Today's Labour News

FARMING LABOUR

Hostility between farmers and workers a trend in KZN, says premier Sihle Zikalala

TimesLIVE reports that KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) premier Sihle Zikalala said at the weekend that ongoing tensions between farmers and workers was endemic in many parts of the province. In a bid to address strained relations, Zikalala engaged with farming communities in Pongolo, Vryheid and Newcastle over two days, including meeting with a family whose home was allegedly demolished by a farmer in Glückstadt. The main aim was to hear what challenges farm workers and dwellers were facing, to improve relations between them and farmers and to outline accountability approaches taken by government in addressing reported human rights violations and abuses within the farming communities. Among the burning issues raised by communities was the alleged abuse by farm owners and police bias against the community and in favour of the farmers. Addressing hundreds of farm dwellers and workers in the northern KZN farming district of Normandien on Sunday, Zikalala said he supported a call by the farming community for a commission of inquiry into their concerns.   Following the engagements, Zikalala established a cabinet committee to address the issues raised. The committee will meet monthly and report back to the community every three months. Newly appointed provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has been tasked with dealing with grievances relating to the police.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Suthentira Govender at TimesLIVE

Two men shot dead on Mkhondo farm were looking for jobs, say cops

TimesLIVE reports that according to Mpumalanga police, the two men who were shot dead last Friday on a farm at Bampoen outside Mkhondo had gone to the farm in search of employment. In a statement, Colonel Donald Mdhluli said the two men were part of a group who had gone to the farm to ask for seasonal work. He reported as follows: "It is said that the farm owner informed these men that they are not welcome on his premises. It is said that those who came to ask for employment then decided to leave the farm but later realised that one of them was left behind. They then went back only to find that he was kept at the farm by the suspects. It is said that as the men demanded that they let him go, a scuffle broke where two men were reportedly shot and died at the scene. Three other men sustained serious injuries."   Pictures of the lifeless bodies of the two men lying on the farm just metres apart from each other were circulated online last week. Four farmers were arrested hours after the shooting. They were scheduled to appear in the Piet Retief Magistrate's Court on Monday to face charges of murder and assault.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Naledi Shange at TimesLIVE

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Two farmers charged with murder of workers, at SowetanLive

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

Two Fidelity Services guards shot and killed in Langa while escorting an Albany Bakeries vehicle

Cape Argus reports that the Langa community has been left reeling after two Fidelity Services guards were shot and killed in Zone 23, while escorting an Albany Bakeries vehicle on Saturday morning.   Fidelity Services Group chief executive Wahl Bartmann said both officers were dragged from the vehicle and searched. Bartmann said that level of violence was totally unacceptable. The vehicle has been impounded for ballistics and fingerprints and Fidelity is working closely with the local police to follow up on any leads. Albany Bakeries is a subsidiary of Tiger Brands. Spokesperson Kanyisa Ndyondya said they were deeply concerned and saddened by the incident, and extended condolences to the families of the deceased security guards. Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said the Langa police were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, with no arrests having yet been made. Ndyondya said it was unfortunate that criminal elements were targeting food deliveries and appealed to communities to assist the police in their investigations.   "We will collaborate with law enforcement agencies in conducting an in-depth investigation, in order to ensure that justice is served for the victims and their families," she indicated. Tiger Brands has assisted the Fidelity Guards Services in providing trauma counselling to the families and colleagues of the deceased.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sisonke Mlamla at Cape Argus

Off-duty Western Cape police officer's body found on Sunday with gunshot wounds

TimesLIVE reports that Western Cape police are investigating the shooting of a police officer whose body was found with several gunshot wounds on Sunday morning in Disa Street, Vrygrond. The incident took place on Sunday at about 1.40am.   Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said it was established after investigation that the officer was an off-duty sergeant stationed at Steenberg SAPS. “The suspect/s fled the scene and are yet to be arrested.   The motive for the shooting is unknown,” he indicated.

Read the original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLIVE

PPE CORRUPTION

Former Gauteng health MEC Masuku fails in court bid to challenge SIU report pn PPE

The Citizen reports that former Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku has failed in his bid to challenge the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report that was used to discharge him of his duties. While maintaining his innocence of any wrongdoing in the controversial personal protective equipment (PPE) scandal, he had wanted the report set aside. Masuku has consistently denied being dishonest or partaking in illegal or corrupt activities. On Monday, the Pretoria High Court dismissed Masuku’s application with costs, the SIU announced. Masuku rejected the report, which found he had failed to provide oversight and to uphold the Constitution and regulations in the Public Finance Management Act. The SIU was investigating Covid-19 tender irregularities, which included the procurement of PPE at the provincial department of health in the early days of the pandemic. Masuku argued that the SIU report made incorrect and non-factual findings of his role as the executive authority. He claimed that the SIU report ignored all other affidavits and focused on only one. It also made no reference to the information presented by him and his office.   Gauteng Premier David Makhura dismissed Masuku late last year. At the time, Makhura indicated to reporters that the SIU process was incomplete, but he had decided to take action against Masuku in the best interests of clean governance.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siyanda Ndlovu at The Citizen. Read too, High Court dismisses Bandile Masuku's bid to challenge SIU findings on PPE corruption, at News24

INDUSTRIAL ACTION / STRIKES

‘Race card’ played by government as pilot strike at SAA turns nasty

The Citizen reports that the ongoing row between striking pilots at SA Airways (SAA) and the government has degenerated into racial slurs. Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) director-general Kgathatso Tlhakudi has claimed that an agreement between the parties was “worse than any job reservation Act of the apartheid era” and it “completely violates a democratic order”.   In a scathing attack on the SA Airways Pilots Association (Saapa) in an opinion piece, Tlhakudi said the association’s defence of the “evergreen” agreement, called the regulating agreement, promoted white pilots’ self-interests. Saapa members are engaged in an ongoing dispute with SAA, the business rescue practitioners and the DPE over several pay issues and retrenchment conditions. The regulating agreement was ratified in 2014 by SAA chief executive Monwabisi Kalawe and the chair at that time, Dudu Myeni. Nowhere in the document does it refer to race, background or colour.   Saapa’s Grant Back reacted: “Apartheid was a vicious and inhumane system. The director-general’s claims that the pilots of SAA seek to perpetuate any form or benefit from this stain on our country’s past is rejected with contempt.” In his piece, Tlhakudi listed some of the controversial benefits agreed to by the SAA management, including accommodation in hotels with a minimum four-star rating. Saapa represents 89% of the SAA pilot body. In its notice of strike, the pilot body demanded retrenchment for all its members and the ending of the regulating agreement amongst other demands.   “The retrenchment must be fair, it must be lawful, and SAA must pay what it owes by law to its pilot employees,” said Back.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hein Kaiser at The Citizen. Read too, SAA BRPs present ‘final’ settlement agreement to pilots, at Moneyweb

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING / WAGE NEGOTIATIONS

SA Local Government Association tables tough 2.8% municipal wage hike offer

BL Premium reports that in what could signal tough wage talks ahead, the SA Local Government Association (Salga), which represents the country's 257 municipalities, has proposed a three-year wage deal with a 2.8% wage increase for 2021/2022. In a strongly worded letter to the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (Salgbc), Salga CEO Xolile George called on municipalities to hike salaries in line with available resources, saying failure to do so would constitute financial misconduct. He also called on the parties to adopt an interest-based bargaining approach for the wage talks, a total freeze of increases on all benefits linked to wage hikes, and for the multi-term agreement to provide for a mechanism for each party to “opt out” on account of extraordinary, unforeseen circumstances. Among other things, the wage agreement also needed to incorporate an “exemption dispensation” for non-affording, least-affording or just-affording municipalities, as independently assessed by a panel of financial experts.   George said some municipalities struggling with the current wage costs would have to apply “no more than a 0% increase” in the 2021/2022 medium-term revenue and expenditure framework.   Meantime, the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) is demanding a one-year wage agreement of a R4,000 salary increase across the board, a R15,000 minimum wage, a R3,500 housing allowance, 80% employer medical aid contribution, 25% employer contribution towards pensions, and six months’ paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave of one month.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

MINING LABOUR

Tshiamiso Trust ‘struggling to identify’ miners for lung disease compensation

SowetanLive reports that nearly two years after a R5bn landmark ruling that would change the lives of former mineworkers who contracted deadly lung diseases at work, only seven claimants have been paid out in a trial run. The Tshiamiso Trust last month made payments to seven people but CEO Daniel Kotton said they were faced with a mammoth task which could take up to 10 years to finalise. The trust has to find and process claims of all former mineworkers who contracted silicosis or tuberculosis on 82 gold mines from 1965 to 2019. Affected miners are eligible to receive between R10,000 and R500,000, depending on the nature and severity of the disease. Kotton said there were 50 lodgment sites in SA, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana which were fully functional.   A call centre has been established where workers can call a toll free number to make an appointment to visit the offices Kotton said the trust was faced with the huge challenge of getting the data of all the workers, including those employed during a period when computers did not exist.   As of Friday, 10,000 people had lodged claims. The claim process can take up to six months, but Kotton wants it reduced.   He said another problem was fraudsters taking money from claimants with the promise that they would help them with the process in Lesotho, Eastern Cape and Free State. He said the trust expected to start making payments by mid-year. Tshiamiso wants to pay at least 40% to 50% of the claimants in the next three years.   Richard Spoor, who assisted the mineworkers during their court application, said it was unacceptable for the trust to say it could not find the records of claimant mineworkers.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penwell Dlamini at SowetanLive. Read too, How to lodge a claim with Tshiamiso Trust, at SowetanLive

DISPUTE RESOLUTION / CCMA

Some CCMA offices no longer accept walk-in cases, while workers pay for services that were once free

GroundUp reports that Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) offices in Johannesburg and Benoni have stopped allowing walk-in cases.   Workers queue outside for hours before being directed by officials to nearby internet cafes to complete their dispute referral process online. As a result, workers are paying up to R80 at the internet cafes for a service the CCMA used to offer for free. Meantime, queuing workers get advice on how to fill out their forms from security guards who sometimes give incorrect instructions. When GroundUp visited the Joburg office on Wednesday, about 12 people were queuing outside and access to the building was limited to staff only. Members of the Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO) and the Open CCMA Campaign were outside the Joburg and Benoni offices for three weeks in March, assisting workers with filling out their referral forms. Edgar Mokgola of the CWAO said: “The security guards have become officials of the CCMA. They are the ones going outside giving, taking queries, calling for cases, and so forth.” Constance Masekwameng of the Open CCMA Campaign said they found at Benoni that “the CCMA has outsourced the dispute referral system to the internet cafe next door” and workers were paying up to R80 for that service. The Open CCMA Campaign, which started in February, has demanded that the CCMA should reopen fully, including walk-in facilities and having part-time commissioners hear cases. Masekwameng also said that outside the Joburg offices con artists and scammers were “taking advantage of desperate workers” and were charging workers in need of CCMA services between R200 and R900 to help them.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Masego Mafata and Liezl Human at GroundUp

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / JOB CREATION

Ramaphosa says future of job creation is in the digital economy and SA is well positioned for growth

Fin24 reports that according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the digital economy presents opportunities to create jobs, now even more so as the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated changes. In his weekly newsletter, the president noted that SA clinched the top spot as a global business service destination, beating competitors like India and the Philippines. The sector, also known as business process outsourcing, includes services such as call centres, technical support and back and front office services for major multinationals and SA firms. Ramaphosa said that SA’s "sophisticated" digital infrastructure and a young and skilled workforce, proficiency in English and being positioned in a similar time zone to key export markets contributed to its attractiveness as a global business service destination. "These unique attributes have provided us with a strong foundation to work from," Ramaphosa pointed out. He also acknowledged that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the industry association Business Process Enabling South Africa - worked to attract investment. Government introduced an incentive two years ago to encourage investment and job creation in the sector. The Presidential Employment Stimulus, launched last year to grow jobs following the pandemic's impact, also endorsed the incentive and created 8,000 jobs in the sector - most of which went to unemployed youth. The sector has added 40,000 jobs to the economy since 2018, with young people making up 82% of those new jobs and women comprising 65% of the workforce, Ramaphosa indicated.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lameez Omarjee at Fin24

WORKPLACE CORRUPTION / FRAUD

eThekwini municipal employee convicted of fraud in relation to bogus EPWP project

The Citizen reports that yet another eThekwini municipality employee has been nabbed for fraud, this time in connection with the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). According to the Hawks National Clean Audit Task Team, Robert Nkosi has been sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years, after misrepresenting members of the public that he had secured a tender with the municipality. People were subsequently “recruited” to be his “employees” for the bogus project.   Nkosi told his prospective “employees” he required proof that everyone had bank accounts, and hired a taxi to take them to Pietermaritzburg to open their accounts. There, he convinced the “employees” that he needed to take their bank cards and pin codes to show them to the municipality. He also instructed them to all use the same cellphone number to open their accounts, and gave them R1,000 each. Two weeks later, each bank account was topped up with R31,000 meant for EPWP employees, but Nkosi only paid each person R1,000.   The municipality was prejudiced by R400,000. Now, Nkosi owes the municipality R280,090, which must be paid back each month over 60 months.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nica Richards at The Citizen

COMMUTING / TRANSPORT

Railway station vandalism ‘bad’ and has gotten worse, Prasa chairperson laments

The Citizen reports that Leonard Ramatlakane, chairperson of the board of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), says vandalism of train stations across the country is bad and has gotten worse.   Speaking on Monday, Ramatlakane said about 80% of Prasa’s stations had experienced serious vandalism during the Covid-19 pandemic. “The situation is quite bad, we have gone around all the four regions looking at the infrastructure, physically walking, and, yes, it’s bad,” Ramatlakane indicated. He reported that the agency had managed to restore 19 of the country’s train corridors, although not all were 100% functional. “The rail itself has been damaged so that in some places you cannot even stop at the station because of the vandalism that has taken place,” Ramatlakane explained. He said, however, that the agency was making some progress under new CEO Zolani Matthews because the presence of a group CEO “basically means stability, stability of leadership at the top level and of course you now have the (new) board, you now have that structure.” Ramatlakane went on to point out that the executive also needed to stabilise by eliminating “all the acting positions with permanent group excos in order for them to able to take responsibility and accountability on what they do.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siyanda Ndlovu at The Citizen