INDUSTRIAL ACTION / STRIKES

Joburg’s Metrobus says all depots fully operational after week-long Demawusa strike

EWN reports that according to Metrobus, all its depots were operating at full capacity on Wednesday following last week's bus drivers’ strike.  Spokesperson Goodwill Shivuri said:  "We are fully operating today, all of our depots are out at full capacity so, we are up early and our buses are on the road."  Workers affiliated to the Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of SA (Demawusa) embarked on a week-long strike demanding better pay and union office space.  The union's spokesperson, Dion Makhura, advised that the union decided to return to work after it looked at the financial constraints of fighting Metrobus in court.  Makhura also said Demawusa members would look for a way forward while raising funds to enable it to challenge the company in court.  Meantime, Metrobus warned that employees who continued to stay away from work would face disciplinary action.  

Read the original of the above report by Thando Kubheka at EWN. Read too, Metrobus strike: Demawusa returns to work, for now, at News24

As strike against job cuts looms, industry body claims banks are still net job creators

News24Wire reports that according to the Banking Association of SA, SA’s six largest banks had 152,441 employees in 2018, some 4,000 more than the 148,500 employees in 2015.  “Given the strong growth in smaller banks and financial technology companies, the financial system in total remains a growing employer,” the association said in a statement.  In addition to SA’s established banks, there are three new competitors on the market – Tyme, Bank Zero and Discovery – with the reestablished African Bank also taking off.  They are all high-tech banks with fewer branches and staff than the older generation institutions.  The planned strike on Friday against job losses is being organised by finance union Sasbo, which claims to have 50,000 members.  The banks, meanwhile, will on Wednesday try to interdict the planned mass action on a technicality.  Sasbo issued its socio-economic strike notice in 2017, but is only now executing it.  Lobby group Business Unity SA, representing the big banks, argues that the notice is now invalid.  Sasbo, affiliated to trade union federation Cosatu, has planned the strike to protest the fact that many big banks have issued restructuring or retrenchment notices.  According to Sasbo, the banking sector can, among other measures, avoid job losses through attrition, redeployment and incentivised retrenchment and retirement packages.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News. Read too, Sars says while banking strike 'unlikely', contingency plans are in place, at Fin24

Nehawu slams Busa’s move to interdict Sasbo strike against job cuts in banking sector

Business Report writes that the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has condemned Business Unity SA (Busa) for seeking to interdict the looming strike at banks called by finance union Sasbo.  The strike is scheduled to take place on 27 September and is part of the build-up towards the national strike called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on 7 October.  Nehawu said in a statement on Wednesday that it stood in solidarity with Sasbo and it called on all its members, workers and society at large to join hands in fighting the jobs bloodbath taking place in all sectors of the economy, including the public sector.  “Currently, the real unemployment rate is 38 percent, with close to 10 million people struggling to get jobs.  A concerted effort is required to gallantly fight against unemployment and job losses,” the union exhorted.  The Banking Association SA (Basa) said it was taking the necessary precautions and steps to minimise possible disruption and inconvenience for customers.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sizwe Dlamini at Business Report

Numsa says it’s headed in the direction of a wage strike in motor retail, components sector

ANA reports that the National Union Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said on Tuesday it was headed for a strike in the motor retail and components sector as talks with employers over wages and allowances remained deadlocked.  On Monday, Numsa had said the CCMA was intervening after talks with the Fuel Retailers Association of Southern Africa (FRA), the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) and National Employers Association of SA (Neasa) broke down over a peace clause locking the union into a three-year wage deal, among other issues.  On Tuesday, the union said the negotiations with employers from the Motor Industries Bargaining Council (Mibco) had once more collapsed because the companies remained "inflexible".  "It seems we are headed for a strike," Numsa indicated.  The union added that if conciliation failed after another planned meeting on 30 September under the auspices of the CCMA, "then we are well within our rights to request a strike certificate, for an industry wide shut down".

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News

After intervening to end Amatola Water strike, Minister Sisulu condemned the action by the essential service workers

The Star reports that Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has slammed the strike by Amatola Water workers, who downed tools last Friday despite being essential service workers.  Amatola Water is responsible for the water supply to local municipalities of Amathole and Chris Hani districts.  At the heart of the dispute at the utility, which is accountable to Sisulu’s ministry, was the payment of 1.5% of the 8% increase as agreed upon by the Amanzi Bargaining Council for the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years.  But, the Amatola board declared that it could not afford to pay the 8% wage increase this financial year because of its financial distress, which culminated in the strike last week by disgruntled workers.  Following her successful intervention, Sisulu discouraged industrial action by the workers, emphasising that they were providing an essential service.  She remarked:  “While our employees are within their constitutional right to embark on a strike action, I appeal to all of them to always be mindful that they are not ordinary employees, as their much-needed service of providing water to the people of South Africa is an essential service.  I call on each and every one of them to be civil in their approach and always guard against opportunists who often use valid grievances for their selfish interest.”  It is still unclear on which terms the union reached consensus with the government.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siviwe Feketha at Independent News

MINING LABOUR

Sibanye-Stillwater plans to cut 5,270 jobs as it restructures Marikana operations

Mining Weekly reports that precious metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater on Wednesday advised that it would start consultations with relevant stakeholders regarding the restructuring of its Marikana operations and associated services.  It planned reduction of about 5,270 jobs affecting about 3,904 employees and 1,366 contractors.  The consultations in terms of Section 189A of the Labour Relations Act follow the completion of a detailed three-month review of the Marikana operations, post the Lonmin acquisition becoming effective in June.  “Overall, the outcome will be a more sustainable business which is able to secure employment for the majority of the Marikana workforce for a much longer period,” Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman commented.  The restructuring will result in the rationalisation of overheads and the realisation of other synergies and efficiencies required to restore profitability and ensure the sustainability of the remaining shafts at the Marikana operations, the company said in a statement.  Sibanye noted that the six-month moratorium on forced retrenchments imposed by the Competition Commission Appeal Court would lapse on 7 December.  Commenting on the announcement, trade union Solidarity posited that the affected employees were paying the price for trade union Amcu’s five-month strike in 2014 and former Lonmin CEO Ben Magara’s “mismanagement”.  Solidarity said it would do everything to prevent retrenchments, or alternatively, to ensure that no forced retrenchments took place before the end of the year.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly. Read too, Sibanye-Stillwater to cut 5,270 jobs at Marikana operations in effort to reach profitability, at Miningmx

Illegal mining issue too big for mining companies to handle on their own

In comment on Wednesday, BusinessLive noted that Pan African Resources (PAR), a gold miner in Mpumalanga, has doubled spending on security to R106m to prevent illegal mining primarily at its Barberton property.  Barberton, which has been mined since 1886, is a Swiss cheese of shafts and underground workings in the hills bordering Swaziland.  A decade ago there was a huge rise in illegal mining around the town where PAR is essentially the only mining game in town.  The company clamped down as much as it could with its internal security and the assistance of police.  PAR CEO Cobus Loots said at the company’s annual results briefing last week that if the company had not more than doubled spending on security to R106m its operations would have been overrun by illegal miners.  “We can, in the normal course, protect our operations at a cost, but illegal mining and its effect of unsettling communities and adversely affecting mining economies is beyond the scope of mining houses to resolve on their own,” Loots said.  BusinessLive says that greater collaboration between gold mining companies, police and the judiciary, combined with the political will to address a problem that is now a multimillion-rand criminal business with no benefit to the fiscus or SA at large, needs urgent attention.

Read the full original of the above comment at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

LABOUR AND POLITICS

Cosatu aims to shut border gates to eSwatini over Swazi workers' pay strike

TimesLIVE reports that the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has vowed to shut down SA’s borders with eSwatini in solidarity with a strike in that country by public servants.  Hundreds of government workers in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) were expected to embark on a national strike over salary increments on Wednesday.  Cosatu’s Mpumalanga spokesperson Thabo Mokoena said Cosatu would protest in solidarity by blocking three border gates between SA and eSwatini, namely Mahamba, Matsamo and Oshoek.  “As Cosatu, we will embark on border protest action in support of a strike by the National Public Services & Allied Workers Union, as part of our initiatives to pledge international solidarity to workers even outside our borders,” said Mokoena.  Speaking of the protesters' demands, Mokoena said they included better pay and salary increments after they had not received increments for three consecutive years.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nonkululeko Njilo at TimesLIVE

BUSINESS MERGERS / TAKEOVERS

Competition Tribunal gives final go-ahead, with conditions, for Milco takeover of Clover

Fin24 reports that the Competition Tribunal has given the go-ahead to a takeover of SA's biggest dairy company, Clover, by Tel Aviv-based Milco.  The R4.8bn takeover deal is subject to a range of conditions, including employment, local procurement and information sharing conditions.  In its statement on Wednesday, the Tribunal said it initially had concerns about the impact on employment.  A total of 516 employees had been set to be retrenched as a result of the completion of Clover's Project Sencillo, a project unrelated to the merger aimed at better utilisation of assets.  Clover said had managed to reduce net job losses to a maximum of 277 positions.  This was partly because of Milco’s undertaking to create 550 new permanent jobs over a period of five years through the expansion of Clover's Masakhane Project, which involves servicing underserved markets such as general traders and spaza shops.  Other employment-related conditions as agreed to include that the merged entity will not retrench any employee in SA as a result of the merger (excluding Project Sencillo) and reasonable relocation and training costs to be contributed for affected employees that successfully apply for vacant or new positions in Project Masakhane.  Cosatu, the Food and Allied Workers Union and the General Industrial Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) have expressed their opposition to the deal.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24

EDUCATION / TEACHING

Ramaphosa condemns teachers who have sexual relations with pupils

ANA reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday rebuked sexual assault of pupils by teachers and called on law enforcement authorities to investigate and arrest the perpetrators.  Ramaphosa was addressing the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) at its congress in Johannesburg.  He said the rape of pupils by teachers was of grave concern.  "There are too many reports of sexual relations between educators and learners ... and you know this.  This abhorrent behaviour must be decidedly addressed and be stopped.  As educators, your job is that of a parent to the children who come to your schools, you are not supposed to be lovers of children at schools.  We may want to deny this as it often happens, but we all know that it is happening.  We say Sadtu should stand firm and pledge to not allow teachers to have sexual relations with learners," Ramaphosa said to applause by delegates.  Sadtu is holding its ninth national congress at Nasrec until Saturday.  The congress will hold discussions on education, policies and labour and come up with resolutions and also elect new leaders.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Independent News

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Ramaphosa: Teachers' contribution in class has direct link to economic growth, at EWN

SUSPENSIONS / DISCIPLINARY ACTION

'Drunk' Ekurhuleni metro cop and supervisor suspended after video goes viral

News24 reports that an Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) traffic officer, who was filmed while allegedly intoxicated on duty, has been suspended.  A tweet by Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina on Wednesday confirmed that the "drunk" metro officer and his supervisor had been suspended by police chief Major General Isaac Mapiyeye.  "I urge the public to give them space to conclude on this matter.  Metro will give further details," Masina indicated in the tweet.  The video, which went viral, shows the metro officer sitting in an EMPD vehicle.  Members of the public noted that the officer was "drunk as hell" and that he had alcohol in the vehicle.  The officer, who appeared disorientated, struggled to hand over his service pistol to another EMPD official.  The officer was eventually escorted from the scene by another official, who according to persons in the video, refused to do a breathalyser test.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley and watch the video at News24. Read too, Two Ekurhuleni metro officers facing suspension after one filmed drunk on duty, at EWN

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• IPID head of investigation was shocked by Dramat suspension, at SABC News

DISMISSALS

‘Axed’ CEO Peter Moyo refused entry to Old Mutual’s Sandton head office for a third time

Fin24 reports that Peter Moyo returned to Old Mutual's offices in Sandton on Wednesday, demanding that he be allowed back at work.  But for the third time, he was refused entry.  After a court ruling that he had to be reinstated on a temporary basis after his first dismissal in July, Old Mutual fired Moyo again in August.  He tried to go back to work twice in recent weeks, but was not allowed in, with the company contending that Moyo had not challenged his second dismissal in court.  But on Monday, the South Gauteng High Court granted him leave to bring new evidence in his contempt of court application against Old Mutual, meaning that he can introduce the matter of his second letter of termination.  Moyo is of the belief that Old Mutual is in contempt of court for not allowing him back to work.  Last week, Old Mutual director Nombulelo Pinky Moholi resigned from the board, apparently for personal reasons.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24