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 afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Monday, 29 July 2019.
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Firefighters hospitalised as blaze leaves shacks gutted in Cape Town TimesLIVE reports that three injured firefighters were taken to hospital for treatment after responding to a fire that gutted dozens of shacks overnight in Masiphumelele, Cape Town. The blaze started at around midnight and took several hours to extinguish. Initial reports estimated the number of shacks destroyed at 150. Cape Town fire and rescue services spokesperson Jermain Carelse said five firefighting appliances, a rescue vehicle and 21 staff members initially responded to the fire. When the first officer arrived on scene and made an assessment, he called upon more resources. Eighteen firefighting engines, two rescue vehicles and 79 staff were then brought in to contain the blaze. One adult male were treated for heat exposure by Metro ambulance staff. The fire was extinguished at 7am on Monday. Read the original of the report on the above at TimesLIVE
Union calls for Central Rand Gold, which is liquidation, to be rescued instead City Press reports that the majority union at the troubled Central Rand Gold SA has applied for the mining company which is already under liquidation, to be put under business rescue instead. The Building Allied Mining and Construction Workers’ Union, which represents 75 of the 120 company’s employees, has applied to the Johannesburg High Court for an order that the company be placed under business rescue. According to the application the union filed earlier this month, it was allegedly not properly informed of the decision to liquidate the company. The company was placed under liquidation two months ago after two creditors, including the City of Johannesburg, approached the court. At the time, the court appointed a provisional liquidator, Icon Insolvency Practitioners. However, at the first meeting of creditors last month, Icon was voted out and new co-liquidators were appointed. At the first meeting of creditors held by the new liquidators last week, the proven creditors were briefed about the court challenge. Zolile Smous, general secretary of the union, declined to comment and said he would only speak about on the issue once the court had dealt with it. Thabo Padi, the lawyer for the City of Johannesburg, which is owed more than R18 million, confirmed he had been mandated by his client to oppose the union’s application. Read the full original of Lesetja Malope’s report on the above on page 3 of City Press Business of 28 July 2019 Dubai investment company and Nehawu consider teaming up to bid for Gupta coal-mining assets Bloomberg News reports that Dubai’s DSA Investments is considering forming a venture with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) to bid for coal assets that Glencore was pressured into selling to a company controlled by the politically-connected Gupta family in 2015. The talks have not been publicly announced, but the venture would apparently be between Orchid Mining, a unit of DSA, and Nehawu Investment Holdings, which invests funds on behalf of Nehawu. The proposed venture could target the coal assets of Tegeta Exploration & Resources, which was placed under administration last year. Tegeta, which was owned by the Gupta family and a son of former president Jacob Zuma, became embroiled in controversy because of corruption allegations around its supply contracts with power utility Eskom. Its assets include the Optimum coal mine, the Koornfontein colliery and a share in Richards Bay Coal Terminal, which allows it to export coal. DSA apparently manages assets worth more than $10bn. Nehawu Investment has assets worth more than R3bn, according to its website. Read the full original of the report by Antony Sguazzin and Archana Narayanan on the above at Fin24 Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Buses block off Pretoria CBD on Monday amid pay dispute TimesLIVE reports that buses caused havoc in the Pretoria CBD on Monday morning as some City of Tshwane employees went on strike demanding 18% salary increases. The Greater Tshwane regional branch of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) said in a statement on Sunday announcing the strike that it also wanted the city to stop outsourcing services. Samwu met with local corporate and shared services MMC Richard Moheta on Friday. "If money is good for senior managers, equally we also deserve money. Our demand remains 18% backdated to July 1 2017. As much as we will ensure that an amicable solution is realised soon, our legal team has been instructed to lodge necessary documents with the SALGBC (South African Local Government Bargaining Council) on July 29 2019," Samwu regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane said in a statement on Sunday. Read t Health workers gear up for day of protest in Limpopo on Wednesday ANA reports that health workers in Limpopo are gearing up for a day of labour action on Wednesday when they will down tools and march to government offices to raise a number of grievances. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) said on Monday that the MEC of health in Limpopo, Phophi Ramathuba, had failed in her duties to resolve systemic challenges in health. The union demanded that she be fired. It claimed that there was an extreme shortage of staff in the department of health in the province and that health facilities were suffering from a continuous shortage of pharmaceutical supplies. Among other demands that Nehawu wants addressed are the withdrawal of circulars that grounded government vehicles and the appointment of community health workers as full-time employees of the department. Exactly a year ago, Nehawu held a similar day of action and delivered a memorandum of demands raising more or less the same issues. Read the original of the report on the above at The Citizen
SAA must be placed under business rescue to protect taxpayer money, says Solidarity TimesLIVE reports that an application for the business rescue of South African Airways (SAA) is to be brought by the Solidarity Network, as part of a tax protest campaign that the civic organisation is launching. This protest would include at least six legal actions against state enterprises, the organisation indicated in a statement on Sunday. Solidarity’s chief operating officer Dirk Hermann said the business rescue application would be lodged against SAA and the minister of public enterprises, Pravin Gordhan. He recalled that one year ago, Solidarity had wanted to bring the same case against SAA, but SAA’s former CEO, Vuyani Jarana, had made several promises to Solidarity. “However, these promises have not been met and Jarana has left. We must protect sustainable work at SAA … The work of our members and taxpayers’ money in SAA is too valuable to allow the airline to crash,” Hermann stated. Solidarity said it was also planning actions against Denel and Eskom. Read the full original of the report on the above at TimesLIVE. Read too, Solidarity to make court bid to place SAA in business rescue as part of 'shake a tax fist' campaign, at Engineering News As Denel’s woes increase, patience of workers is running thin City Press reports that state-owned arms manufacturer Denel’s financial distress is worsening and workers’ patience is running thin as the company has failed to pay annual increases. This came against the backdrop of already unpaid pension fund deductions. The company last month failed to pay full salaries on time to its 4,600 staff members. Last week, Denel warned this might happen again, but salaries were paid thanks to another lifeline in the form of bridging finance from an unnamed bank to secure the month’s pay cheques. It seems likely that this monthly battle for money to pay salaries and other expenses could continue for some time as Denel has not made a long-term financial arrangement to ensure it can pay its staff. Denel has also failed to pay the annual increases it committed to as part of a multiyear wage deal, which had understandably caused discontent among workers. The company had initially issued an internal communication advising that the annual increases, which were due in April, would be deferred to this month. But, staff have again been told there is still no certainty on the matter. Denel spokesperson Pam Malinda admitted that the company failed to pay over retirement contributions last month and said it was in the process of negotiating with banks for enough funds until government made good on its commitment to bail the enterprise out. The company was mum about allegations that it had not paid its SA Revenue Service tax bill. Read the full original of Lesetja Malope’s report in the above regard at City Press
More than 100 Amazon Web Services jobs available to South Africans Business Report writes that Amazon Web Services (AWS) is slowly expanding their footprint in South Africa and Cape Town is going to be home to an AWS infrastructure that should be operational by early 2020. The announcement was made at the AWS Summit in Cape Town by Peter Desantis, the AWS global infrastructure and customer support head. According to the Amazon website, the company has more than 100 job openings in Cape Town that were posted as far back as February 2017. The most recent job listing was posted on 24 July 2019. All of the positions are full time positions and are broken down into six business categories. The categories include Amazon Web Services, Amazon Customer Service, Student Programs, Advertising, Business and Corporate Development and Human Resources. The business category Amazon Web Services has the most job openings, with 101 available positions. Read the full original of the report on the above at Business Report New investments in Coega SEZ in Nelson Mandela Bay to create more than 2,000 jobs Fin24 reports that a total of R2.6bn new investments have been signed at the Coega Special Economic Zone, with expectations that they would create more than 2,000 jobs. The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) on Thursday announced it had secured an additional 18 investors for the 2018/19 financial year for the economic zone located in Nelson Mandela Bay. Of the total investments, R1bn has been sourced from the private sector, while 18% originate from China. The total investment of R2.6bn far exceeds the target of R693m. "Based on the new investments signed in the past financial year, our conservative estimations are that in excess of 2,073 jobs will be created," said Dr Ayanda Vilakazi, head of the CDC marketing, brand and corporate communications. These new jobs will be in addition to the 7,815 persons who working at the special economic zone on a daily basis. The largest share of investments, R848m, were committed to Coega's aquaculture development zone. The private sector aquaculture investment projects include an abalone farm and a land-based aquaculture farming facility. Read the full original of Lameez Omarjee’s report in the above regard at Fin24
Survey shows that SA employees have itchy feet The Mercury reports that the results of a recent global research study found that SA has the highest rate of employees who are open to leaving and actively planning to leave their current employment. The research was conducted by marketing company DCMN Insights Team with a representative panel provided by Dynata. The online survey of 5,028 respondents in SA, France, Germany, the UK and the US was conducted between August and September 2018. The research identified what South African employees wanted and how employers could adapt to positively impact employee satisfaction. Of the five countries surveyed, only the US had a happier workforce than SA. Some 66% of South Africans were very happy or happy in their current workplace. This increased to 86% with those working for companies who have implemented New Work principles. But, although 66% of South African employees said they were happy or very happy in their workplace, only one out of five employees had no plans to leave their current workplace. Looking at what employees said they wanted from their employers, across all markets, flexible working hours were among the top items with nearly two-thirds of South African respondents seeing this as the most important change they wanted to see in the workplace. In reality, only 24% have flexible working hours and only 14% have full liberty to work from home. Read the full original of the report on the above at The Mercury Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Tshwane gives city municipal manager secret ‘R7m’ golden handshake to leave quietly City Press reports that the Democratic Alliance--led Tshwane metro council on Thursday secretly awarded the city’s controversial municipal manager an 18% raise and a golden handshake worth millions. The council apparently also agreed that an investigation report by law firm Bowmans, which presumably laid bare Moeketsi Mosola’s role in a controversial multimillion-rand contract, would be regarded as “worthless” and would never be used against him. In terms of the settlement agreement, the parties are not allowed to make any negative statements about each other. During the council’s monthly meeting on Thursday, the proposed agreement was discussed behind closed doors and council members were made to return the documents, including a copy of the agreement, after the meeting. With the exception of the EFF, all the parties supported the proposed agreement. It entails a retrospective increase of 18%, backdated to 2017, and a payout for more than half of what remains of his five-year contract. Council members estimated that his golden handshake was worth more than R7 million and, according to the agreement, it must be in his bank account before Wednesday – his last day at work. Wayne Duvenage of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) condemned the golden handshake and said they would be meeting with their legal team this week with an eye on trying to halt the payment. Read the full original of Antoinette Slabbert’s report on the above story at City Press. Read too, Tshwane manager likely to be paid R7m in ‘golden handshake’, at The Citizen. And also, Mosola leaves Tshwane on full pay of R2.5m per year, at SowetanLive
Telkom CE Sipho Maseko takes a pay cut despite healthy growth in company revenue Business Report writes that telecoms company Telkom paid group chief executive Sipho Maseko 14.7% less pay in the year ended March 2019 compared to a year earlier, as fewer shares were vested to him in the year under review. Maseko’s total pay cheque was R23.17m in the 2019 financial year, including an R8.9m guaranteed package, and a short incentive of R7m. Dividends paid in unvested shares amounted to R2.5m, the company indicated in its 2019 Integrated Report released on Friday. Maseko’s total remuneration stood at an R27.19m in the year ended March 2018, which included R8m of guaranteed pay, and R7.5m in short-term incentives. Telkom rewarded Maseko with R11.5m in vested shares in 2018. Telkom reported that it paid Deon Fredericks, the chief financial officer who stepped down at the end of June, R4.7m and R5.8m. Frederick’s successor, Tsholofelo Molefe, was paid R6.4m in the 2019 financial year and R1.82m for her previous role as deputy chief financial officer, taking her total to R7.8m. The company paid its prescribed officers R63m. Telkom chairperson Jabu Mabuza, who stepped down at the end of May, said that the year to March 2019 was tough. However, Maseko, who has been chief executive since April 2013 commented that the company was reaping the fruits of new revenue streams. Read the full original of Dineo Faku’s report on the above at Business Report
PSA concerned about Public Protector's 'hypocritical' probe into HR processes at Sars and Kieswetter’s appointment ANA reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) has expressed concern about reported investigations by the Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, into SA Revenue Service (Sars) human resources processes and the appointment of new Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter. The union said "her own office should be investigated for the fitness to hold office of its CEO Vussy Mahlangu and his security clearance status". The PSA described Mkhwebane’s conduct as "hypocritical and a ploy to derail efforts" by Sars to restore its credibility and regain taxpayers’ confidence in executing its collection of revenue mandate. "The PSA has full confidence in the current Sars management and discourages any form of harassment and abuse of power against SARS by the [office of the public protector] or any other institution for ulterior motives," the union said in a statement. The PSA furthermore expressed concern that its shop stewards at the office of the public protector were being victimised and even suspended for performing their functions as union representatives. "The PSA regards these actions as a means to prevent the union from speaking out against ongoing improprieties in the workplace, including unlawful surveillance of phone calls, laptops being taken without any repercussions or reasons for such acts," the PSA said. It indicated that it would resist any form of "union bashing" by the office of the public protector. Read the full original of the report on the above at Independent News
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