This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
In our early morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of recent South African labour-
labour-related reports.
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Our other staff 'might be targeted', Gauteng MEC says after senior housing official dies in hail of bullets TimesLIVE reports that the Gauteng government is worried that other staff members could become victims of targeted hits after the weekend slaying of senior housing official Teboho Makhoa. The 52-year-old Makhoa was gunned down, with 28 bullets shot into his vehicle in the Spruitview area. On Monday, Gauteng human settlements, urban planning and Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile — along with Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina, other government officials and the SA Police Service — visited Makhoa's home. Maile described Makhoa as an honest employee, which was why he might have been targeted. “We’ve got reason to believe and suspect that some of our staff members might be targeted. This is based on the decisions that we would have made about the allocations of houses, because there are people who have illegally occupied houses. It was us [the politicians] who took a decision that we must evict those people,” Maile pointed out. Noting that police had confirmed that there were syndicates who were responsible for invasions of houses and land, Maile went on to say: “Though they project this as some pro-revolutionary programme of redistributing land and giving our people land and houses, it’s not. It's just pure criminal activity, and that is why we are saddened that today we had to lose one of our hard-working, dedicated and long-serving staff members the way we did.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLIVE. Read too, Kind, committed, honest: Family devastated after Gauteng official killed in hail of bullets, at News24
Hundreds of thousands of teachers to be vaccinated at dedicated sites as soon as J&J doses are unblocked Business Insider SA reports that SA’s teachers and support staff will be transported to dedicated vaccination sites to receive the J&J Covid-19 shot, under a plan agreed between the departments of health and basic education. Their details will be checked against three databases, one each for those on the government payroll, those from independent schools, and those appointed by school governing bodies, which stand ready. A flight has also been booked to transport doses from the USA – but the vaccine has not yet been released. The US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) had been due on Friday to give its verdict on cross-contamination at a plant in Baltimore, which affects vaccines due for and already in SA. As of Monday, South African regulators were still waiting. In the meanwhile, detailed plans have been made for the rapid inoculation of educators. In total some 500,000 people will be targeted, and not just teachers but "the whole basic education sector". The hope is to give everyone the single-shot J&J vaccine by early July, so that they will develop full immunity by the end of that month, when schools are now due to resume normal operation. The "dedicated education sector intervention" will make teachers the second special group to receive vaccines, after healthcare workers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Phillip de Wet at Business Insider SA. Read too, KZN quick off the block in race to jab teachers, on page 6 of Sowetan of 7 June 2021 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Samwu warns that municipal sector wage talks ‘nearing collapse’ BL Premium reports that a wage deal in the local government sector is far from being concluded as the parties keep contradicting each other, with the employer saying “meaningful progress” has been made, while unions dispute this, saying the talks are “nearing collapse”. The SA Local Government Association (Salga), which represents the country’s 257 municipalities, and unions met at the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (Salgbc) for further negotiations last week. The parties agreed to extend the talks to allow a facilitator to formulate a proposal that would be acceptable to the parties. The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) recently revised its wage demands from an increase of R4,000 across the board down to R2,500. The Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) also wants an increase of R2,500, while Salga has not moved from its position of offering the unions a 2.8% increase. Salga spokesperson Sivuyile Mbambato said a facilitator would try to bring the parties to an “orderly conclusion of the negotiations and avert a deadlock”. “Salga remains cautiously optimistic that the outcomes of the latest round of negotiations may result in an agreement that is in the best interest of municipal sustainability and labour peace,” said Mbambato. But Samwu’s Dumisane Magagula hit back at Salga, saying that throughout the negotiations the union had negotiated in good faith while the employer wanted labour to “literally beg for decent increases”. He added: “We are therefore taken aback by Salga’s statement that there are major strides made in municipal negotiations. The fact that Salga continues to draw a line in the negotiations, insisting on a below inflation increase and a total freeze on workers’ benefits is indication that parties in the bargaining council are far apart from each other.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
Cleaners demanding to be insourced protest at Tshwane House Pretoria News reports that cleaners affiliated to the SA Funeral, Catering, Retail and Allied Workers Union (Safcrawu) have brought their pleas to be insourced to the City of Tshwane's doorstep. Convenor Isaac Malema said cleaners responsible for keeping municipal offices such as the Tshwane Call Centre and the council’s offices in Hammanskraal clean were calling on the City of Tshwane to do right by them and insource their services. Speaking outside Tshwane House following a brief protest by workers, Malema said they felt hard done by the fact that the city was willing to insource security workers, yet those responsible for keeping their offices clean were being left out in the cold. He said the main reason why workers were demanding to be insourced was because small companies subcontracted by the city were mistreating them and often delayed paying the salaries of workers. Malema claimed that since workers started in May 2020 their employment has been plagued by major challenges, including delayed payment for overtime work, lack of proper pay slips and no salary increases as per compliance with sectoral determination of contracts. The 32 workers involved called for the City to introduce a task team including organised labour to assist with the process and drafting terms of reference and insourcing agreements. Their memorandum was accepted by Tshwane MMC Dikeledi Selowa. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Goitsemang Tlhabye at Pretoria News
Union warns that latest unrest at Richards Bay Minerals may be final nail in the coffin Mining Weekly reports that trade union Uasa has expressed concern about the dangerous situation prevailing at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) in KwaZulu-Natal and has called for decisive action from President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, the police and the provincial government. The union indicated in a media release that on 4 June community members started burning mine equipment amid their feud with the mine. The community has had a prolonged dispute with the mine, including a traditional leadership squabble and another in which locals demanded to be employed at the mine. The parent company of RBM, Rio Tinto, threatened last year to close the operation, which employs about 5,000 workers. Rio Tinto has also threatened to hold back on R6.5-billion worth of investment in RBM, which it initially pledged during a Presidential Investment Summit late in 2019. Uasa warned that the burning of equipment, coupled with the fatal shooting of RBM’s GM Nico Swart last month, might just see the mine closing. RBM is apparently the largest taxpayer in the province. “The mine and its workers deserve nothing less than immediate action to secure operations, jobs and safety,” the union exhorted. Read the original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Uasa assures its members at Denel of its support as group faces liquidation threat Engineering News reports that trade union Uasa has assured its members who are employed by the State-owned defence industrial group Denel of its support for them, as the financially-beleaguered company was presented with a new challenge. Private-sector defence company Saab Grintek Defence, which is majority-owned by Sweden’s Saab group, has applied to the Pretoria High Court to liquidate Denel, because of its nonpayment of debts. Uasa said it was aware of other creditors also demanding long outstanding payments from Denel. “We remain committed to assist our members through this new development. Should the liquidation of Denel prove to be the result of Saab Grintek’s court application or any other creditor that might now be prompted to approach the high court, we will step in to assist our members with their claims against the [State-owned entity] by nominating our preferred liquidator for consideration to ensure a fair process,” the union indicated. It highlighted that Denel currently owed its employees R500-million in unpaid wages. Uasa, and the Fedusa trade union federation to which it is affiliated, has been pushing the Department of Public Enterprise to talk with other branches of the government, including the National Treasury, to get Denel the financing it needs to pay its creditors and stay in business. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Clover closing its cheese factory in Lichtenburg due to municipal woes, 330 employees to lose their jobs Fin24 reports that dairy group Clover is closing down SA’s largest cheese factory in Lichtenburg, North West, due to "ongoing poor service delivery" by the local municipality. After large losses due to long-standing water and electricity disruptions, Clover is moving its Lichtenburg production activities to Queensburgh in Durban, where the company already has a plant. While Durban's eThekwini municipality "has proven to be supportive", Clover says it has for years tried to engage the Ditsobotla Local Municipality on service delivery, but without success. Disruptions to electricity and water supplies have hit its cheese production hard, especially in the treatment and pasteurisation of milk. "This has negatively impacted production which requires a continuous process and it is no longer feasible for the business to operate in Lichtenburg," said Clover. Netwerk24 reported that the company has also struggled to use the road leading to the factory, which due to large potholes was almost impassable. The company’s move will result in 330 of its people losing their jobs, according to Netwerk24. The publication also reported that the move will cost Clover R1.5 billion. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penelope Mashego at Fin24
Eskom suspends general manager of Koeberg power station over “performance-related issues” Independent Media reports that Eskom announced on Friday that it had suspended the general manager of the Koeberg Power Station for “performance-related issues”. “Eskom can confirm that today the Koeberg Power Station General Manager was placed on suspension while investigations into the performance of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station are conducted,” spokesperson Sikhonathi Mantshantsha said in a statement. Eskom confirmed that there were no nuclear safety concerns at Koeberg and advised that the power utility’s Chief Nuclear Officer, Riedewaan Bakardien, would oversee all the operations at the power station. Koeberg’s Unit 1 generating unit, which had a capacity of 900MW, has been on an outage since January this year and could have assisted in reducing the depth of load shedding had the unit been brought back on time as originally planned. Mantshantsha indicated: “Eskom leadership has been concerned with outage performance at Koeberg nuclear power plant, and the recent outage on Unit 1 has again been plagued with delays resulting in significant slippage on the return to service date. The unit is currently planned to return to service during the third week of June. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sihle Mlambo at Independent Media. Read too, Eskom suspends Koeberg GM while delayed unit investigation ensues, at Engineering News Suspensions at UIF lifted, but two executives to face disciplinary hearings News24 reports that the head of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has seen his suspension lifted, along with those of two other executives at the fund. They were suspended in September last year after a report by the Auditor-General (AG) found major irregularities in Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) payments. While the UIF executives were not accused of fraudulent activities, they were held responsible for various problems with Ters, including that the UIF did not sufficiently corroborate information it received from applicants. This resulted in fraudulent and inflated payments, as well as payments to persons who should not have received them. The AG report resulted in the suspensions of UIF commissioner Teboho Maruping, chief financial officer Fezeka Puzi and chief operations officer Judith Kumbi. The matter was referred to the Special Investigative Unit for investigation. Department of Employment and Labour spokesperson Musa Zondi reported that the suspensions have been lifted, and Kumbi had been cleared of any wrongdoing. While Zondi didn't want to give further comment, EWN reported that Maruping and Puzi would now face disciplinary hearings. Maruping has apparently been asked not to return to the office ahead of these hearings. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anathi Madubela at News24. Read too, After suspensions lifted, two UIF executives now face disciplinary hearings, at EWN
Robben Island Museum to take disciplinary action against two staffers, following independent probe News24 reports that an independent investigation into allegations of mismanagement at Robben Island Museum (RIM) has found there is a prima facie case for disciplinary action against two officials. The Ex-Political Prisoners' Association (EPPA) brought up allegations of mismanagement at the museum in November 2018. MacRobert Attorneys was appointed to conduct the investigation. It was asked to provide the RIM Council with a written report on whether there were any prima facie grounds to take steps against any RIM official. Twenty-two allegations were initially investigated. In March, the RIM announced that the investigation had been completed. "It was always the intention of the RIM Council to make the findings of the report and the resultant actions public. In terms of the additional allegations which were investigated, we are happy to report that the independent investigation found no basis for further action, as there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations," said RIM Council chairperson Khensani Maluleke. The investigation had one adverse finding, Maluleke indicated. "In this regard, the report highlights a prima facie case for disciplinary action against two RIM officials. The State Attorney has appointed a chairperson to chair the disciplinary inquiry and arrangements are being made for conduct of the internal disciplinary process within the next few weeks," Maluleke added. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24. Read too, Robben Island Museum's independent probe dismisses mismanagement claims, at EWN
Mossel Bay's municipal manager suspended for alleged sexual misconduct News24 reports that the Mossel Bay Municipality's municipal manager, Thys Giliomee, has seven days to provide written reason why he should not be suspended amid an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. Giliomee has been on special leave since April, pending the investigation. At a full special meeting last Thursday, the council accepted an investigation report and resolved that a prima facie case of serious misconduct, in the form of sexual misconduct, had been established. The council also decided to institute disciplinary proceedings against Giliomee due to the alleged misconduct being deemed serious. "The disciplinary hearing must commence within three months of the council decision and the presiding officer will advise the council in writing of the finding and sanction in terms of the regulations. The municipal manager will remain on special leave, pending the outcome of council's decision concerning his suspension," the council advised. The executive manager for community safety, Colin Puren, will act as the municipal manager. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marvin Charles at News24
Tshwane Metro paying guards to guard ‘nothing’ at Zithobeni stadium because there’s nothing left to steal The Citizen reports that for over two years, the Tshwane Metro has been paying a company for two security guards per shift at the Zithobeni stadium. But even the guards don’t know what they’re meant to be guarding, as there is almost nothing left of the destroyed facility. In December 2018, it was reported how the facility near Bronkhorstspruit, built for R44.3 million in 2017, had been stripped bare, with urinals, toilet bowls, and basins and copper pipe fittings ripped from the walls of all the ablution facilities. Security was installed after The Citizen reported on the pillaging, but the vandals have since managed to finish off the little that was left, with almost the entire perimeter fencing around the facility now gone. The guardhouse, which is supposed to accommodate the security officers has also been smashed, with the guards now using a shack erected along the once lush soccer pitch. “To be honest, there is nothing left here to watch. Everything is gone. Whatever was left at the stadium was stripped during the hard lock down,” a guard at the stadium said. He explained that most of the stripping happened under the cover of darkness, because there was no electricity and no perimeter fencing. The City of Tshwane has yet to respond to questions about the broader plan for the stadium and how much the security guards watching what is left of the facility are costing taxpayers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sipho Mabena at The Citizen
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