities economist Jeffrey Schultz, who added that the results over the past 12 months were “encouraging." Such sentiments chime with the assurances given to Parliament earlier in October by Public Service and Administration Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi that the government was on track to meet its target of cutting R25bn from state expenditure, including its wage bill, over three years. Read this report by Claire Bisseker in full at BDLive Gordhan’s medium-term budget to squeeze salary budgets across departments City Press reports that government has revealed plans to announce a draconian medium-term budget, which will include cutting its numbers of civil servants. The budget is expected to put the squeeze on salary budgets across departments, as well as those for goods and services. According to a senior government official privy to Cabinet matters, after the budget policy statement on 26 October, government would start encouraging older civil servants to take early retirement to save money. The official also said the continuing drought was placing additional strain on the economy. In relation to student protests over free tertiary education, the official commented as follows: “The question is, what would it take for government to yield to the demand for free education? Does it mean we stop social grants or building houses? Something has to give for that to happen.” Read this report by S’thembile Cele and Setumo Stone in full at City Press Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Job losses loom at General Motors in Nelson Mandela Bay HeraldLive reports that General Motors SA (GMSA) is on the verge of shedding jobs as a weakened economy has knocked the car giant and placed the motor industry under significant pressure. The company, which is one of Nelson Mandela Bay’s biggest employers, has confirmed that it is in talks with its staff and unions to look for alternatives to retrenchments. It will be offering severance packages if no other solutions are found. Union Numsa is to hold a meeting with its members on Monday to discuss what the company has already put on the table. The union says GMSA plans to shed up to 200 jobs, but the company would not confirm that figure. Read this report by Riaan Marais in full at HeraldLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Huge Bhisho bill for private lawyers for labour disciplinary cases DispatchLive reports that the Eastern Cape government is forking out millions to hire private law firms for staff disciplinary cases. Apparently many departments pay private lawyers to act in cases against junior officials, which flies in the face of a public service bargaining council resolution. Provincial treasury spokeswoman Nosisa Sogayise said her department had been taken to court by an employee for hiring private lawyers to act in a disciplinary case against the employee, and lost the case. This short summary of an article by Msindisi Fengu in the Daily Dispatch of 10 October 2016 is at DispatchLive
Three killed in Limpopo while loading sand onto truck News24 reports that three people were killed when a truck they were loading fell on top of them at a river bed in Limpopo on Friday. Police said the victims were loading sand from the Sand River in Moeketsi when the accident happened. It was not immediately clear what made the truck tip over. A short report by Jenni Evans is at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Drones to be used for dangerous safety inspections in SA’s deep mines Reuters reports that South Africa is developing drones for the mining industry for inspections in potentially unsafe areas underground, removing the need to put humans in harm's way. Fred Cawood, director of the Mining Institute at Wits University, told an industry conference on Thursday that there was a prototype under development, equipped with video cameras, which measured 40cm across and could be operated from a control room on the surface. SA’s mines are the deepest and among the most dangerous in the world and safety is a huge concern for the government, unions and in boardrooms. Read this report in full at Business Report Other labour posting(s) in this news category
Automotive sector on track to avoid strikes this year Business Report writes that prospects of the new vehicle manufacturing sector avoiding disruption caused by strikes in allied sectors have been boosted by developments. Early last month, the Automobile Manufacturers Employers’ Organisation (Ameo) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) successfully concluded negotiations for a new three-year wage agreement in respect of vehicle manufacturing without any disruption to production. Now a three-year agreement has been concluded by the new tyre industry and progress is being made in negotiations on a new agreement for the retail motor industry. Read this report by Roy Cokayne in full at Business Report SAA sets a collision course with pilots over changes to regulating agreement BDLive reports that South African Airways (SAA) is forging ahead with plans to rationalise flight deck crew costs, which may land it in a court fight with its about 800 pilots. The company says there is a need to interrogate and amend the "onerous" collective agreements with crew. Amending the pilots’ regulating agreement, however, requires buy-in from the SA Airways Pilots Association (Saapa), which has previously indicated that it will oppose proposed changes to existing agreements. SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali confirmed that "there is a process of engagement currently under way between SAA and Saapa that relates to the existing recognition agreement between the airline and its pilots.” He declined to provide details. The Saapa chairman could not be reached for comment at the weekend. Read this report by Bekezela Phakathi in full at BDLive
Water Minister intervenes to try and solve Samwu strike at Amatola Water DispatchLive reports that Minister of Water and Sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane will be intervening to try and resolve the illegal strike by 360 workers at Amatola Water. The unionists decided over the weekend to suspend their strike pending the outcome of talks. Bulk drinking water supply to half-a million people in a vast area in the eastern Cape has been under strain after SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) members abandoned their posts at 11 treatment plants last Friday. Samwu is demanding the sacking of board chairwoman Nokulunga Mnqeta. The strike is believed to have been sparked by a letter from Mnqeta’s attorney in which she threatened to sue Samwu Amatola regional chairman Victor Totolo for defamation. Read this report by Mike Loewe in full at DispatchLive Nehawu welcomes Blade’s efforts to resolve nine-week UniZulu strike BDLive reports that Nehawu has welcomed Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande’s attempts to end a nine-week strike by hundreds of University of Zululand (UniZulu) workers. National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) members at the university embarked on the strike on 18 August, demanding a wage increase, pay progression, insourcing and the conversion of temporary staff to permanent employment. Nzimande on Friday met a delegation from Nehawu and the members told him what they thought could bring the strike to an end. Nzimande said on Saturday he had persuaded the union and the university to agree to the appointment of a six-member team to hold urgent marathon negotiations to end the strike. Read this report by Nce Mkhize in full at BDLive. See too, Minister seeks solution to UniZulu labour dispute, at SA Govt News Agency. And also, Nzimande intervenes in University of Zululand labour dispute, at IOL News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Life goes on after Fawu, says Cosatu The New Age reports that labour federation Cosatu is preparing for life without the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and its 127,000 members. General secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali acknowledged on Sunday that Cosatu had been bogged down by internal divisions, but said Fawu’s exit meant that the organisation was turning a new page. “We are trying to consolidate because the strength of the federation lies with its affiliates. We are gradually making progress, signs of unity are beginning to emerge,” he said. Ntshalintshali also maintained that the federation’s affiliates’ show of force on Friday in its one-day national strike on decent work and other issues augured well for organisational unity. Read this report by Bonolo Selebano in full at The New Age
Cosatu wants national minimum wage to be set at R4 500 a month Fin24 reports that Cosatu handed a memorandum of demands to the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Lechesa Tsenoli during the labour federation’s strike and march for decent work on Friday. Tsenoli indicated that the memorandum would be circulated at Parliament, where many of the issues raised were already subjects of discussion at committees. One example is the issue of a national minimum wage, which Cosatu wants to be set at R4,500 a month. Leaders from the ANC Youth League, the SA Municipal Workers Union and the SA Communist Party were among those throwing their weight behind Cosatu's demands. Read this report by Jenni Evans in full at Fin24
Pretoria cop accuses senior officer of gross racist insult TimesLive reports that a Pretoria policeman is taking on a senior colleague after he was allegedly called a k***** in the Pretoria Central police station parking area three weeks ago. Constable Glen Mahwayi wants the senior officer disciplined and has enlisted the help of Lawyers for Human Rights. He was allegedly insulted by the officer, who works in the station's disciplinary office, after he was questioned about an apparently outdated police appointment certificate. Read this report by Graeme Hosken in full at TimesLive
In cleaning up its act, SAPS sacks 66 crooked Gauteng cops The Star reports that 66 Gauteng police officers, among them 41 constables, 12 warrant officers and five sergeants, were dismissed between April and last month. Corruption, robbery, housebreaking, theft, attempted murder, kidnapping, hijacking and possession of stolen motor vehicles were some of the crimes involved. The officers were fired because the SA Police Service (SAPS) wants to professionalise the police service by dealing harshly with corruption and any officers involved in criminal acts. No statistics were provided of how many of those who were fired were men or women or at which police stations they had been based. Read this report by Botho Molosankwe in full at The Star ANC’s lifestyle audits could backfire Sunday Independent writes about fears that the ANC’s promise to clear up corruption with random lifestyle audits will lead to a witch-hunt. A lifestyle audit describes the tests performed to determine if the lifestyle of an employee is commensurate with that person’s known income stream. Yet, the in principle decision by the ANC’s National Executive Committee to audit its leadership or any other member deployed to public office positions or to the corporate environment could open a Pandora’s box for the ruling party and bring about unintended consequences that would be hard to manage. The details still have to be worked out and the ANC could be stepping on perilous terrain because an audit would invariably involve an invasive investigation of the person concerned, who will be placed under the microscope. This could very well deepen the bitterness that already exists because of growing factionalism in the party’s ranks. Read this opinion piece by Zenzile Khoisan in full at Sunday Independent. Read too, ANC’s support of lifestyle audits causes rumblings, at City Press Other internet posting(s) in this news category
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet from Friday, 7 October to Sunday, 9 October 2016 at SA Labour News
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Get South African labour news reports at SA Labour News