Today's Labour News

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

Health department head office a health hazard, so employees work only three hours a day

The Citizen reports that the Department of Health has forced employees to only work three hours a day because, ironically, its headquarters are still a health hazard.  The Civitas Building in Pretoria, which also houses the health minister, seems to be in an ever-deteriorating state, with parts of the ceiling collapsing and sections of the building cordoned off.  A building inspection conducted last year identified various problem such as leaking ceilings and exposed electrical cables, while black dust was detected in the high-tech building which has no windows.  Ventilation was found to be poor.  A task team was established to find alternative buildings, but since then not much has changed, except the working hours of health staff.  A notice was issued in October for staff to report for duty from 8am to 11am to allow the department to upgrade the dilapidated building.  Some staff members have opted to work from the parking lot or the building’s foyer for fear of being harmed or falling ill due to the hazardous building.  Health department spokesperson Popo Maja could not confirm how the department’s work has been impacted by the shorter working hours.  He also couldn’t say when staff would be relocated to an alternative building.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rosisang Kgosana on page 3 of The Citizen of 27 January 2020

MINING LABOUR

Two top Amcu officials suspended, allegedly in move by Mathunjwa to retain power

Sunday Independent reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has suspended its deputy president, Mosibo Joni, and its national organiser, Neo Mankge, as the battle for the soul of the powerful union rages.  According to sources, Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa advised union members during a roadshow last week that Joni and Mankge had been suspended, but gave no reasons for the decision.  Apparently, the signs of trouble started showing when Joni was barred from assuming the deputy president’s responsibilities after being elected at the Amcu national conference in September last year.  Instead, Mathunjwa allegedly told him that he would start on 6 January this year.  According to a source, Joni was denied access to Amcu’s headquarters in eMalahleni when he tried to report for duty on 6 January.  It seems he was told that he was under suspension even though no charge had been brought against him.  Two members of the Amcu central executive committee (CEC) claimed that Mathunjwa sidelined Joni out of fears that he might succeed him as Amcu president since Mathunjwa did not qualify for the position by virtue of not being an employee of a company in the sector, as required by section 213 of the LRA.  In a letter dated 24 August 2018, the labour department warned Amcu about the illegality of electing ineligible persons as senior leaders.  A source commented:  “Mathunkwa is well aware that he is going to be removed from his powerful position by the labour registrar.  What he wants to do is to make sure that there is no deputy president who will assume the duties of president.  Constitutionally, he will be recommended by the CEC to become the general secretary and he will still control Amcu.”  On Friday, the labour registrar advised that there was an engagement between Amcu and the department over Mathunjwa’s eligibility for office and other matters.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kenneth Mokgatlhe on page 4 of The Sunday Independent of 26 January 2020

Marikana mineworkers wounded in 2012 fear Sibanye wants to renege on their agreement with Lonmin

Mail & Guardian reports that a number former Lonmin mineworkers who were shot and injured on 16 August 2012 claim that Sibanye-Stillwater wants to renege on the long-standing agreement they had with Lonmin to continue to pay workers who had been injured and debilitated at Marikana without them needing to work.  Lungisile Madwantsi has a bullet lodged in his head and he is not fit to work.   Lonmin kept him as an employee, even though he cannot work.  Now, he claims, all of this is about to change.  Magidiwane says that he was contacted by the mine’s HR department, which informed him that he had to take a medical examination.  “I was told that if I fail I am gone and if I pass I am going back underground.”  He took the examination while he was meant to be on leave.  “I felt forced to take this medical examination because I was told that if I don’t, I will not get my salary.  Essentially, what they want is to find us a place to work or force us out,” he claimed.  Magidiwane and two colleagues in the same predicament feel anxious about Sibanye’s intentions.  But, James Wellsted, senior vice-president of investor relations at Sibanye, said that there had been a miscommunication with the group of former mineworkers concerned.  He indicated that that the company wanted to ascertain the wounded men’s “current health and wellness status and whether the care that has been provided for their injuries is sufficient or whether they may require additional medical attention”.  But amid all the uncertainty and miscommunication, thousands of Sibanye workers have been laid off, heightening the apprehension of the wounded men.  Amcu’s Patrick Moepadira, confirmed that the union was dealing with the matter of forced medical examinations.  “We have asked the comrades to undergo these medicals and we will take it from there.  We are dealing with this internally but we will not allow for our members to be mistreated in any way,” he said.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Athandiwe Saba at Mail & Guardian

Mining industry fatalities slashed by 37% in 2019

Business Report writes that fatalities in the SA mining industry fell the most in recorded history, with the sector reporting 51 deadly accidents last year, while deaths in deep-level gold mines were more than halved.  Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said on Friday that fatalities in 2019 were 37% lower, year-on-year, compared to the 81 fatalities recorded in 2018.  “This record is a result of a concerted effort by all involved. The health and safety campaigns throughout the year have demonstrated that significant improvements in results can be achieved,” Mantashe said, adding that they would continue working towards zero harm.  “We must redouble our efforts, because we are dealing with people who are valuable members of their families and communities,” Mantashe said.  Paul Mardon, Solidarity’s deputy general secretary for strategy and sustainability, said there was still room for improvement in numbers.  “This downward trend in fatalities and injuries is welcomed, but we call on all mines, mine management and all workers to let these improvements renew their energy, focus and dedication towards achieving Zero Harm,” Mardon said.  The industry recorded 2,406 injuries last year, compared with 2,447 reported in 2018.  In terms of occupational diseases in 2019, silicosis cases decreased by 28.68%, from 652 in 2017 to 465 in 2018.  Cases of pulmonary tuberculosis decreased by 23.63%, from 2247 in 2017 to 1716 in 2018.

Read the original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at Business Report. Read too, Authorities aim to further reduce mining deaths, at EWN

ESKOM CRISIS

Eskom's new CEO warns against hasty unbundling of power utility

Reuters reports that the new Eskom chief executive said on Sunday that a plan to split the loss-making state-owned power utility should not be rushed, because risks associated with the process needed to be assessed and managed properly.  President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last year that Eskom would be split into units for generation, transmission and distribution, as part of plans to overhaul SA’s power sector and open the industry up to more competition.  A government paper showed in October that the government planned to set up a transmission unit within Eskom by the end of March 2020 and complete the legal separation of all three units in 2022.  But in a television interview on Sunday, Andre de Ruyter said that while Eskom was committed to a restructuring of the power industry as set out in the government paper, the utility wanted to carefully manage risks associated with the process.  "What we are careful of is with a precipitous unbundling to create risks that may end up causing us to have a less stable system.  For us to rush into full legal separation from day one creates a number of risks - transfer of assets, our lenders will be concerned about assets that they have loaned us money against, there could be capital gains tax events that could cost us a lot of money," he indicated.  De Ruyter added:  "There is a lot of planning that needs to go into the unbundling and restructuring of Eskom.  We need to be quite careful on how we implement this not to precipitate all of these risks that we first need to understand, assess and manage them properly."

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE. Read too, De Ruyter to put brakes on Eskom unbundling, at City Press

REMUNERATION / SALARY ADMINISTRATION

Numsa condemns Autopax for not paying employees their full January salaries

TimesLIVE reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) on Monday condemned Autopax for paying workers only half their January salaries.  It claimed that this was not the first time there had been problems with payments.  On Friday, Autopax advised employees that it would be able to pay only half salaries this month.  It did not say when the balance would be paid.  The union pointed out the following:  “Last year in October and November salary payments were also delayed.  In December, our members received their full salary, but only half their bonus.  The balance was paid five days later.”  Numsa said its members were frustrated and angry because they were committed to their work and what was even more distressing was that they were informed only very late regarding the situation.  The union claimed that the delays and short payments were a reflection of a greater crisis at the entity and it went on to comment that:  “Autopax as an entity has broken down because of mismanagement and allegations of corruption.  Our members have been calling for Prasa to take it over completely because of the failure in leadership.”

Read the original of the above report by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE

RETIREMENT FUNDS / PENSION INVESTMENTS

Municipal Workers Retirement Fund ‘loses’ R60m in banks scam

Mail & Guardian reports that R60-million of South Africa’s Municipal Workers Retirement Fund contributions has been “lost” in the collapse of Namibia’s SME Bank, sparking a rift between the fund’s board of trustees.  The R60-million investment is part of some R200-million that asset manager JM Busha Investments is said to have invested in several countries in Southern Africa, allegedly without prior written permission from the fund.  SME Bank was placed under liquidation in 2017 by a Namibian court.  Two trustees of the retirement fund last week accused its principal officer, Themba Mfeka, of trying to keep the loss under wraps and of being too lenient on JM Busha Investments.  They also accused Mfeka of failing to protect the fund from further losses after JM Busha invested R140-million — the balance of the R200-million — in relatively unknown businesses in the Southern African Development Community region.  Internal retirement fund trustee documents were submitted to the Financial Services Conduct Authority (FSCA) after a trustee, dissatisfied with the non-action on the breach, turned whistle-blower.  The documents show that Mfeka was notified of the breach and risk in November, but did not act until December.  The whistleblower’s report has been referred to the Special Investigating Unit by the FSCA.  Mfeka and the fund did not respond to questions sent to them, while JM Busha dismissed the risk, saying the R60-million would be recovered with interest earned by the end of January.  The fund, which used to be the SA Municipal Workers’ Union National Provident Fund, has 26,000 members from municipalities across the country and controls about R12-billion in assets.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sabelo Skiti at Mail & Guardian

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• The trends that will shape your retirement savings in 2020, at Business Report

WORKPLACE CORRUPTION / FRAUD

Tshwane metro cop arrested for allegedly demanding R400 bribes for violations of traffic regulations

News24Wire reports that a Tshwane Metro Police Departmental traffic officer was scheduled to appear in the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday morning on charges related to corruption.  The 41-year-old officer was arrested at the weekend for allegedly extorting bribes from motorists.  Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane indicated:  “Members of the RMTC’s National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit and the Hawks pounced on the suspect at an off-ramp on the R80 where he was [allegedly] conducting his unlawful activities.”  Allegedly, he was demanding R400 bribes from motorists for violations of traffic regulations.  Separately, a former policeman was sentenced last week to nine years in jail for corruption.  Former constable Mkhanyiseli Mashiyi, 43, who was stationed at the Cambridge police station, was found guilty of fraud, theft and defeating the ends of justice by the East London Regional Court.  Police spokesperson Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said:  “Mashiyi was notorious for preying on individuals he came across in compromising positions during his night shifts.  He would then demand money and possessions from his victims not to arrest them, and they would oblige fearing arrest and embarrassment.  The long arm of the law caught up with him in December 2012.”

Read the original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen

Security guard 'impostor' helps gang of 17, all dressed as guards, to steal 12 Ford vehicles in single haul on Sunday

TimesLIVE reports that a person impersonating a security guard pulled out a gun and set in motion a brazen daylight robbery in which 12 Ford vehicles were stolen in one swoop on Sunday.  Police are hunting for at least 18 suspects along with nine missing Ford Ranger bakkies, two Ford Fiestas and a Ford Figo that were taken from a vehicle storage facility in Maggs Street, Waltloo, east of Pretoria.  Police spokesperson Brig Mathapelo Peters said the robbery was executed between 6am and 7am.  It started when a person, dressed in the same uniform worn by security guards on site, arrived and held the real guards at gunpoint.  The main gate was then opened, allowing about 17 more suspects into the premises.  “It is alleged the suspects were all dressed in the same uniform of the on-site security.  The suspects made off with the 12 vehicles,” said Peters.  Security guards who were on duty were found on the premises with their hands tied.  A case of business robbery was opened.

Read the original of the report in the above regard by Nomahlubi Jordaan at TimesLIVE

COMMUTING / TRANSPORT

Just 32 commuter trains left in Cape Town after latest fire on Saturday destroyed carriages, locomotive

TimesLIVE reports that Cape Town's depleted fleet of trains went from 33 to 32 on Saturday when six carriages and a motor coach went up in flames.  The train caught fire between Kentemade and Century City stations.  There were no passengers on board and no injuries were reported, but the fire was a fresh blow to a commuter rail service that has lost dozens of trains to arson attacks.  Speaking on Thursday, Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo said the city had about a third of the trains it needed to run an adequate service.  Services had been suspended on the city's central line, he indicated, because the remaining rolling stock could not be risked on a line where live cables dangled across the tracks and where a train was vulnerable to armed criminals if it broke down.  Mpondo said that would all change by September.  Over the next nine months, Prasa would begin the rollout of a three-phase plan to stabilise the operator, secure the line and resume a limited service on the central line.  A full service would only be operational by April next year, when 10 of Prasa's new and “more robust” trains would be run on the line as a pilot.

Read the original of the above report and view a video clip at TimesLIVE

Employees and commuters protest to stop North West bus company from being liquidated

GroundUp reports that hundreds of employees who work for a state bus company as well as thousands of passengers who use the bus service daily are on tenterhooks due to the company’s dire financial status.  A Mahikeng High Court judge placed the company into provisional liquidation in late August 2019.  This order followed an application by a creditor, Driveshaft Baleka, for the liquidation of the loss-making bus company, North West Transport Investments (NTI), after it failed to settle an R890,000 bill.  NTI later paid it.  The bus company transports millions of people every year, mainly in Gauteng and the North West, but its routes also extend to Mpumalanga and Limpopo.  A vital function of the company is to transport workers to and from their Gauteng workplaces, which can be a trip of more than 200km.  On Thursday, Judge Festus Gura heard arguments from Advocate Motlalepule Rantho, on behalf of NTI, who tried to have the provisional liquidation order lifted.  However, all other parties opposed the application.  Members of the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) who work for NTI were present at the court.  Satawu represents over 1,100 of NTI’s 1,600 staff.  Satawu supports NTI’s application for the lifting of the provisional liquidation order.  Due to the company’s financial woes, one of the challenges that employees faced was that the company had failed to contribute its full share to the employee provident fund.  However, Satawu’s Nelson Madumo reported that the company paid its share in full in December.  To try and plug its losses, NTI last year applied to the North West government, its sole shareholder, for a R350 million bailout.  On Thursday, the judge agreed to extend NTI’s provisional liquidation order until 25 June.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Justin Brown at GroundUp

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Six passenger train coaches destroyed on Saturday evening in latest Cape Town train fire, at Cape Talk