In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 20 November 2019.
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Pravin Gordhan tells SAA strikers there is no more money to meet 8% pay demand BL Premium reports that public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan has told striking unions at the cash-strapped national carrier South African Airways (SAA) that there is no money to meet their demand for an 8% across-the-board pay increase. Gordhan met with the leadership of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) in Pretoria on Tuesday. The meeting was requested by the unions, which have embarked on open-ended industrial action after rejecting SAA’s pay offer of 5.9% deferred to April 2020. Gordhan indicated that over the last three years, the government had provided more than R20.5bn in fiscal support to SAA and said everybody needed to make sacrifices to save the airline and jobs. A restructuring of SAA’s business was required to return the airline to profitability, Gordhan stated. But, the unions contend it is wasteful and corrupt contracts that are responsible for the poor state of the airline. Gordhan said that management was tackling that issue. Meantime, SAA acting CEO Zuks Ramasia said the airline would be approaching the Labour Court urgently in an effort to interdict additional demands made by the unions relating to insourcing of various services rendered to the aviation industry and restructuring of the organisation. A Numsa spokesperson denied that there were additional demands and commented: "We will defend the strike. It is legal, and we reject their allegations." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive SAA resumes international and regional flights as 200 strikers return to work Moneyweb reports that South African Airways (SAA) has resumed flights to its eight international and six regional destinations, as the impact of the wage strike launched last week appears to have been contained. At a press conference on Tuesday, airline executives outlined the progress made in resuming services since the strike by members of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) commenced on Friday last week. Roughly 200 of the 1,000 striking workers returned to work in the last few days. The strike is costing the airline about R50 million a day, but the financial damage has apparently diminished with services gradually being restored. SAA’s Acting General Manager for Human Resources, Martin Kemp, said roughly one-fifth of the 5,000 airline employees had gone on strike. That number reduced as the airline adopted a ‘no work no pay’ approach to strikers. The strike is a high stakes gamble for both sides in the dispute. A drawn-out strike could sink the airline, which would put thousands of employees out of work. Meantime, the airline said it would be approaching the Labour Court to prevent the striking unions from introducing new demands as those had not been part of the initial dispute. Acting CEO Zuks Ramasia called on striking employees to return to work. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ciaran Ryan at Moneyweb Air Chefs set to join industrial action at SAA in secondary strike TimesLIVE reports that a secondary strike that could have an impact on catering in the aviation sector is on the cards, as talks between unions and South African Airways (SAA) remained deadlocked on Wednesday. Addressing striking workers on Wednesday, National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said members at Air Chefs, a subsidiary of SAA, had served the airline with a secondary strike notice. She stated: “As of Tuesday, we served them with a notice of intent to embark on a secondary strike as Air Chefs and let me tell you what impact that is going to have. It will not only affect SAA comrades, but it will affect a lot of airlines. Comair has a strike certificate. We are coming after Acsa (Airports Company SA). If Acsa shuts down, none of the planes are moving.” Numsa said there would be “no retreat, there will be no surrender” regarding the strike. Numsa and SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) members have been on strike at SAA since Friday over wage increases. SAA has offered workers a 5.9% increase, against a demand for 8%. Hlubi-Majola said in the same way that SAA had found money to raise salaries for pilots, it should find a way to do so for other employees. On Tuesday, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan was clear after meeting with the striking unions that government was “not in a position to make money available to the airline”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by by Naledi Shange at TimesLIVE. See too, Strike certificate issued at South Africa's Comair, says union, at Engineering News DA applies for certain aviation industry services to be declared ‘essential’ ANA reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday it had asked for certain aviation industry services to be declared “essential”, thus barring the relevant workers from striking. This came as a wage strike at national carrier South African Airways (SAA) entered a fifth day. In a statement, DA shadow minister of employment and labour Dr Michael Cardo noted that the regulation and control of air traffic in SA had already been declared an essential service in 1997. "It could be argued that since airports in South Africa have been designated as national key points under the National Key Points Act of 1980, which means that any damage to, or disruption and immobilisation of these facilities may harm the country, it would be in the public interest to ban all strike action at airports and indeed any national key points," Cardo said. The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Crew Association (Sacca) embarked on industrial action at SAA on Friday, seeking an 8% wage increase, among other demands. The two unions, which have rejected SAA's offer of a 5.9% increase, also warned passengers "not to fly SAA because their safety cannot be guaranteed". Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Independent News
Numsa members to picket at Belle Ombre until Areyeng strike resolved ANA reports that National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) members at the Tshwane Rapid Transit (TRT) service said they were on strike and the Areyeng bus service would be suspended from Monday. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola indicated: “At the heart of the strike is that we demand that all workers, especially the 64 fixed-term contractors must receive the same benefits and conditions as those who are permanent. Our ultimate goal is for them to be made permanent, but in the meantime, there is no justification for earning far below the average wage, compared to permanent staff whose wages are determined by the main agreement of South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBC).” She claimed that workers on fixed-term contracts in the company did not enjoy the same rights and protection as permanent staff, which was unacceptable. She also said that their salaries were decided at the discretion of the employer. Hlubi-Majola outlined several other grievances that had led to the strike. She said workers would picket at Belle Ombre branch next to Pretoria Zoo every day until the issue was resolved. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siphumelele Khumalo at Independent News
Alleged KZN cop killer appears in Richards Bay court on Wednesday TimesLIVE reports that a 21-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man accused of shooting dead a police officer made a brief appearance in the Richards Bay magistrate's court on Wednesday. The Hawks said in a statement that Phumowakhe Ndwandwe had been arrested on Friday after Det-Sgt Sakhile Nsibande was fatally shot on Thursday, 14 November. The Hawks said that on Thursday KwaMbonambi detectives conducted a raid at Cinci reserve, looking for the house robbery suspect. The suspect's house was identified and tactically approached by the police. "When Ndwandwe realised that he was cornered, he allegedly fired shots through the window and made his escape. It was then discovered that Sgt Nsibande had been shot. He was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival,” the Hawks reported. Ndwandwe was arrested near Mtubatuba the next day. “He was found to be in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Ndwandwe was remanded in custody and the matter was postponed to 26 November. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Orrin Singh at TimesLIVE Ipid to investigate KZN prosecutor's 'freak death' when loaded gun went off in court TimesLIVE reports that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) will be investigating the death of senior state advocate Addelaid Ann Ferreira Watt. Watt died after a gun displayed in court as an exhibit was accidentally discharged in the Ixopo regional court on Monday. Speaking on Wednesday, Ipid spokesperson Sontaga Seisa said they were investigating the actions of an officer who was meant to have ensured that the weapon was not loaded. Apparently, the gun fell and a shot went off, hitting Watt in what has been described as “freak accident”. The weapon was brought to court to be entered as evidence in a house robbery case. Police spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker said culpable homicide was being investigated by Umzimkhulu police. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Orrin Singh at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Consumer inflation slowed to 3.7% in October, its lowest level in eight years BusinessLive reports that Statistics SA advised on Wednesday that consumer inflation slid lower in October, reaching its lowest level in eight years. The consumer price index (CPI) slowed to 3.7% in October, down from 4.1% in September. The last time it hit levels that low was in February 2011. The slowdown was largely driven by declines in fuel prices, which fell 4.9% between October 2019 and the same month in 2018, said Stats SA. The main contributors to inflation were increases in food and nonalcoholic beverages with annual inflation at 3.6%, housing and utilities at 4.8%, and miscellaneous goods and services at 5.7%. The level of the slowdown could bolster arguments for an interest-rate cut. Headline inflation has been sitting at or below the 4.5% midpoint of the SA Reserve Bank’s target range for all of 2019. The economy is expected to grow by only 0.6% in 2019, weighed down by dismal business confidence, rising joblessness and poor income growth. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lynley Donnelly at BusinessLive
Government reduces administrative burden on applicants for state jobs BusinessTech reports that all government departments and their components have been directed to stop the practice of requiring certified copies of documents not older than three months to accompany applications for employment. This decision follows complaints raised with President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and through other channels about the onerous requirements for compliance with public sector job applications. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has issued a circular – Human Resource Planning and Employment Practices: Circular No 35 of 2019 – which makes it clear that the prescribed application for employment form (Z-83) and the Public Service Regulations do not prescribe a three month timeframe for certification of documents that accompany applications. The Presidency said this change would also reduce the workload that the certification of documents created for the SA Police Service personnel, who would now be able to devote more time to their core function of ensuring that South Africans were safe. Departments have been advised to at least accept certified copies of documents submitted with an application for employment that are up to six months old, in those cases where the document certified does not have an expiry date that falls within the six-month period. This change does not, however, replace the personnel suitability checks set out in the Public Service Regulations of 2016. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessTech
No easy ride for Eskom’s new CEO from the NUM Moneyweb reports that after a four-month search, Andre de Ruyter was announced on Monday by the Ministry of Public Enterprises as power utility Eskom’s new CEO. He will take over from Jabu Mabuza, who has been acting CEO since the sudden departure of Phakamani Hadebe at the end of July. De Ruyter, who holds various qualifications, including an LLB and MBA, has been CEO of paper and packaging group Nampak since March 2014. Prior to joining Nampak, he held various senior posts at Sasol over a more than 20-year stint. De Ruyter is set to take over on 15 January. A hurdle that De Ruyter will have to face is to get the co-operation of Eskom’s two largest unions – the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa). But, the NUM’s first reaction did not signal an easy ride. “The appointment is very bad for our transformation agenda, in fact, it is regressing the transformation we have made since 1994 because it is an insult to the majority of educated black people who are available and ready to serve South Africans,” said the NUM’s energy sector co-ordinator Paris Mashego. He said there were many qualified black people who had applied for the job that but were not considered because “the agenda is black persons are associated with failure”. He added: “We are totally against it, he is not going to get any support from the NUM.” Numsa’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said the union would respond through a statement, which had not been received by the time of publishing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Larry Claasen at Moneyweb. Read too, Andre De Ruyter appointment at Eskom draws mixed reactions, at Independent News. And also, The race debate over new Eskom CEO is all wrong, says BLSA top executive, at Independent News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Cabinet ministers and deputies fail to pay R1,200-a-month subsidised rentals BusinessLive reports that cabinet ministers and their deputies, who each earn up to R2.4m a year and are tasked with driving the government’s user-pay principle, are failing to keep up with relatively cheap rentals for their lavish ministerial homes. The ministers owe the state a combined R1.3m in outstanding rental payments for state-subsidised houses, according to public works minister Patricia de Lille. Rent for ministerial houses is heavily subsidised and costs about R1,200 a month. Cabinet ministers receive an annual salary of about R2.4m, while deputy ministers earn close to R2m a year. De Lille indicated the following in reply to a parliamentary question: “The department of public works and infrastructure has informed me there are 43 ministers, who are past and returning members of [government], who are currently in arrears with their payments.” She indicated that letters of demand for payment had been sent to the ministers, but did not reveal the names of the ministers and deputy ministers in arrears. But, she said that if arrangements were not made and payments were not received, the accounts would be handed over to the state attorney for debt collection. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bekezela Phakathi at BusinessLive
As labour department’s jewel in the crown, the CCMA shines as it exceeds expectations In a letter to the editor, MP and well-known labour analyst and lawyer Michael Bagraim writes that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has performed beyond expectation. This was despite the failure of many of the Department of Employment and Labour’s initiatives, particularly workmen’s compensation. From 1 April to 30 June, the CCMA recorded almost 52,000 cases, compared to 48,704 cases during the first quarter of 2019. This increase could be attributed to the commission’s expanded mandate. Surprisingly, the CCMA took an average of 24 days to deal with these conciliation cases, compared to the target of 30 days. Miraculously, it took on average 48 days to deal with arbitration cases, and it was able to settle 79% of all the cases referred to the CCMA. Despite a stagnant budget and an increase in the number of referred disputes, the CCMA also conducted almost 500 outreach services and more than 10,000 people were capacitated to better understand the law and their rights. Bagraim says that the CCMA is the jewel in the crown of the Department of Employment and Labour. Read the original of Michael Bagraim’s letter at BusinessLive
Prasa’s early termination of security contracts ‘put rail passenger safety at risk’ GroundUp reports that three security companies have won a court application against the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) in which they argued that the early termination of their contracts, without the finalisation of an alternative contract, put passenger safety at risk. In terms of the court's order, Prasa must continue the security contracts until the new tender is finalised or alternative measures are put in place, including an interim security plan within a month. Lobby group #UniteBehind, which had joined the three applicants in their case, earlier released a media statement saying: "Prasa recently dismissed the private security companies that provide almost 1,000 guards in Cape Town, and 2,000 more nationally, without new contracts or guards in place to take over their duties. The security companies have been operating on irregular contracts without due regard for performance, but this rash move only serves to leave our rail system vulnerable to further attack and degradation." The applicants argued that Prasa had breached its obligations to provide reasonable measures of security, and noted that the "festive season approaching will further the strain" on existing railway security. Prasa responded that the case was "merely a contractual issue", but the judge dismissed that argument, saying: "The problem is there is no provision for the interim to protect the thousands of commuters every day." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Madison Yauger at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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