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, 20 January 2017.
|
NUM pledges to fight ‘tooth and nail’ against AngloGold retrenchments Reuters reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Friday that it would “fight tooth and nail” against plans by AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) to lay off more than 800 workers. The gold producer is in talks with the NUM, as well as Solidarity and the United Association of SA (Uasa), to axe workers at its SA operations. The NUM confirmed on Friday that it had received notice from AGA of a plan to dismiss 849 SA workers. The union said in a statement: “The NUM remains fearless, committed, dedicated and unshaken in fighting for the mineworkers. The NUM does not want to see mineworkers being retrenched.” Read this report in full at Business Report. Read the NUM’s press statement in this regard at Cosatu Today NUM to meet with AngloGold Ashanti on Monday over possible retrenchments ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Friday said that it would meet with AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) to deliberate on the gold producer’s possible decision to lay off more than 800 workers at its SA operations. In a statement, the union confirmed that it had received a so-called Section 189 retrenchment notice from AGA to lay off 849 workers. The NUM is going to meet with the company on Monday, to seek avoidance measures. It called on AGA to rethink its position to retrench and said it would fight tooth and nail to make sure that its members were not retrenched cheaply. Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis said the company had been in consultation with union leaders for a few months and commented: “We hope that we can find an alternative for some of the workers to get employed if not all. We however will try to minimise the number of retrenchments.” Read this report in full at The Citizen. See too, NUM expresses disappointment over looming job cuts at AngloGold, at Mining Weekly. Read the NUM’s press statement in this regard at Cosatu Today Lace Diamond Mine workers end underground protest SABC News reported on Friday that 40 mineworkers who had been staging a sit-in underground at the Lace Diamond Mine outside Kroonstad in the Free State had abandoned their protest action. They began their sit-in on Wednesday after allegedly failing to receive any wages since November 2016. This was after the company claimed it did not have sufficient funds to pay salaries. The workers resurfaced after the business rescuers stopped other miners from taking food and water to those underground. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) said the plight of about 300 miners at the mine remained unchanged and that negotiations were at a deadlock. Read this report by Maryna van Wyk in full at SABC News No money yet from Lily Mine for families of deceased or survivors SowetanLive reports the family of one of the three workers whose bodies remain trapped at Vantage Goldfields’ Lily Mine in Barbeton say they never received the money they were promised last year. Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane promised the families of the three that they would each get R200,000 as compensation from the mine. He also said the rescued survivors would get R50,000 each, which would come from the mine. However, Pretty Nkambule's family said on Thursday they have never received any money from the company. Her husband Christopher Mazibuko said: "Why is he [Zwane] not talking to the mine or compensating us? He was the one who spoke about that. We have not gotten anything from the mine." One of the miners who survived the mine collapse in February 2016 said: "Remember they promised us money, took us out of work and said they would pay us while we are home but nothing has come through." Read this report by Mandla Khoza in full at SowetanLive Half of Lonmin's employees still without 'decent accommodation' iNet Bridge reports that platinum producer Lonmin has to build accommodation for 11‚500 of its employees‚ but the weak platinum price was working against major housing investment‚ CEO Ben Magara said on Friday. Lonmin has 33‚000 people working on its mines near Rustenburg‚ of which 25‚000 are its employees. It has built accommodation for more than half of those‚ with 11‚500 still "in need of decent accommodation‚" Magara indicated. Lonmin has converted its single-sex hostels and has built apartments near those hostels. It has also donated land to the government to build houses. "We are 50% of the way there and the rest of our employees are living in areas where we feel they deserve better. But we need to be profitable,” Magara said at a media briefing. Lonmin is engaged in talks with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) to determine what exactly is needed for the 11‚500 employees living in substandard conditions in informal settlements around its mines. But Magara was clear that Lonmin could not on its own build the housing for 11‚500 people and it needed assistance from the government and other parties. Read this report in full at eNCA. Read too, Platinum promises to provide housing have lost their shine, at Business Times Alleged illegal miner found dead after being shot and dumped on N12 near Benoni News24 reports that a man believed to be an illegal miner was found dead on the N12 near the Putfontein off-ramp in Benoni on Friday afternoon. Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said a witness told authorities that the man, who is understood to be a Lesotho national, had been shot at a Benoni mineshaft on Thursday night. According to the witness, the man was still alive when he was left at the side of the road. When paramedics arrived at the scene, the witness came from where he had been hiding and gave police his statement." A case of murder is being investigated. Read this report by Tammy Petersen in full at News24 Other labour posting(s) in this news category
Other general internet posting(s) on mining
Department, poultry industry crisis tackle in chicken sector Sunday Tribune reports that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) convened a meeting with various stakeholders last week to try and pluck the poultry industry out of its present crisis. The industry has been rocked by cheap imported chicken “dumped” locally at heavily discounted prices, with the biggest exporters of chicken to SA being EU nations. Kevin Lovell, CE of the SA Poultry Association, raised an array of challenges local chicken producers faced, stressing that as long as European countries were allowed to dump their chicken in SA, the local industry would suffer. But, Lovell said he was satisfied that the government had engaged with the poultry industry to map a way forward. The DTI’s Garth Strachan said the government was making a serious commitment, along with other role players, to achieve a turnaround. He noted that one of the important considerations to emerge from the meeting was means and methods to save jobs. Read this report by Mervyn Naidoo in full at Business Report. Read too, Poultry importers cry foul for getting blame for chicken crisis, at City Press. And also, High poultry prices to hit our pockets, on page 1 of Sunday Independent Business Report of 22 January 2017 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Department of Labour deregisters 'bogus union' linked to Zuma News24 reports that the Department of Labour (DoL) has cancelled the registration of a labour union linked to President Jacob Zuma and covert agents of the State Security Agency (SSA). According to a notice published in the Government Gazette on Friday, Malixole Ntelki, the DoL's acting registrar of labour relations, has cancelled the registration of the Workers Association Union (WAU). This follows reports that the WAU was allegedly established on the instruction of Zuma, and with the help of agents from the SSA. Thebe Maswabi, a founding member of the WAU, is currently suing Zuma, State Security Minister David Mahlobo and several other Cabinet ministers over their role in the WAU's formation. The DoL has since launched an internal investigation into the role that Thembinkosi Mkalipi, the DoL's chief director of labour relations, played in the WAU's registration with the department. Read this report by Pieter-Louis Myburgh in full at News24
Numsa not going back to ANC, even if ‘unifying leader’ is elected this year City Press reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has shot down speculation that the union could bury the hatchet with the ANC and return to the alliance if a “unifying leader” were to be elected to succeed President Jacob Zuma later this year. “Our view is that the ANC succession process is not guided by a revolutionary agenda,” general secretary Irvin Jim said in an interview, adding that the ANC had “no political will to deal with or push for radical economic transformation; to address fundamental issues of ownership and control of the economy”. He said the only solution was “to replace the ANC with a truly militant, revolutionary Workers Party”. Numsa, with an estimated 360,000 members, was expelled from labour federation Cosatu two years ago for acting in opposition to Cosatu in a number of ways, including refusing to support the ANC in the 2014 elections. Read this report by Setumo Stone in full at City Press
Govt hopes for a deal this week in 'social compact' talks with three labour federations Terry Bell reports that the government hopes by the end of this coming week to reach an agreement with the three major labour federations on details for a comprehensive social security package. Discussions, convened by Nedlac will be held over three days at the Roodevallei conference centre, outside Pretoria, starting on Wednesday. At least six government ministers and a clutch of labour economists are expected to address leaders from Cosatu, Fedusa and Nactu. Scheduled academic speakers include Professor Imran Valodia, who chaired the panel that recommended a R3,500 national minimum wage. The unionists are keen to discuss a comprehensive welfare package that will go well beyond the minimum wage proposal, but will also be pushing for some guarantees from government about the retention and creation of “decent jobs”. Read this report in full at Fin24
Jobs of thousands of City of Tshwane contract workers under threat The New Age reports that the future of thousands of contract workers working for the Tshwane municipality is at stake with the threat of job losses looming. It is also uncertain if the municipality's offices situated at 373 Pretorius Street would be up and running on Monday after last week's disruptions following protests by workers demanding permanent job placements. According to SA Municipal Workers’ Union’s (Samwu’s) Mpho Tladinyane, a meeting was held last year with the city management regarding absorbing the workers permanently. "The employer said that it would be finalised by the mayoral committee, but to date it has not," he indicated. He also denied reports that workers had held two officials hostage last week, saying they had merely wanted to know where they stood after learning that only about 3,000 out of 8,000 of them would be absorbed by the city. A second issue that has been causing tensions is the accusation by workers that a director in the city’s electricity depot in Centurion used the "K" word on employees Read this report by Ntombi Nkosi in full at SA Labour News Strike by Tshwane contract workers on Friday after mayor failed to meet with them BusinessLive reports that the absorption of contract workers into the City of Tshwane workforce is causing some trouble for the city’s new administration. On Friday a number of workers affiliated to the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) took to the streets in unprotected protest action. The union’s Mpho Tladinyane said what caused the protest was the city’s executive mayor, Solly Msimanga, failure to meet workers. In a meeting last week, workers were told that the city would make 3,000 workers permanent out of the 8,000 strong temporary workforce. They asked for the list of the 3,000 people concerned, but the city did not disclose that information. Agreement was reached at the meeting that Msimanga would meet worker representatives the following day, but that did not happen, which sparked the protest. Mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi said there was a process under way of identifying all the people who were eligible to be absorbed by the city. He added that it would not be all 8,000 of the contract workers as the city was not an employment agency. Read this report by Pericles Anetos in full at BusinessLive
AB InBev aims to slash 1,000 manager jobs in SA with voluntary packages BusinessLive reports that, ten weeks after its merger with SABMiller, Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev) sent out a voluntary severance offer to more than 1,000 management employees in SA. A memo was issued on 12 December, which had a January 20 deadline to accept what one recipient said was a "very generous offer". A reminder was sent out 12 days ago, with a deadline extension. AB InBev would not say how many voluntary lay-offs were being targeted. It stressed though that they would not interfere with post-merger employment conditions, in terms of which the brewer is required to maintain the number of employees in SABMiller’s SA operations for five years. Moreover, there can’t be forced retrenchments in perpetuity resulting from the merger. Also, there can’t be any voluntary separation arrangements within the category of Hay Grade 12 (supervisory) employee and below for five years. The voluntary severance offer, which is entirely voluntary, has been made available only to mid-level employees and above. Read this report by Ann Crotty in full at BusinessLive. Read too, AB InBev trims fat at SABMiller with voluntary packages for big earners, at Business Times
Teacher union Natu to take KZN education department to court SABC News reports that the National Teachers Union (Natu) intends taking the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Education to the Durban High Court for what it terms its 'unprocedural' process of post creation and distribution of surplus teachers. Natu’s Allan Thompson told the media they had not been consulted about the so-called circular surplus process, according to which teachers were being identified and moved to other schools. He indicated that “we have taken a decision to go to the Durban High Court to interdict the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education from moving the educators without following the correct process - as agreed upon with the National Department of Basic Education.” Natu also expressed concern at what it termed the continuous exploitation of Grade R teachers, who earn less than R2,000 a month, despite a recent departmental salary increase of R500. Read this report by Nhlanhla Nxele in full at SABC News. See too, Natu concerned after KZN education dept declared some teachers as surplus, at EWN Two Johannesburg colleges found to be bogus SowetanLive reports that Victory Training College and the Institute of Health and Social Care Studies in Johannesburg have been dubbed bogus operators by the Department of Higher Education (DHET). This was ascertained during an intense five-day inspection campaign conducted last week by the DHET in partnership with local law enforcement authorities in Braamfontein and the Johannesburg city centre. The DHET’s Dr Shaheeda Essack indicated that the number of bogus colleges has decreased this year because, compared to 2016‚ there was more awareness and knowledge regarding illegally operating institutions. Read this report by Nelly Selepe in full at SowetanLive
Public Protector says 7,000 Venda municipal pensions must now be paid out SowetanLive reports that swindled apartheid-era Venda municipality employees have yet to get justice because the state fears processing their pension claims would trigger a flurry of demands among former homeland workers. In November 2011, former public protector (PP) Thuli Madonsela's investigation concluded that former members of the Venda Pension Fund were victims of the state's maladministration and should be paid out. Pre-1994 and before the Government Employees Pension Fund came into effect, they lost all their retirement money during the amalgamation of the Venda Pension Fund and the First Privatisation Scheme. In a new special report, the new PP Busisiwe Mkhwebane has directed finance director-general Lungisa Fuzile to implement Madonsela's 2011 remedial action. He has to submit an action plan to her and National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete within six weeks. A consolidated list of complainants places their number at approximately 7,000. Read this report by Bongani Nkosi in full at SowetanLive
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet from Friday, 20 January to Sunday, 22 January 2017 at SA Labour News
|
Get South African labour news reports at SA Labour News