In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Monday, 20 May 2019.
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Legal Aid lawyers, in fear of disgruntled clients, demand security guards Sunday Independent reports that lawyers working at the offices of Legal Aid SA in central Johannesburg say being at work poses a threat to their well-being because they fear being attacked by disgruntled clients who have lost their cases. They say they have no security at the premises and some of their colleagues have come under attack in their offices. Last week Sunday Independent visited one of the offices in Fox Street, Johannesburg, and found no security guards to take details of the visitors. Visitors were not searched at the entrance before making their way through to the reception. An agent for the owners of the building said companies with a public interface such as Legal Aid should arrange their own security personnel at their entrance. On Wednesday, lawyers across the country submitted a memorandum to the national office in Braamfontein during a protest against bad working conditions and lack of security at work, as well as changes to the group life cover policy. Employee Andile Mavatha observed: “Some clients visit our local offices in possession of weapons such as firearms and so forth. There have been incidents where employees were exposed to physical and verbal abuse at their respective local offices.” Mavatha claimed national officials were aware of the danger they were facing, but did nothing to mitigate it. Legal Aid SA has undertaken to urgently investigate offices that were most vulnerable and implement corrective measures to improve security, “albeit without making them fortresses that would be inaccessible to the public.” Read the full original of Manyane Manyane’s report in the above regard at Sunday Independent Soweto hospital evacuated after fire breaks out in building, no injuries reported SowetanLive reports that the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto was evacuated after a fire broke out in one of the rooms at the facility's administration block on Monday morning. Some patients were transported by EMS personnel to other facilities, including the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Diepkloof, while others were still being loaded into buses. Patients were seen sleeping on their hospital beds, which had been placed along the hospital's parking area, while others were sitting on chairs while they were being assisted by medical staff. A male patient with a drip attached to his hand stated that they had been woken at around 6am and that there had been a lot of smoke, although no visible flames. A 25-year-old pregnant woman said she was afraid when she had heard about the fire and that there had been chaos with nurses trying to assist patients and remove newborn babies from the wards. Read the original of Zoë Mahopo’s report in the above regard at SowetanLive. See too, Cause of fire at Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto being probed, at EWN
Amplats fires half of Mototolo mine underground workforce after unprotected strike BusinessLive reports that Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) laid off about half of the underground workforce at its Mototolo mine after an unprotected strike over changes to conditions of service. The platinum producer said the General Industrial Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) had declared a dispute at the Limpopo mine, in which it has full control after buying out the stake held by Glencore. According to the union, changes Amplats made to the medical aids of those coming from Glencore’s payroll, to bring them in line with its own systems, amounted to a “unilateral change in employees’ conditions of service”. Amplats argued the schemes entailed similar benefits. The union declared a dispute with Mototolo at the CCMA on 9 May. A day later, Amplats was granted a court interdict preventing the union from striking. But, employees belonging to the union went on strike anyway and have not heeded calls to return to work. Apparently, about 600 employees were dismissed, but they have until 21 May to appeal the termination of their employment. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) indicated that unlike the five-month Amcu strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines, the Mototolo strike was not violent. Read the full original of Allan Seccombe’s report on this story at BusinessLive. Read too, Amplats dismisses 643 workers at Mototolo Mine following unprotected strike, at Fin24. And also, Amplats fires 643 at Mototolo Mine amid eight-day unprotected strike, at Miningmx Minority shareholders urge PIC to block Sibanye-Stillwater’s takeover bid for Lonmin BL Premium reports that Lonmin minority shareholders are urging the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) to reject the current terms of Sibanye-Stillwater’s takeover bid, which they believe is inadequate. The investment manager, which has a 29.3% stake in the London-registered and listed platinum group, is the single largest shareholder and the only one that could block the deal as it requires 75% shareholder approval. Deon Botha, head of corporate affairs at the PIC, would not be drawn on the issue. But, Bloomberg has quoted unnamed PIC sources expressing concern about the erosion of the value of the deal and said a decision on whether to back the deal would be taken on Monday. Anton Hugo, an independent mining analyst at Prima Research, described as “totally inadequate” the recent slight revision of the bid, in terms of which Lonmin shareholders would receive one Sibanye-Stillwater share for each Lonmin share. Ahead of any decision the PIC might make on Monday, Sibanye-Stillwater said it had no intention of making any further revisions. The Lonmin directors have unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favour of the transaction and have no plans to seek an improved offer. If the current deal is finalised, Lonmin’s top management will pick up an immediate R130m payout as all 9.2-million share options held by the executives will vest. Read the full original of Ann Crotty’s report in the above regard at BusinessLive (paywall access only). Read too, Certainty over deal between Sibanye and Lonmin wanes, at BusinessLive (paywall access only). And also, Sibanye-Stillwater says increased offer for Lonmin takeover is final, at Business Report. As well as, Lonmin welcomes ruling against Amcu on Sibanye takeover, at SABC News Charges dropped against six of the eight ex-Amcu leaders accused of murder ANA reports that the High Court in Pretoria on Monday withdrew charges against six of the eight former leaders of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) accused of plotting hits against miners and trade union leaders. State prosecutor Annalie Coetzer told the court there was not enough evidence to pursue charges against the six men. However, Samkelo Mkutshwa, 38, and Simphiwe Silwane, 36, both of Lusikisike in the Eastern Cape, will continue to stand trial. The men are believed to be some of the kingpins behind a spate of attacks in Marikana in 2017. In one of the attacks, the chairperson of the Marikana branch of Amcu was nearly killed. Malibongwe Mdazo was shot 16 times but survived the attack. The two are facing six charges, including murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The matter was postponed to Tuesday. The original of this short report is at The Citizen CAPM mineworkers continue underground protest over wage increases and job grading SABC News reported on Sunday that over 100 mineworkers at China Precious Metal Company (CAPM) in Orkney near Klerksdorp in the North West remained underground in a sit-in, demanding a 15 % wage increase. Officials of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the mine’s management were locked in negotiations underground to find a solution to the wage deadlock and to bring the miners back to surface. Management said it was offering workers an 8% increase, but that it could not afford a higher increase. The NUM’s Livhuwani Mamburu indicated that that they have been engaging with the mine since September 2018 about the wage increase and other related matters. He commented: “There was a memorandum that was reached where the company says that they can offer 8% wage increase and also address the issue of job grading. The workers are also saying that they want a living out allowance. So the president of the NUM took that memorandum to the workers underground to get a mandate. So the workers have turned down the offer of 8%; they want the issue of job grading to be linked to positions that if you are a team leader that 8% must be linked to your position.” Read the original of the report on the above at SABC News Webber Wentzel provides overview of guidelines into ‘Medico-Legal Investigations of Mine Deaths’ Mining Weekly writes that following the Chief Inspector of Mines’ publication of a guidance note on Medico-Legal Investigations of Mine Deaths, Kate Collier, partner at law firm Webber Wentzel, has highlighted some of the basics employers should be aware of. The Chief Inspector’s guideline aims to provide certainty about the processes to be followed in the event that the cause of a death at a mine is not immediately clear and should be used to assist in determining whether mining-related activities at a mine might have contributed to the cause of death in the event of a fatality. Of particular relevance to employers are several principles, Collier notes, which are reinforced in the guideline. The timeous reporting of any death on a mine site and the start of an investigation in terms of Section 11(5) of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) is key, as is the proper barricading of the area where the accident occurred or the deceased person was discovered, as well as the timeous recording of names of witnesses and other relevant details. Collier goes on to point out a number of further requirements that should be followed and complied with. Read the full original report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other general posting(s) relating to mining
eThekwini's uncollected rubbish following strike causes huge irritation for residents Sunday Tribune reports that Durban residents are angry that refuse has still not been collected from their properties after a strike by municipal workers in the last two weeks. The employees were protesting about the salaries they received compared with more recently hired former military veterans. Before the workers eventually decided to return, the city said private contractors would be used and various teams, particularly Durban Solid Waste (DSW), would work through the weekend to cover the backlog and ensure the situation was restored to normality. However, in areas such as Glenwood, Chatsworth and Chesterville piles of rubbish remained on the streets. Residents in Yellowwood Park, Glenwood, upper Highway and surrounds, have also complained about rubbish not being collected. In Chatsworth, a road was closed after the dump site reached capacity. eThekwini municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said that because of the high number of issues reported by residents, it would take time for all matters to be resolved. He indicated that the entire work force had returned to work on 7 May and that DSW was working tirelessly to clear the backlog. Read the full original report by Siboniso Mngadi on this story at Sunday Tribune
Axed Fedusa head says workers can still benefit from AYO shares Fin24 reports that Dennis George, the dismissed general secretary of the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa), has responded to his axing by saying that the organisation could still benefit by taking up shares in IT company AYO Technology Solutions. George was dismissed on Friday after being suspended in late February. Last week Fedusa’s National Executive Council unanimously decided to fire George in line with the recommendations of an internal investigation into George’s dealings in shares in AYO. In a statement on Monday morning, George said that the organisation could still take up an allocation of 11 million AYO shares housed in a company called Difeme investments, of which George is the sole director. As of Monday morning, 11 million AYO shares were worth about R120m. George said the shares were placed in the company as Fedusa did not have an investment company in which to house them, and that he never intended to benefit personally from the shares. He criticised what he called "disinformation" about his role, saying he was a "facilitator". George is a non-executive director at AYO. The IT company's funding by the Public Investment Corporation has come under the spotlight at the judicial commission of inquiry into the PIC. Read the full original of Jan Cronje’s report in the above regard at Fin24
PG Group recruits another 120 young graduates under YES initiative ANA reports that the PG Group on Monday said it was adding a further 120 young graduates to its workforce in a bid to create job opportunities across all its business divisions in collaboration with the Youth Employment Service (YES). The glass manufacturer and supplier said it was heeding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to create new work opportunities for the country’s vast number of unemployed youth. The YES initiative was launched by Ramaphosa in March 2018, as a joint initiative between government, business, labour and civil society to collectively advance a national plan to build economic pathways for the youth. Charles Bromley, chief executive of the PG Group, said the group’s YES journey began in October 2018 with an initial intake of 120 youth who commenced their experiential workplace programmes. Bromley indicated that a national recruitment drive for the second intake of 120 youth was currently underway. Dr Tashmia Ismail-Saville, chief executive of YES, observed: “We are already entering a dynamic new phase of YES where we see businesses beginning to engage their second-year cohorts and we look forward to an exciting future.” Read the full original of the report on this story at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
IFP joins chorus calling for eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede to resign over corruption charges TMG Digital reports that the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has joined the chorus of those calling for embattled eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede to step down pending charges against her relating to the R208m Durban Solid Waste tender scandal. The IFP also called for an independent inquiry to examine all corruption allegations following Gumede's arrest and reports that Hawks investigators were preparing to move on 62 councillors from eThekwini municipality who were implicated in the same tender fraud and corruption. Referring to Gumede's stringent bail conditions, IFP secretary-general Velenkosini Hlabisa said in a statement on Monday: "The mayor of eThekwini must be given time to focus on these serious allegations. The investigation will negatively affect her leadership in leading the metro. The bail conditions will effectively make her not fulfil her responsibilities to the fullest. eThekwini needs a leader who will have undivided attention as the city is engulfed by numerous challenges." The party also urged the Hawks to "deal with this matter to the core‚ with no fear or favour". With calls mounting for Gumede to step down after her arrest‚ the embattled mayor has refused to quit over what she called "mere allegations". She met members of ANC provincial structures at the weekend to state her side of the story and appeared unfazed by calls for her to step down. Read the full original of Bongani Mthethwa’s report on this story at SowetanLive
Intercape bus driver found hanging from tree after deadly crash in Welkom TimesLIVE reports that the 32 year-old driver of an Intercape bus that overturned in the Free State - killing at least eight people and injuring 45 - was found hanging near the crash scene early on Monday in an apparent suicide. The bus crashed on Alma Road in Welkom just before 5am on Monday. Police spokesperson Brig Motantsi Makhele advised that two of the eight people who had died included two children, while the 45 persons who were injured had been transported to various hospitals. "The body of the driver was found hanging from a tree not so far from the accident scene," Makhele said, adding that an inquest docket had been opened. The original of a short report by Iavan Pijoos is at TimesLIVE
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