Today's Labour News

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

Car guard relives horror of vicious attack by motorist on colleague who was left to die

SowetanLive reports that a car guard who witnessed a vicious attack on his colleague has described how the deceased man endured a beating from an angry motorist who jumped on him with both his feet, thudding into the fallen man's face.  On Monday, Philani Milton Mkhulisa, 25, appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court facing a murder charge.  His case was postponed to 22 August for a bail application.  His victim has yet to be identified as no one appears to know who he was.  The guard's brutal assault was as a result of being suspected of theft out of Mkhulisa's vehicle.  Sam Deseko, who worked along Pritchard Street in the Johannesburg CBD, said his colleague's assault lasted for an hour.  “I have never seen a man so angry in my life.  My friend's head was on the pavement and he stomped on him with both his feet.”  Deseko said the car guard was then left bleeding on the pavement along Pritchard Street, while Mkhulisa left the scene with his girlfriend.  Deseko then went to a food outlet where they helped him call the ambulance.  About 30 minutes later, Mkhulisa returned with two other men, but even on his return Mkhulisa allegedly never checked on the man he had beaten.  When paramedics finally arrived, they certified the car guard dead on the scene.

Read this report by Penwell Dlamini in full at SowetanLive

MINING LABOUR

Gold Fields plans to cut up to 1,560 jobs at South Deep mine

BusinessLive reports that Gold Fields is preparing to lay off up to 1,560 people at its loss-making South Deep mine, the gold producer indicated in a statement on Tuesday.  "It is envisaged that approximately 1,100 permanent employees could potentially be impacted by the proposed restructuring.  In addition, approximately 460 contractors could also potentially be impacted," Gold Fields said.  South Deep, near Westonaria, employs 3,614 full-time employees and 1,940 contractors.  The announcement follows a week after Impala Platinum said it would cut 13,000 jobs at its mines as it shuts five of its 11 shafts over the next two years to address six years of losses at its Rustenburg mines.  Fellow platinum producer Lonmin has advised that it would be cutting 12,600 jobs over three years as it stops old and unprofitable mines.

A short report by Allan Seccombe is at BusinessLive. Read Gold Fields’ statement at Moneyweb

Gwede Mantashe says Gold Fields stands risk of breaking the law with job cuts

The Citizen reports that in a statement issued on Tuesday, Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said he was concerned by Gold Fields’ plan to retrench more than 1,500 employees at its troubled South Deep mine.  The company said the retrenchments were its latest attempt to turn a profit at its sole remaining operation in South Africa, which has lost the company R32 billion so far.  Mantashe said the company’s planned job cuts were concerning, as they had not regarded processes in the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA).  “We are beginning to notice a worrying trend where some mining companies do not meaningfully engage with the department on their restructuring plans and only brief us as a mere formality or tick box exercise, ignoring processes outlined in the law which are binding to every mining right holder,” Mantashe warned.  He added:  “It is our view that the spirit in which Gold Fields is engaging contravenes the agreed approach and the laws governing the sector.”  The minister appealed to the company to engage with the department and labour unions over the possible retrenchments.

Read this report in full at The Citizen. See too, Mines minister concerned about Gold Fields job cuts, at Moneyweb. Read the Minister’s press statement at Polity

Holland begs indulgence of shareholders in hope of return on R32bn South Deep investment

Miningmx reports that Gold Fields CEO, Nick Holland, will ask shareholders to indulge his team for another long haul on South Deep, the in-distress West Rand mine which would neither be sold nor closed in favour of eventually making a return on some R32bn invested since 2006.  “If we continue to carry on here and improve some of the things we have been working on, there is a chance that some of that investment – who knows maybe all of it – can be recouped,” said Holland in response to questions in a media conference call on Monday.  But he also acknowledged that the mine, in its current state, was unsustainable.  “We cannot continue haemorraghing cash, hence the need for short-term interventions.  We are engaging with our shareholders and will continue to do so on this particular matter.  We should present a credible case for continuing,” he stated.  Holland acknowledged that the next two to three months would be “volatile” at the operation as already poor morale would be impacted by a restructuring that could see up to 1,560 staff shed at the mine.  Holland said negotiations with unions could take longer to conclude than 60 days, but he was adamant steps had to be taken as South Deep had cost the group R4bn in cash burn over the last four to five years, equal to some R100m per month.

Read this report by David McKay in full at Miningmx

Retrenchments in mines around Sun City a ‘grave’ threat to business

Timeslive reports that staff retrenchments in mines surrounding the Sun City resort in the North West have a “grave” impact on the establishment‚ parliament’s portfolio committee on economic development was told on Monday during an oversight visit.  The committee said in a statement that it “heard that Sun City is highly dependent on disposable income in communities living in the surrounding area‚ and the looming threat of retrenchments at mines such as the Impala Platinum mine‚ which retrenched about 2‚000 miners in 2017‚ poses a big risk for the resort.”  The statement went on to indicate that a revenue shortage of R100 million and bookings that were around 30% lower compared to the previous financial year posed a major threat to the staff of around 10‚000 people‚ including service providers.  The resort itself has a staff complement of around 4‚200 permanent staff‚ with 1‚300 casual staff employed through labour brokers and 1‚200 casual staff employed by Sun International.  The resort also faces a number of other challenges related to mining in the Pilanesberg area close to the resort.

Read this report by Nomahlubi Jordaan in full at Timeslive. Read the portfolio committee’s statement at Parliament Online

Other posting(s) relating to mining

Outrage by government and Amcu misses Implats’ desire to reallocate growth capital, at Miningmx

Mining production in June better than expected, at BusinessLive

INDUSTRIAL ACTION / STRIKES / LOCK-OUTS

Full Gautrain service back on track after two-week strike by Untu members ends

BusinessLive reports that the Gautrain strike has ended, with operating company Bombela agreeing to give workers an 8% salary increase backdated to 15 July.  Full Gautrain services were due to resume on Wednesday after the two-week-long strike.  In terms of the pay agreement‚ workers who earned less than R8‚500 a month would have their salaries brought up to R8‚500.  Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) general secretary Dennis George said the agreement included an incentive bonus of R5‚000‚ which would be paid in December‚ and another bonus linked to key performance areas of the company, would be paid out in July 2019.  The housing allowance would be increased from R750 to R900, while the company would continue to subsidise medical expenses.  United National transport Union (Untu) spokesperson Sonja Carstens commented:  "We are very satisfied.  This is the best we could do under the circumstances."

Read this report by Nomahlubi Jordaan in full at BusinessLive

Bombela faces court action by Fedusa over non-disclosure of Gautrain financials

ANA reports that the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) on Monday threatened to take the Bombela Operating Company (BOC), which runs the Gautrain, to the Constitutional Court for allegedly refusing to disclose its financial statements.  This was after the two-week strike by Gautrain workers ended on Monday with a majority of workers accepting a one-year wage offer of an 8% salary hike.  Dennis George, general secretary of Fedusa, said that it was "constitutionally unfair" for Bombela to not disclose its financials during wage negotiations for unions to see how much was being made by the Gautrain and make necessary demands.  He claimed Bombela was being disingenuous for arguing that it was prevented from releasing its financials by the agreements it had with financial institutions and other social partners.  George explained his position thus:  "So if a company is bargaining in bad faith, where they don't want to give us the audited financial statements, that puts a hand behind our back and ties us down.  So we don't know exactly how much profits are being made.  That is the reason why we are prepared to take it to the Constitutional Court because it is critical for us to respect the rights of workers."  Gautrain spokesperson Kesagee Nayager said that Bombela had no obligation to make its financial statement public as it was a private company.

Read this report by Siphelele Dludla in full at IOL News. Read too, Fedusa will go to court to get Gautrain financials, at Timeslive

Sactwu suspends prolonged footwear strike, pending settlement ballot

ANA reports that the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) on Monday suspended a wage strike in the footwear industry pending a settlement ballot.  The strike entered its fifth week on the previous Monday.  General secretary Andre Kriel said the union would conduct a strike settlement ballot amongst its members this week after the employer body, the South African Footwear and Leather Association (Saflia), formally notified the union about its revised wage offer.  The ballot will be conducted in the form of a secret vote by workers and it is expected that it will be completed by Thursday this week.  “Saflia’s latest revised settlement offer is now a 7.5 percent wage increase plus the extension of family responsibility leave provisions to include spouses in the event of chronic or serious illness,” Kriel indicated.

Read this report in full at The Citizen. Read Sactwu’s press statement at Sactwu News

Academic studies resume at University of Fort Hare after eight-week strike

GroundUp reports that after eight weeks of deadlocked wage negotiations and disruptions at the University of Fort Hare‚ the second semester officially started on Monday.  Additional support and extended exam time are some of the measures the university will exercise in trying to mitigate delays caused by the long strike.  Management and unions agreed on a 7% wage increase and a R3‚000 once-off payment for each protesting worker.  Some 500 academic and support staff were involved and the initial demand was for a wage increase of 12% and other benefits.  Spokesperson for the university Khotso Moabi confirmed that academic activity was back to normal at both Fort Hare campuses.  Bulelani James of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) indicated:  “We are in full support of the catch-up plan.  Already all staff are back at work as we are trying to make up for the time lost.  We are glad that the negotiations came to an agreement as students were the most inconvenienced by this.”

Read this report by Chris Gilili in full at Timeslive

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING / WAGE NEGOTIATIONS

Pravin Gordhan will not step in on Eskom standoff with unions

BusinessLive reports that the standoff between Eskom and trade unions is set to continue this week after a meeting with public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan could not be secured.  This is despite both the power utility and the unions agreeing on wage increases.  Eskom’s decision to discipline employees involved in wildcat work stoppages is still holding up the signing of the agreement with the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).  The minister’s office confirmed he had received the joint letter from the unions on Monday requesting an urgent meeting and noted that the current dispute was being dealt with before a statutory body that had the legal authority to resolve the dispute, namely the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).  Suggesting that Gordhan would not be stepping in as yet, his spokesperson Adrian Lackay said:  "The minister hopes that all matters pertaining to the labour dispute can be resolved as expeditiously and as constructively as possible before the CCMA."

Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive

PROTESTS / MARCHES / CAMPAIGNS

Military veterans shut down Msunduzi municipal offices on Monday over jobs, tenders

ANA reports that a number of uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) members staged a sit-in at the Msunduzi municipality offices in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday demanding jobs and tenders.  Municipality staff members were told they could not leave city hall premises in Pietermaritzburg by the military veterans who arrived just before 8am.  Staff members were later allowed to leave after 10 am.  The veterans were complaining about jobs and tenders, saying they also wanted to benefit from council activities, including getting jobs.  They decried the alleged sidelining of veterans when appointments were made, adding that they needed recognition as they had fought for liberation.  Msunduzi Mayor Themba Njilo confirmed that he had met with the MKMVA leaders and received a set of demands.  Veterans disbanded and left the city hall after learning that some of them were likely to receive appointment letters later in the week.  Monday’s sit-in followed a similar one on 25 July at the offices of uMgungundlovu District Municipality where veterans made the same demands.

Read this report in full at The Citizen

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Court declines to set aside suspension of doctor with ‘bipolar disorder and psychotic tendencies’

The Citizen reports that a North West doctor who is under investigation by the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) after a baby girl and two other patients died, has lost his legal bid to keep on practising pending a misconduct hearing.  Judge Sulet Potterill dismissed an application by Dr David Sello of Ikageng in the North West to set aside his suspension pending a hearing by a professional conduct committee.  Sello claimed the process to suspend him had been unfair, impaired his professional status and left him without an income.  The judge said the complaints against him were extremely serious and the HPCSA had to act to fulfil its duty to protect the unsuspecting public.  She noted that an investigation had already been launched against Sello about one of five complaints against him prior to the suspension hearing.  The judge also said the protection of the public overrode Sello’s right to practise his profession and the decision to suspend him was just and reasonable under the circumstances.  Prof Bruce Sparks, who assessed the complaints for the HPCSA, said in a report Sello had been diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder with psychotic tendencies.

Read this report by Ilse de Lange in full at The Citizen. See too, Doctor’s bid to lift his suspension fails, on page 2 of The Star of 14 August 2018

RESTRUCTURING / RETRENCHMENTS / BUSINESS RESCUE

Esor Construction applies for business rescue, with 1,400 jobs threatened

BusinessLive reports that another decades-old construction firm has been pushed to the brink of collapse, with engineering and building group Esor on Monday applying for business rescue of its largest subsidiary, Esor Construction.  Largely to blame is the eThekwini municipality for hoarding R36m of Esor’s cash under a retention clause signed for the Northern and Western Aqueduct project.  Esor CEO Wessel van Zyl said that if eThekwini had released the funds 12 months ago when approached, "we wouldn’t be in this position today".  Construction companies usually put down 10% of the value of a project with clients as a form of security.  "It’s my cash, but it’s lying in the client’s bank account.  I think cash retention is one of the main items impacting on contractors today," Van Zyl observed.  Esor is also owed R22m by fellow construction outfit Basil Read, but is unlikely to get that money back after Basil Read itself applied for business rescue.  One of the biggest groups, Aveng, is also teetering after Murray & Roberts walked away from a bid to buy the company.  Former Esor CEO and current nonexecutive chairman Bernie Krone said "at our peak we employed close to 5,000 people.  We’re down to 1,400 people and they’re probably going to lose their jobs — that’s what is really sad about it."  The company has begun retrenchments to cut costs by about R4m a month.

Read this report by Giulietta Talevi in full at BusinessLive. Read Esor’s press statement at Moneyweb

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

Construction group Esor’s share price plunges 63% as it files for business rescue, at BusinessLive

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT / TRAINING / QUALIFICATIONS

Image of TVET colleges set to get a makeover to make them ‘the first choice’

BusinessLive reports that according to higher education and training minister Naledi Pandor, the government is on a mission to boost the allure and efficiency of technical and vocational education training (TVET) colleges.  The National Development Plan envisages the college sector as crucial as crucial in tackling skills shortages, but the sector is still hampered by a lack of funding and poor management.  A particular concern is that few TVET colleges have qualified teaching staff, or teachers with adequate technical skills.  Pandor, speaking at the annual International Vocational Education and Training Association conference in Cape Town on Monday, said making technical and vocational education training the "first choice" was a priority for the government.  She emphasised the need to place technical and vocational education at the centre of the skills-development agenda.  At the heart of the challenges facing the TVET system was the "rupture that occurred between colleges and employers, a rupture that began with the introduction of ‘private students’ well before the dawn of our democracy in 1994", said Pandor.

Read this report by Bekezela Phakathi in full at BusinessLive

CORRUPTION / WORKPLACE CRIME

Two ‘R14m theft’ professors take University of Johannesburg to court to clear their names

The Citizen reports that two former university professors alleged to have swindled more than R14 million out of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) want to clear their names.  The former UJ professors, Roy Marcus and former UJ council chairperson Jaco van Schoor, who was also the finance vice-chancellor, have lodged an application for damages against UJ with the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.  Marcus and Van Schoor have denied the allegations that they stole more than R14 million from the institution.  An affidavit from the university claims Marcus and Van Schoor used fraudulent invoices to direct funds intended for the university’s upgrades and projects to companies linked to them.  According to Clyde and Co, the two former UJ professors’ legal defence, there is no basis for the conclusion that the two professors stole money or acted unlawfully.  The two professors did not oppose the application for damages brought against them by the university whereby they were ordered to pay back the R14 million.  According to the lawyers for the duo, the court did not have the benefit of their clients’ version on oath nor did they witness their clients’ arguments.

Read this report by Gopolang Chawane in full at The Citizen. Read too, Former UJ bosses in bid to clear their names, on page 1 of The Star of 14 August 2018