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 Tuesday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Monday, 9 January 2017.
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A shifting labour landscape in 2017 with formation of new federation Dewald van Rensburg gives his preview of expected labour developments in 2017 and says that the launch of a new union federation led by expelled Cosatu affiliates promises to give SA unionism a shot in the arm. The founding congress of the new federation is planned for the middle of March and its proposed name is the Democratic Independent Trade Union Federation of SA. The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) remains at the core of the project, which is as much a draw card as a deterrent. Numsa by itself, or a federation dominated by it, could be a major source of dissent around two major labour market reforms this year. The union has “denounced with contempt” the proposal for a national minimum wage of R20 an hour, which existing federations have been negotiating at Nedlac. Numsa is also dead set against the new code of conduct for strikes that is being hammered out at Nedlac. More generally, the Department of Labour’s annual Industrial Action Report for 2015 was released late last year and demonstrates a dramatic return to normalcy in 2015. Nothing indicates that this changed in 2016 and this year should be calm as well. Read this informative report at City Press. See too, Who’ll strike, settle, retrench in 2017? Gideon du Plessis looks ahead, at Fin24. And also, Workers ignore the law as unprotected strikes soar, at Sunday Times
Anti-hijacking training for Western Cape paramedics News24 reports that Western Cape health department paramedics are getting anti-hijacking training after a crew was robbed while attending to a patient in Khayelitsha in December. In a separate incident on Monday, a group of armed men attacked paramedics employed by Cape Flats-based private ambulance service Melomed24. Paramedics were targeted 80 times between September 2015 and September 2016. “We have introduced situational awareness training, including anti-hijacking training, for all staff and we also have targeted training around hotspots and incident management,” department spokesperson Zimkhitha Mquteni said in a statement on Monday. Ambulance windows have been tinted and covered with a smash-and-grab safety film. Read this report by James de Villiers in full at News24. See too, Enough is enough, say Cape Town paramedics, at Cape Argus. And also, Communities urged to help prevent attacks on paramedics, EWN Probe into causes of deadly riot at St Albans prison underway The New Age reports that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is expected to release an investigation report into what led to the violent clashes two weeks ago at St Albans Prison in the Eastern Cape. On 26 December 26, three people died when a brawl broke out inside the prison. The situation escalated and 13 prison warders were injured, six critically after being attacked with home-made knives and sharp objects during the brawl. It was also reported that about 20 prisoners were injured during the violent clashes. At the weekend, national commissioner of Correctional Services Zacharia Modise said he hoped to receive the report this week, but that depended on the completion of the investigation. According to Modise, the injured warders were back on duty at St Albans Prison. Read this report by Becker Semela in full at The New Age
Zuma's stern warning for mining houses to improve living conditions of workers The Star ANC president Jacob Zuma has issued a stern warning to mining houses to improve the living conditions of mineworkers or face consequences for failing to adhere to the Mining Charter. He also issued a similar warning to recipients of RDP houses who sell their houses and return to live in shacks. The ANC president made the hard-hitting remarks while delivering his last January 8 statement on Sunday as president of the ANC. He said: “We shall remain vigilant in ensuring that mining communities benefit from mining activities in their areas and the ANC proposes that all stakeholders engage on how to utilise beneficiation more effectively to ensure economic growth and job creation.” Zuma said his government was going to work very hard to assist in improving the living conditions of those in mining communities. Read this report by Baldwin Ndaba in full at The Star Other general internet posting(s) on mining
D-day draws nigh for Riah Phiyega City Press reports that suspended national police commissioner Riah Phiyega has three weeks left before she has to submit arguments to convince President Jacob Zuma not to fire her. Phiyega will be challenging the findings of Judge Cornelis Claassen, who headed the board of inquiry that found her unfit to hold office. Last month, Zuma gave Phiyega a month to make additional written representations to him, following the Claassen Board of Inquiry’s report, which found that Phiyega “was indeed not a fit and proper person to have been appointed as the National Commissioner of the SAPS [SA Police Service]”. Phiyega has appointed top Sandton law firm Werksmans to challenge the Claassen findings. She is also challenging the findings of the Farlam commission of inquiry into the 2012 Marikana massacre. Read this report by Abram Mashego in full at City Press Other internet posting(s) in this news category
No witnesses in trial of farmer accused of abusing and underpaying workers The New Age reports that the trial of a Limpopo farmer accused of abusing and underpaying 300 Zimbabwean farm workers, whom he allegedly owed more than R1.6m in respect of the past 10 years, was thrown out of court after witnesses failed to show up. The 36 witnesses were deported to Zimbabwe at the beginning of the trial late in 2015 because they had no documents, while others were taken off the witness list when they returned to work for the farmer. The farmer, JT van der Walt, the owner of Johannesburg farm in the Lephalale area, and nine of his managers were charged by the police for the assault and kidnapping of the Zimbabweans. He was also charged with employing illegal immigrants and labour exploitation. Limpopo labour spokesperson Lerato Makomene confirmed the case had been dismissed. “The case was thrown out of court because there were no witnesses. Our hands are tied as a department without the witnesses,” Makomene indicated. Read this report by Mthokozisi Dube in full at SA Labour News
Festive season retail flop leaves thousands of jobs in limbo Cape Argus reports that thousands of jobs are in limbo in the retail industry following what the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has described as an underwhelming festive season for traditional retailers who have been hit hard. CCCI president Janine Myburgh said: “People just do not have the money to spend and that is mainly due to the state of the economy.” Secondly, shopping patterns are changing, most significantly in that traditional shops in town centres and malls are facing more competition from online retailers. General Secretary of the Agricultural, Food, Fishing and Retail Industry Workers Union (Afriwu), Gafieldien Benjamin, said: “We don’t want to see job losses in any industry, but sometimes we can’t stop it.” He added that: “If those workers have the necessary skills, they’ll find themselves another job in no time.” On the brighter side, Myburgh said that tourism seemed to be flourishing. Read this report by Siyabonga Sesant and Matthew van Schalkwyk in full at Cape Argus Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Shortage of posts for community service leaves new pharmacists in limbo TMG Digital reports that there is a lack of state posts for pharmacists to complete their year of community service‚ forcing them into unemployment. This is according to the Pharmaceutical Society of SA (PSSA), which said on Monday that if the government could not afford to offer pharmacists community service posts‚ then it had no legal or moral basis to enforce community service and it should end the practice. Pharmacists cannot work in either the private or state sector until they have completed a legally required year of community service. There may be as many 129 newly qualified pharmacists who were supposed to start work this year and are without jobs‚ said Lorraine Osman, a member of the PSSA. She added that, while there were problems every year placing staff in community service posts‚ far more were out of work this year, forcing the society to publicise the issue. Seemingly, there has been an increase in the number of professionals trained‚ but not an increase in state-funded posts to absorb them. Read this report by Katharine Child in full at BusinessLive Overlooked protection officers take Parliament to court for unfair discrimination City Press reports that, having moved quickly to recruit police into the ranks of the parliamentary protection services, Parliament now has to deal with the consequences. This because 69 overlooked protection officers have taken the national legislature to the labour court for unfair discrimination. Parliament speedily recruited officers from the SA Police Service (SAPS) in July 2015 to become part of its protection services in a bid to enforce a new rule which provided for disruptive MPs to be forcefully removed from the House. But the hiring of the police officers without parliamentary experience, at better terms and conditions, led to tensions. Now, 69 protection service officers have approached the labour court seeking an order which would force Parliament to remunerate them and provide them with the same terms and conditions of employment as the so-called ‘bouncers’. The officers also want compensation “for having been discriminated against”. Read this report by Andisiwe Makinana in full at City Press
Salary cuts for senior North West employees ‘likely’ The New Age reports that the North West provincial government could reduce the salaries of senior employees as part of continued efforts to scale down on expenditure during the course of 2017. The issue came under the spotlight during deliberations of the provincial executive committee (Exco) late last year and will be taken up further when the body resumes its meetings before the end of this month. North West provincial government spokesperson, Brian Setswambung, revealed that salary reductions for senior officials were definitely “on the cards”, although he did not have presently have figures. Read this report by David Sithole in full at The New Age Other internet posting(s) in this news category
New Tiger Brands CEO bags R20m ‘sign on’ bonus Moneyweb reports that it was revealed in Tiger Brands’ integrated annual report, published in December, that the company paid new chief executive Lawrence Mac Dougall a sign on bonus of R20 million in 2016. He joined the company on 10 May from Mondelez International (the global confectionary business spun off from Kraft Foods) where he had been employed since November 2012. He had been with Cadbury (later bought by Kraft) since 1982. Mac Dougall’s appointment was announced in March last year, following what the board termed a “rigorous five-month process to interview and select the new CEO”. Aside from the sign on bonus, Mac Dougall earned a further R3.782 million in the less than five months to end September, comprising a “cash salary” of R3.053 million, a bonus of R513,000 and retirement fund contributions and other benefits totaling R216,000. He was also awarded a “special long-term incentive plan allocation” as well as performance shares. Read this report by Hilton Tarrant in full at Moneyweb
DTI commits to helping rapidly shrinking poultry industry ANA reports that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday said the government had been working with the local poultry producers to address the challenges in the industry as a result of chickens imported from European Union (EU) countries. This was in response to a plea by the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) for government to tighten regulations of imported chickens in a bid to save jobs in the industry. At least three major SA chicken producers have announced steps to begin retrenching more than 3,500 workers combined in order to remain going concerns as they struggle under heavy competition from cheap imported chickens. The DTI said government, through it and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), had initiated measures to protect local poultry producers against unfair competition. Read this report by Siphelele Dludla in full at IOL News. See too, Fawu: 35% of SA's poultry products from EU, at IOL News. And also, Fawu appeals to govt to tighten regulation on poultry imports, at SABC News. As well as, Afleggings begin in hoenderbedryf, at Netwerk24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Tshwane metro cop accused of murder of motorist to seek bail on Friday TimesLive reports that a Tshwane metro police officer will claim that there was ‘a lot of provocation’ when he allegedly shot and killed a motorist in Hatfield, Pretoria, last Friday. Constable Takatso Mashigo's lawyer, Peter Jay, said his client was bumped twice by the vehicle, a Toyota sedan driven by Tsakani Shimange, who was killed. However, the officer did not seek to receive medical treatment. Jay said Mashigo would plead not guilty to murder. Exactly what transpired when Shimange was shot through the windscreen of his car at a routine traffic checkpoint is expected to emerge when Mashigo applies for bail this coming Friday. Tshwane metro police said investigations were under way. Read this report by Sipho Mabena in full at TimesLive Failure to release Eastern Cape jobs-for-sex report angers Nehawu BusinessLive reports that the National Health Education and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in the Eastern Cape is mulling court action to compel the legislature’s speaker to release a "jobs-for-sex" probe report. The report looks into claims that managers at the legislature and various departments have offered jobs or promotions to subordinates in exchange for sex. Managers at the Bhisho local municipality, who were implicated in the report, tried unsuccessfully to have the courts block the release of the report. Nonetheless, the office of Premier Phumulo Masualle has still kept the report under wraps. The union was at its wits’ end over the secrecy with which the report was being handled, Nehawu Eastern Cape secretary Miki Jaceni said. In a statement last week, the Eastern Cape government said: "Premier Masualle is appealing for space for the investigative processes he commissioned to be allowed to conclude without interference and hindrance, and for all to resist the temptation to pre-empt their outcomes." Read this report by Khulekani Magubane in full at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet on Monday, 9 January 2017 at SA Labour News
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Get South African labour news reports at SA Labour News