In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Tuesday, 30 July 2019.
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Unemployment rate rises to 29%, reaching highest level in more than a decade Reuters reports that SA’s second quarter unemployment rate rose to 29.0%, its highest level in more than a decade, from 27.6% in the first quarter. There were 6.7 million people without jobs in the three months to the end of June, compared with 6.2 million people in the prior quarter, Statistics South Africa indicated its quarterly labour force survey results released on Tuesday. “This is highest it has gone since the first quarter of 2008 since we began the quarterly labour force survey,” said Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke. Employment losses were mainly driven by private households, transport, mining and finance, Stats SA indicated. The expanded definition of unemployment, which includes people who have stopped looking for work, rose to 38.5% in the second quarter from 38.0% in the previous quarter. Read the original of this report by Mfuneko Toyana at Moneyweb. Read too, SA’s jobless rate now almost at 30%, at BusinessLive Households employ 49,000 fewer people, overall unemployment rises to 29% in second quarter TimesLIVE reports that according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics SA on Tuesday, there are 49,000 fewer people employed in domestic environments, while the beleaguered mining sector is among the industries to have shed thousands of jobs. Overall, the unemployment rate worsened from 27.6% in the first quarter of 2019 to 29% in the second quarter. The report states: "The number of employed persons increased in six of the 10 industries, with the largest increases recorded in trade (84,000), community and social services (48,000), construction (24,000) and manufacturing (9,000). However, employment losses were recorded in private households (49,000), transport (42,000), mining (36,000) and finance and other business services (21,000)." Professional occupations (44,000) recorded the largest employment losses, followed by Domestic worker (19,000) and Elementary (16,000) occupations. By job categories, the largest increase was observed in Manager occupations (up by 64,000), followed by those in Clerical occupations (up by 29,000) and Sales and services (up by 20,000). The Eastern Cape has the highest unemployment rate (35.4%), while the North West recorded the highest expanded unemployment rate (46.6%). Read the full original of the above report at TimesLIVE SA’s population swells to over 58-million, as Stats SA warns about prospects for youth BusinessLive reports that Statistics SA indicated on Monday in its 2019 midyear population estimates that there are about 58.78-million people living in SA today. The key findings from the report include the following: Just over half of SA's population are women at 51.2% (or about 30-million); about a quarter of South Africans (25.8%) live in Gauteng (about 15.2-million people) followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 19.2% (about 11.3-million); more than one in four South Africans (28.8%) are 15 years old or younger; most of these young people live in Gauteng (21.5%) and KwaZulu-Natal (21.1%); and almost one in 10 South Africans (9%) are aged 60 or older. Stats SA commented on its website on Monday: “Using the demographic window of opportunity‚ the youth bulge in SA could be harnessed to unleash a potential demographic dividend. However‚ the majority of SA’s youth often falls within one of three categories: uneducated, unemployed, and unemployable.” It added: “Using a money-metric approach‚ a fifth of SA’s youth (18–34 years old) fell below the lower bound poverty line of R664 per person per month.” Read the full original of the report on the above by Nico Gous at BusinessLive
Burst water pipe floods trench, killing worker in Despatch on Monday HeraldLive reports that a man was killed while another three managed to escape when the water pipe they were fixing burst and caused the trench in which they were working to fill up, with one of the workers stuck inside. The incident happened on the outskirts of Despatch at midday on Monday. The four men were working for a municipal contractor. Police spokesperson Captain Gerda Swart said the four workers were fixing a leaking water pipe in an open field between the Transnet building and Cuyler Manor Road. “The pipe then suddenly burst which resulted in a lot of water flowing into the hole. Three workers managed to get out of the hole,” she indicated. A postmortem is to be conducted. Nelson Mandela Bay municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said: "If it is true, the news is both shocking and devastating. The municipality will institute an investigation into the matter. After that investigation an informed comment will be made." Read the full original of Gareth Wilson’s report on this story at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Landmark gold mining silicosis settlement could exceed R5bn BL Premium reports that six of SA’s biggest gold mining companies could be liable to pay victims of silicosis more than the R5bn specified in a settlement approved by the High Court in Johannesburg. Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, human rights attorneys representing the class-action members said that the total compensation amount depended on the number of claims that have been made and are still to be made. “The guarantees of R5bn are regarded by both sides as being a reasonable estimate of what the ultimate liability might be, so it’s possible that it could be more than that … or less”, said attorney Michael Murray. The R5bn landmark settlement was approved by the High Court last Friday and is the result of a historic class action which dates back to 2012 when mine workers filed the lawsuit seeking compensation for silicosis and other occupational lung disease they suffered because of their work on the mines. Gold mining companies party to the settlement are African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye-Stillwater. They will pay between R10,000 to R500,000 per claimant, depending on the severity of each case. Families of deceased mine workers are also eligible for compensation. Read the full original of Phumi Ramalepe’s report on the above at BusinessLive (paywall access only) Amcu slams Harmony Gold for high fatality rate Business Report writes that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has called on the government to turn up the heat on Harmony Gold where seven mineworkers have died at the company’s SA operations so far this year. “Mining houses should face greater accountability through stronger regulation and enforcement by the Department of Mineral Resources,” Amcu said. The union also called on mining bosses to invest more of their profits and dividends in safety systems and infrastructure. Harmony advised last week that a rock drill operator had died at its Tshepong mine after being trapped in a fall of ground incident. A Harmony spokesperson said on Monday that all the company’s employees were encouraged to stop working when a workplace was considered unsafe. The mining industry has reported 27 fatalities so far this year compared to 45 for the same period in 2018. Read the full original of the above report by Dineo Faku on page 15 of Business Report of 30 July 2019 Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Crippling Tshwane strike to intensify if no wage deal is reached by Tuesday, says defiant Samwu BusinessLive reports that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has vowed to intensify its crippling industrial action in Tshwane, which saw the entire CBD gridlocked on Monday, should the employer not table a revised wage offer by Tuesday. Senior managers at the metro got an 18% increase and the workers are demanding a similar increase. Samwu regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane on Monday said a general workers’ meeting would be called on Tuesday morning to deliberate on an anticipated offer from the employer. “Workers are demanding a fair treatment as those of group and divisional heads. If certain employees can be paid an 18% salary increase surely general workers and cleaners should also be paid a similar increase,” he argued. Tladinyane added that if no agreement was reached to break the deadlock, the union would intensify its strike action. That could see all of the city’s 19,000-strong workforce downing tools in a bid to force the employer to accede to the demand for an 18% wage increase, backdated to 2017. Municipal workers are also disgruntled over the council’s decision that will see city manager Moeketsi Mosola receiving a R7.5m payout to step down at the end of July. The agreement between Mosola and the city council was reached on Thursday in a closed sitting by the Tshwane metro. Read the full original of Luyolo Mkentane’s report on the above story at BusinessLive Tshwane bus blockaders to be charged, may get fired The Citizen reports that the City of Tshwane is determined to bring criminal charges against the striking bus drivers responsible for the gridlock in the city centre on Monday. The CBD was plunged into chaos after municipal workers blocked roads with buses belonging to the Tshwane Bus Services. SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane confirmed its members were protesting about wages and said: “It’s not only municipal bus drivers that are on strike, but general workers affiliated to Samwu are also demanding an 18% increase. We have spoken to the senior managers about the increase, but it seems that there’s no way forward.” He said the union would continue with the protest “and bring the city to a standstill”, but denied the union had known the buses would be used in a blockade. Roads and transport mayoral committee member Sheila Senkubuge said although the city respected the rights of workers to protest, it did not condone the “theft and abandonment of municipal property”, nor the use of said property to inconvenience other road users in the city. She said: “We now have a list of all the drivers who stole buses and abandoned the vehicles on the roads. We will be laying criminal charges against them and there will also be disciplinary action taken against them. There is a strong possibility they will lose their jobs.” Read the full original of the above report by Chisom Jenniffer Okoye at The Citizen Tshwane gets interdict against unlawful Pretoria CBD protesters Pretoria News reports that the City of Tshwane indicated on Tuesday that it had obtained an urgent court interdict against the unlawful protest orchestrated by workers affiliated to the SA African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu). Mayoral spokesperson Omogolo Taunyane said the interdict was obtained as an urgent measure to enable the City to deliver services to Tshwane residents. Workers downed tools on Monday after talks between their union and the municipality over an 18% salary increase failed to produce positive results. Taunyane accused Samwu of demonstrating criminally by embarking on the illegal protest. The strike continued on Tuesday with a negative impact on the flow of traffic and business operations in the inner-city. Taunyane observed that residents and the business community were negatively affected by the ongoing disruptions. Meanwhile, taxi drivers in Pretoria expressed their frustration with the disruption caused by the strikers, saying it had seriously affected their business. Most business people closed their shops because they felt threatened by the strikers. Read the full original of the above report by Rapula Moatshe at Pretoria News. Read too, Angry workers wreak havoc on Pretoria CBD roads despite interdict, at Independent News Tshwane bus strike chaos continues on Tuesday with blocked roads and traffic mayhem TimesLIVE reports that Tshwane traffic remained congested on Tuesday due to the continued municipal workers' strike. The strike started on Thursday, but after negotiations between the union and council reached a deadlock, the strike intensified on Monday morning. Municipal workers are demanding 18% salary increases in line with increases received by senior managers. The SA Municipal Workers Union's (Samwu's) Greater Tshwane branch said in a statement on Sunday: "If money is good for senior managers, equally we also deserve money. Our demand remains 18%, backdated to July 1 2017.” The union also wants the city to stop outsourcing services. "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 SA Local Government Bargaining Council on July 29," Samwu regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane indicated. Transport minister Fikile Mbalula issued a statement on Monday urging bus drivers to respect the rights of other road users, adding that they should discuss their grievances with the municipality and desist from blockading roads. He added: "Lawlessness must not prevail. Workers have a right to strike but they must do so within the confines of traffic laws." Read the full original of the above report by Unathi Nkanjeni at TimesLIVE. Read too, Tshwane bus services suspended following strike chaos, at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Eskom Board chairman Jabu Mabuza steps in as acting Eskom CEO BusinessLive reports that Eskom board chair Jabu Mabuza will take up the role of acting CEO of the troubled state-owned entity for the next three months, public enterprise minister Pravin Gordhan advised on Monday. In a statement, Gordhan said he had informed the Eskom AGM of his decision to appoint Jabu Mabuza as the interim executive chair for Eskom and acting CEO of Eskom Holdings. The announcement comes ahead of the release of Eskom’s annual results on Tuesday, when the struggling power utility is expected to report record losses. On Wednesday, current CEO Phakamani Hadebe will vacate his office after he resigned over health concerns. “Within the three month period during which Mr Mabuza will be the executive chairman and acting CEO, the Eskom board will conclude the process of identifying a suitable candidate to become the next Eskom Group CEO,” Gordhan indicated. Mabuza, a successful entrepreneur, was also the chair of quasi state-owned enterprise Telkom before stepping down in February. Although Hadebe resigned in May, Eskom only advertised the post a little more than a week ago. Read the original of Lisa Steyn’s report on the above at BusinessLive. Read too, Eskom board backs Mabuza in dual roles as chair and CEO, at Engineering News Solidarity taking legal action after Denel's battle to pay staff salaries Fin24 reports that trade union Solidarity announced on Monday that it would serve state-owned arms manufacturer Denel with court papers on Wednesday and announce further legal action thereafter. Denel's ability to pay staff salaries has been hanging in the balance, with the company promising last week – after some uncertainty – that it would be able to pay salaries for the month of July. The company has used bridging finance to pay salaries, but has also received a commitment from government for recapitalisation by late September. Solidarity will announce the details of its court action at a briefing on Wednesday. The union's chief operating officer Dirk Hermann said the legal action would include an urgent court application with a view to prosecution, in light of a dossier the union submitted to Denel regarding alleged corruption and mismanagement. "The purpose of the legal action is to protect the money of Denel employees as well as the taxpayer’s money,” said Hermann. In the statement, the union also said it was planning on taking similar steps against former directors of power utility Eskom. Read the original of the report on the above by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Male teacher at well-known Durban girls' school suspended after sexual harassment allegations News24 reports that a male teacher accused of sexually harassing female pupils at Grosvenor Girls High School in Durban has been suspended. Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu said on Tuesday: "We view all allegations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously and will investigate all allegations rigorously." Pupils demonstrated at the school on Monday and demanded that the teacher be axed. Mshengu advised that a team of senior officials had been dispatched to the school to investigate the matter and gather more information. He added that the department would not tolerate sexual harassment or any form of sexual abuse. Democratic Alliance (DA) MPL Imran Keeka claimed that when the girls raised the serious allegations, the school principal remained "indifferent to meeting stakeholders or to properly interact on this issue". He said the principal should also be suspended. Read the full original of the above report by Kaveel Singh at News24. Read too, KZN department to investigate sexual assault claims after 600 pupils protest, at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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