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 roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 14 June 2019.
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Cyril Ramaphosa vows in address on 16 June to tackle youth unemployment BusinessLive reports that government has vowed to prioritise science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics at schools to equip the youth with skills to meet technological advances. Addressing scores of young people on Sunday at a Youth Day event in Polokwane, Limpopo, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “Our young people need the necessary tools that they can use to navigate the changes these bring to the workplace and seize the opportunities that they present.” He noted that coding and data analytics were being introduced as school subjects in accordance with commitments made at last year’s Presidential Jobs Summit. “We agreed on a number of initiatives to accelerate the skilling of our young people to take advantage of jobs in the tech sector, as well as in installation, maintenance and repair jobs,” Ramaphosa pointed out. The president also promised that government would introduce more technical high schools so that young people who wanted to follow a technical route to acquire skills that were needed in the economy had the opportunity to do so from a very young age. Ramaphosa acknowledged that youth unemployment remained a national crisis, with over half of South Africans aged 15 to 24 unemployed. However, he called on the private sector to get involved. Read the full original of Zimasa Matiwane’s report on the above at BusinessLive Ramaphosa calls high youth unemployment rate a shame on SA's conscience News24 reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the high unemployment rate among the youth in SA as "a shame on our country's conscience". Addressing several hundred people during the 16 June Youth Day commemoration in Polokwane on Sunday, Ramaphosa said it was the youth who reminded the nation that liberation of the country was not complete if millions of people were still living in poverty and were jobless. He related that over the last few months he had spoken to many people about their problems and challenges and they had told him “of the indignity of waking up each morning, hoping that [today] will be the day that they find work or some opportunity to change their lives, only to be disappointed day-in and day-out.” They had also told him of their despondency of having to sit at home despite having university degrees or diplomas because they did not have work experience. However, Ramaphosa also spoke of other young people who had become innovative and were now successful entrepreneurs and he encouraged young people to continue to create employment for themselves. On education, Ramaphosa said the government would continue to strengthen TVET colleges for young people to gain technical skills to develop the economy. Read the full original of Russel Molefe’s report on the above at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Press statements on youth unemployment
Truck driver who was petrol-bombed while resting on N1, dies of his injuries News24 reports that a truck driver whose vehicle was petrol bombed in the Western Cape earlier this month has died of his injuries. Bernard Groenewald sustained serious burn wounds after his truck was targeted on the N1, near Touws River, in the early hours of 2 June. He and his brother-in-law had pulled over to the side of the highway to rest. While they were sleeping, a petrol bomb was thrown through one of the windows. During the attack, Groenewald managed to jump out of the truck but a group of men chased him and threw another petrol bomb at him. After the attack, his employer, Yolanda Huddlestone of Huddlestone Logistics, questioned what the authorities were doing to assist trucking companies because there were no safe spots for stopovers, including on the N1 between Beaufort West and Cape Town. "Our drivers can't rest now because of attacks on their lives. We are calling on the government to do something because truck drivers are sitting ducks. This is our livelihood and also a service for the country," she lamented. No arrests have been made. Read the full original of this report at News24. Read too, Cops tracking leads after death of truck driver who was petrol-bombed, at News24 Foskor employee who fell to his death from sixth floor of concentrator plant buried on Saturday News24 reports that an employee who plummeted to his death from the sixth floor of Foskor's concentrator unit in Richards Bay was buried in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, according to the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa). Simiso Thabani Ntanzi, an instrument mechanic at the phosphate producer's newly built concentrator plant, was on duty when he fell to his death on 5 June. Numsa’s Richards Bay local secretary Charles Mohlala stated: “The Department of Labour conducted its own preliminary investigation shortly after the incident and there is an internal investigation underway to establish the cause of the fall. It is too early to say at this stage what caused him to fall. As Numsa, we send our deepest condolences to his family and his closest friends for the loss of this young worker. Numsa officials will continue to offer support to his family during this difficult time.” The original of Tammy Petersen’s short report in the above regard is at News24 Gugulethu fire station temporarily closed after attack on firefighters News24 reports that the City of Cape Town's safety and security department announced on Friday that the Gugulethu fire station had to be temporarily closed following an attack on firefighters on Thursday evening. Firefighters were attacked after extinguishing a fire at nearby municipal offices. Apparently, a car and a carport at the Fezeka municipal office, next to the fire station, were set alight. "Firefighters extinguished the fire, but soon became targets themselves when the group started hurling stones at their building, causing damage to the bay doors," mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith indicated. Firefighters at the Gugulethu station were deployed to other fire stations in the meantime amid safety concerns. The City called on Gugulethu residents to help identify the suspects behind the attack. Read the full original of Kamva Somdyala’s report on this story at News24 Hefty prison sentences for nine cop killers News24 reports that several persons found guilty of killing police officers in the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) between 2012 and 2017 have been handed hefty prison sentences for their crimes. Nine police killers were sentenced to a combined nine life sentences, while two were given a total of 32 years imprisonment. Six accused were recently convicted of killing Eastern Cape Warrant Officer Mawethu Singana and a motorist in 2012. The accused were sentenced on 7 June by the Mthatha High Court to three life sentences each for the murders of Sinanga, a community member and their accomplice who died at the scene. They were sentenced to a further 15 years for each of the remaining 37 counts, culminating in a combined 555 years of imprisonment. The sentences will not run concurrently. In respect of the murder of Warrant Officer Z Nyakaza in the Eastern Cape while off duty in October 2016, one of killers was sentenced to life imprisonment while the second accused was given 20 years in prison. Both accused in the fatal stabbing of Warrant Officer TN Mkhize in Umzinto in KZN in October 2017 were sentenced to life imprisonment. Sergeant KG Lefosa was killed in Bloemspruit in Free State in April 2017 while off duty and the accused in that case was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Read the full otignal of Kamva Somdyala’s report in the above regard at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Amcu demands R17,000 monthly minimum wage in platinum sector BusinessLive reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) is demanding R17,000 a month per miner in the platinum sector, as wage talks with the biggest producers start, prompting an angry response from Sibanye-Stillwater. The average basic wage for the lowest earners in the platinum industry is R11,500 a month. Amcu, which has used R12,500 per month as its rallying call since 2012 when it rose to prominence in the platinum industry, has adjusted its base demand to R17,000 per month because of inflation, the union’s president, Joseph Mathunjwa said on Friday. He noted the strong increase in palladium and rhodium prices since 2017 at a media briefing ahead of the start of wage talks with Sibanye-Stillwater, Anglo American Platinum and Impala Platinum. Amcu’s demands include provisions around housing, provident funds, transport, medical aids and other issues, which Mathunjwa said would amount to a total demand of R30,000 per worker. Sibanye immediately dismissed Amcu’s demands as “impractical and unaffordable”. An analyst described Amcu’s opening demands as the “usual opening gambit” and that there was unlikely to be a major strike because platinum miners were making good bonuses in the prevailing price environment. Read the full original of Allan Seccombe’s report on this story at BusinessLive. Read Amcu’s press statement at Polity Amcu leader takes diplomatic tone ahead of platinum wage talks Bloomberg writes that the leader of SA's biggest union in the platinum industry, which called the longest-ever platinum-mining strike and which self-identifies as "militant", the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (Amcu’s) president Joseph Mathunjwa is sounding rather diplomatic. Laying out the union's demands in the upcoming platinum pay talks, Mathunjwa on Friday stopped short of his usual fiery rhetoric. "It's a negotiation," he said, after being asked what would happen if producers refused to meet Amcu’s minimum wage requirement. One possible reason for the change in tone is that Amcu was forced earlier this year to call off a five-month pay strike at Sibanye Gold with little to show for it. Still, Mathunjwa's not ruling out a fight with the platinum miners either. "Because there's inequality, the only recourse that we have is a right to strike," he stated. The union has demanded wage increases of as much as 48% from producers, setting the stage for a tough fight in upcoming pay talks. And while Friday's demand looks high, it's not necessarily a harbinger of the final outcome as South African unions often start off with big asks. In the last wage round, Amcu accepted an increase of 12.5% for the lowest-paid workers, after initially demanding a 47% increment. Read the full original of Paul Burkhardt’s report on the above story at Fin24. Read too, Amcu seeks basic wage of R17,000 for members in platinum sector, at Mining Weekly Amcu says it spent R3m on legal action against Lonmin takeover by Sibanye-Stillwater EWN reports that according to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), it spent R3 million on its legal action against the Sibanye-Stillwater take-over of Lonmin. The R4-billion all-share transaction between the two mining giants was only finalised last week after Sibanye first applied to acquire Lonmin in March last year. Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said on Friday at a briefing in Johannesburg that their efforts to block the deal delayed the takeover by thirteen months, saving jobs in the process. He lashed out at the government for not backing Amcu with its efforts, accusing it of being pro-monopoly capital. “We don’t cry for the R3 million because we saved the jobs for 13 months because if you can count the amount or the salaries that we’ve saved for those workers for 23 months; it’s quite substantial,” Mathunjwa stated. Read the full original of Theto Mahlakoana’s report in the above regard at EWN Other general posting(s) relating to mining
SAA buys reprieve of a week from resolute unions ANA reports that two unions at SA Airways (SAA) said on Friday that the airline had requested one week to deal with their demands of reinstating Vuyani Jarana as group chief executive and completely overhauling the board. The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) met the SAA board on Thursday over workers’ grievances. In a statement, the unions said their key demand was that Jarana, who had produced a turnaround strategy that won the support of the government, the board, and the unions, must be reinstated immediately. SAA board chairperson JB Magwaza allegedly told the unions that there was no funding for the turnaround strategy and no funding capital for the airline. At the meeting, the unions apparently highlighted several key issues. They indicated afterwards: “The board has requested an extra seven days in order to deal with the demands we have tabled in our memorandums, and we have agreed to grant them extra time (a 48 hour deadline had initially been set). Whilst they deliberate, we will continue to mobilise on the ground in preparation for the possibility of the mother of all strikes in aviation if this board continues to ignore the demand to take the necessary steps to save SAA.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen. Read the two unions’ press statement at Polity It ain’t going to happen, says public enterprises about reinstatement of former SAA chief City Press reports that in response to queries submitted to the Department of Public Enterprises, spokesman Adrian Lackay, made clear there was no chance of the former CEO of SA Airways (SAA), Vuyani Jarana, coming back following his shock resignation. The SA Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) last week submitted a memorandum to SAA in which they demanded that Jarana be reinstated. Lackay stated: “The former SAA CEO resigned of his own accord. He will not be reinstated. The manner in which he resigned, despite the board’s requests to conduct himself in a responsible manner with regards to his resignation, exposed the airline to considerable risk amongst lenders and suppliers.” The two unions also demanded that Thandeka Mgoduso, Martin Kingson, Peter Tshisevhe and Geoff Rothschild be removed from the board. Lackay indicated that Gordhan was in the process of reviewing the SAA board, given that there are four non-executive director vacancies. SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali confirmed that the airline was in receipt of the memoranda received from the two trade unions that represent employees at SAA and SAA Technical respectively. In his resignation letter, Jarana wrote: “We were able to secure R3.5 billion of emergency funding from local banks as a bridge facility. This is what helped us be able to operate from December 2018 to date. The R3.5 billion facility will be depleted in June 2019.” Read the full original of Justin Brown’s report in the above regard at City Press SAA faces more woes as pilots’ association threatens strike BusinessLive reports that pilots at debt-ridden SA Airways (SAA) are threatening to go on strike over the national airline’s management and the appointment of interim CEO Zuks Ramasia. The carrier is in a dire financial state, operating at a loss and with outstanding debt of R21.7bn. Last week, unions Numsa and Sacca gave the government seven days to fire the airline’s entire board and to persuade CEO Vuyani Jarana to withdraw his resignation. Jarana cited slow decision-making and red tape at the airline, blurred lines of accountability and lack of funding as reasons for his departure. After the announcement of his resignation, SAA announced the appointment of Ramasia, the current GM for operations, as acting CEO. The SAA Pilots Association (Saapa) on Monday said the carrier would not survive unless critical operational and technical deficiencies were immediately addressed by a competent management team. “SAA needs an interim CEO with the appropriate experience and financial acumen to successfully run a major airline. Unfortunately, Ms Ramasia is not that person. Furthermore, many members of the current executive management team in place predate the appointment of Mr Jarana as CEO. It is the same team that navigated SAA into its current untenable position,” Saapa said. The association indicated that it was scheduled to meet the board this week. Read the full original of Genevieve Quintal’s report on this story at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Wage talks in automotive sector could hamper economic recovery BusinessLive writes that possible protracted wage talks in the automotive industry could hamper efforts to recover SA’s economy, which declined by R56bn in the first quarter of 2019. On Friday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) issued a stern warning to industry captains that the upcoming negotiations would be difficult. A multi-year wage agreement between Numsa and the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa) comes to an end on 30 June. Numsa fired the first salvo on Thursday when it declared that opening discussions with Naamsa had already hit a hurdle after the association refused to accept a pre-condition that workers would receive back-pay in the event of protracted wage talks. Numsa has yet to table its wage demands and would not say if it would settle for a multi-year agreement, which was favoured by employers as it would bring stability to the industry. “Difficult negotiations lie [ahead], that I can tell you without any fear,” the union’s national treasurer Mphumzi Maqungo said, explaining that this was because the automotive and tyre wage agreements were also coming to an end in June, while the motor sector was due for wage talks around August/September. He commented: “They want us to say we will shut down the automotive industry so that we are viewed as irresponsible. We are not over-zealous over a strike. We are going to these talks with cool heads because the strike’s impact will be felt by the entire country.” Read the full original of Luyolo Mkentane’s report in the above regard at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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