In our Monday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Friday, 11 November 2016.
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Sowetan principal stabbed by former teacher eNCA reports that a principal at a Soweto school is in a critical condition after being stabbed, allegedly by a former teacher. Police say the former teacher, who was fired last year from the Paul Mosaka Primary School in Pimville, attacked the principal as she arrived at school on Monday morning. It is alleged that the suspect stoned the principal’s car before stabbing her. Community members intervened and tried to apprehend the male suspect, but he was then arrested by police and is being detained at the Kliptown police station. The teacher who was expelled apparently had qualifications errors. Read this report in full at eNCA. Read too, Badly behaved teachers are smacking students and each other, at TimesLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Lonmin reports fatality after tramming accident Mining Weekly reports that a production team leader at Lonmin’s E1 shaft died following a tramming accident on Thursday. No other employees of the platinum producer were injured in the incident. Lonmin and representatives of the Department of Mineral Resources are investigating the causes of the accident. This short report is at Mining Weekly AngloGold Labour Court ruling lands blow for fair applicable of safety stoppages David McKay writes that the Labour Court has delivered a potentially important judgement in favour of mining companies seeking less drastic application of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) by the Department of Mineral Affairs (DMR). The court ruled that the DMR had ignored the notion of “proportionality” when it issued a Section 54 notice shutting AngloGold Ashanti’s Kopanang mine last month. In other words, the DMR had acted wrongly in shutting the entire mine when transgressions of the act had only occurred on level 44, which employed 2% of Kopanang’s entire 4218 employees. The judge ruled that no circumstance existed on level 44 which rendered the whole mining operation unsafe, or on which the senior inspector of mines for the North West province could rely to infer that not only 44 level was unsafe, but the whole mine. Read this report in full at Miningmx Amcu sends food parcels to striking members at Sasol Mining Ridge Times reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has sent a thousand food parcels to its protesting members at Sasol Mining to offer relief. Amcu members have not returned to work since the beginning of the strike in August. The food parcels are a relief initiative by Amcu to take care of their members during negotiations about living wages with Sasol management. Many Amcu members said it has been a difficult time without an income to buy basic needs. Patrick Ndlovu, regional organiser, said the picketing was the result of unresolved issues that had not yet been responded to. He added that the national office was working with Sasol management to resolve the issues and get the employees back to work as soon as possible. This short report is at Ridge Times NUM accuses Floxy Four mine of illegal night mining ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has accused Floxy Four, a small mining company in the North West, of mining at night using illegal immigrants. The union said on Friday it was “extremely shocked and disturbed” by this. Floxy Four is based in Amalia township in the North West province and it got its mining licence in 2012. The NUM has apparently reported the allegedly illegal mining activity that is taking place three times to the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). Read this report in full at The Citizen. Read the |NUM’s press statement in this regard at NUM online NUM sees Molefe’s resignation from Eskom as premature, but not all agree eNCA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Saturday announced its unhappiness over Brian Molefe's resignation as Eskom's CEO. The union said the move was premature as it felt the power utility was starting to stabilise under Molefe's leadership. It added that Molefe should have awaited the outcome of a commission of inquiry into state capture before resigning. But, the NUM's former Mpumalanga Branch Secretary, Mxolisi Hoboyi, caused a stir when he questioned the wisdom of these remarks. He told eNCA he represented workers at the Optimum Coal Mine and Eskom's Arnot Power Station in Mpumalanga, and was angered by the statement by the union's national office. He highlighted the fact that a total of 2,000 workers lost jobs when Optimum Coal was forced to go into business rescue, shortly after the Gupta takeover of the mine. The NUM in turn said that Hoboyi wasn’t authorised to speak on behalf of the union. Read this report at eNCA. See too, NUM concerned about Brian Molefe's resignation, at EWN. The NUM’s press statement is at SA Labour News Other labour posting(s) in this news category
Robertson Winery wage strike enters twelfth week with no end in sight Sunday Independent reports that members of the Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers’ Union (Csaawu) are now entering their twelfth week of a strike at Robertson Winery that seeks to address wages and working conditions. The union’s Karel Swart indicated on Saturday that they were still pushing for a minimum salary increase to R8,500. He claimed that many of the 227 workers on strike earned R2,900 a month at the winery, which apparently represents 30 farms in Robertson and employs 303 people. According to the winery, the union and its members are “not acting in good faith”. Reinette Jordaan, HR manager at the winery, said they were willing to pay workers an extra R400 a month, but the offer had been rejected by workers outright. Read this report by Yazeed Kamaldien in full at Sunday Independent Other internet posting(s) in this news category
March by Fawu wage strikers to Tiger brands on Friday City Press reports that about 200 employees of Tiger Beverages, which manufactures drinks such as Energade, Oros and Hall’s, marched to Tiger Brands’ head office in Bryanston on Friday. The group, under the banner of the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu), handed over a memorandum that contained several demands. These included a 9% wage increment, a R400 monthly housing subsidy (up from R3250), R400 monthly transport (up from R325) and extended to early morning shift workers and the permanent employment of 15 annually “recycled” casual workers. Tiger Beverages is a subsidiary of Tiger Brands and has been dealing with the strike action by about 500 members of Fawu since 13 October. The union is threatening a 7000-workers strong solidarity strike. Read this report by Avantika Seeth in full at City Press
Business supports continuation of employment tax incentive, but with no claims cap Business Report writes that the employment tax incentive (ETI) is due to expire at the end of this year and business has called for a two-year extension. The ETI aims to stimulate employment for young people between 18 and 29 years. The National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) said in its recent review of the ETI it was clear that the scheme had had a positive impact on employment. The government has proposed the continuation of the incentive, but with a cap of R20 million on the value that an employer can claim. But, Tanya Cohen of Business Unity SA (Busa) is not in favour of a monetary cap. She notes that at least 92,000 jobs would have been excluded from the scheme in 2014/15 if there had been a cap. Read this report by Amanda Visser in full at Business Report. Read too, Incentive for young workers worth extending, research shows, on page 2 of Business Day of 10 November 2016
Cosatu welcomes recommendation to freeze salaries of political and public officer bearers Business Report writes that Cosatu has welcomed a recommendation by the Independent Commission on the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers to freeze all salary increases for political and public officers due to the current economic situation. The federation said in a statement on Monday the decision was long overdue and political leaders needed to show solidarity with the struggling working class. “The huge salaries and benefits that are paid to political office-bearers and senior bureaucrats are the source of the existing inequalities and unacceptable income disparities that currently exist in the public service,” said spokesman Sizwe Pamla. Cosatu also said it hoped the government would reduce salaries paid to MPs and cabinet members. Read this report by Heidi Giokos in full at Business Report
Jobs blood bath in the poultry industry gathers pace City Press reports that the jobs blood bath in the poultry industry has gathered pace, with almost 800 jobs set to be lost at RCL Foods’ plant and farms in KwaZulu-Natal. Japhta Malinga of the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) said on Friday the union was “hopeful” that the offer of voluntary severance packages and relocations would “save as many jobs as possible” at RCL Foods (formerly Rainbow Chicken). Out of the 778 RCL staff expected to lose their jobs, 531 people have taken packages and 247 workers face forced retrenchment – while an additional 577 employees will take the relocation option. The company is apparently cutting jobs was in the face of losses caused by the sale of 27,500 tons of imported chicken a month. More layoffs are looming at Astral Poultry, which employs 1,500 workers at its Hammarsdale operation. Read this report by Paddy Harper in full at City Press
eThekwini mayor busts jobs-for-cash racket in sting operation Sunday Tribune reports that a sting operation ordered by eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede last week led to the arrest of an employee who was caught red-handed selling jobs at the municipality for cash. The dramatic operation followed a complaint to Gumede by a group of six job applicants who said they were asked by the official to pay R5,000 each to secure jobs in the city’s water unit. The mayor ordered a crackdown and brought in the city’s ombudsman’s office, the metro police elite integrity and investigations unit in a joint operation to nab the individual. The arrested official is out on bail of R1,000 and is expected to appear in court next month on charges of corruption. More arrests are imminent as the city investigates the trail of employees who worked with the official to offer jobs for cash. Read this report by Zohra Teke in full at Sunday Tribune Sharp increase in sexual offences by teachers, says SACE News24 reports that the SA Council for Educators (SACE) has painted a bleak picture of the incidence of sexual offences committed by educators in schools around the country, saying there had been a sharp increase. SACE CEO Matseliso Dipholo told journalists on Monday that the council was expecting the rest of its financial year to be busy as an increased number of complaints of sexual offences had been brought to them to investigate this year. According to Dipholo, corporal punishment cases have also increased this year with 140 cases under investigation, compared to the 160 cases investigated in the same period last year. She said the council had also recorded an increase in cases of assaults against colleagues. Read this report by Lizeka Tandwa in full at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
SABC 8 push ahead with challenge to SABC editorial policy despite threats BusinessLive reports that SABC journalists facing death threats are pushing on with a Constitutional Court case challenging the broadcaster’s controversial editorial policy. Their lawyer said on Sunday the matter was pending and confirmed some of his clients were being threatened. They are now waiting for a determination from the court on whether they should be granted direct access. The journalists, known as the SABC 8, were fired earlier in 2016 for challenging a blanket ban on covering violent protests. They challenged their employer in the Labour Court and were reinstated, except Vuyo Mvoko, who is a freelancer. Their lawyer said only some of the journalists had been threatened and this had been reported to the police. The SABC’s attorneys had also been made aware of the situation. Read this report by Genevieve Quintal in full at BusinessLive. See too, SABC 8 living in fear after 'kill' threats, at TimesLive. And also, SABC 8: Alleged death threats a police matter, at SABC News. As well as, SABC 8 must be given SAPS protection‚ says DA, at BusinessLive
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet on Saturday, 12 November and Sunday, 13 November 2016 at SA Labour News
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet on Friday, 11 November 2016 at SA Labour News
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