In our early morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of recent South African labour-
labour-related reports.
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All eyes on Cabinet on Wednesday to approve Ters payments during level 4 Fin24 reports that at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday a decision is expected on whether Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) payments will be made to workers who cannot earn an income during lockdown level 4. Acting spokesperson for the Department of Employment and Labour, Musa Zondo, said: "We can't confirm anything until Cabinet concurs - which is where the process is." Zondo indicated that the sectors that might receive Ters also still needed to be confirmed, because Cabinet "may very well have a different view". Many businesses are currently closed, including cinemas, gyms, bars, casinos and restaurants. Meantime, labour federation Cosatu and the Restaurant Association of SA (RASA) confirmed that an agreement was reached at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) to reinstate Ters. Director of communication and marketing at the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Makhosonke Buthelezi, said the list of worker categories eligible for Ters in the extension included the liquor industry and its value chain, gyms, events, conferencing, aviation, tourism and allied sectors and many more. Ters was introduced at the start of hard lockdown in 2020 and was suspended almost a year later in March 2021. While Ters was beset with administrative problems and fraudulent payments were made, it provided income support of R60 billion to over five million workers during a tough economic time. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24 New study finds that bans on alcohol sales, not curfews, linked to drop in deaths BL Premium reports that according to a study published in the peer-reviewed SA Medical Journal, the government’s periodic bans on alcohol sales during the coronavirus pandemic were associated with a significant reduction in deaths from non-natural causes. It challenges recent research funded by the alcohol industry, which concluded that curfews played a much bigger role than restrictions on alcohol sales in reducing the trauma load on hospitals during SA’s various lockdown levels. The latter research commissioned by the SA Liquor Brand Owners Association (Salba), released in April, was not published in a peer-reviewed journal. The liquor industry has lobbied hard against the government’s intermittent restrictions on alcohol sales, claiming they have cost SA an estimated 200,000 jobs, R36.3bn in lost sales and R27bn in taxes. The SA Medical Journal study, published on Friday, found complete alcohol sales bans were associated with a significant decline in the weekly number of unnatural deaths reported in SA. With the exception of a six-week period after the first hard lockdown, partial sales restrictions did not have this effect. Unnatural deaths are those due to accidents and violence, while death from natural causes comes about from disease or other health conditions. The researchers used weekly death data collected by the Medical Research Council and UCT as part of their routine surveillance of mortality trends in SA. They found total sales bans were associated with a significant decline in unnatural deaths Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (paywall access only) Wine industry’s court challenge against booze ban in the Western Cape postponed again TimesLIVE reports that the wine industry’s court application against government’s 14-day lockdown level 4 booze ban has been postponed again. The case was due to be heard in the Western Cape high court on Wednesday after it was postponed on 2 July. However, there are no judges available to hear the urgent interim interdict application. Vinpro, which is leading the case, launched an urgent application on 29 June, when the latest liquor ban came into force. The organisation represents about 2,600 wine and grape producers. Vinpro’s legal team has approached the judge president on an urgent basis to arrange for the hearing of the interim interdict application before a new judge on a date to be arranged. “We are extremely disappointed by this turn of events and are in urgent consultation with our legal team on the way forward,” said Vinpro’s Rico Basson. In its court application, the non-profit organisation said it wanted the ban lifted on transportation of liquor and off-site consumption in the Western Cape only. It indicated it was not challenging the ban on on-site consumption in bars, taverns and shebeens anywhere in the country, including the Western Cape. It noted that after a court ruling overturned the tobacco ban last year, the liquor industry was the only consumer product targeted by government bans as part of the fight against Covid-19. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nivashni Nair at TimesLIVE About 90% of private school staff vaccinated, as unions urge teachers to be 'vaccine ambassadors' News24 reports that Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa executive director Lebogang Montjane and National Alliance of Independent Schools Associations chairperson Mandla Mthembu have expressed their satisfaction with the Covid-19 vaccination programme. Although the figures relating to private school vaccinations were not readily available, they added that there was a high turnout from teachers from private schools. Montjane said: “From our estimation, it's close to about ... 90% of our people (who) have been vaccinated so far.” He added that there had been minimal challenges, one being that of miscommunication. Among the challenges experienced were that the EVDS system could not pick up the teachers because they were not under the government's Persal system. But that was sorted out after all independent schools were asked to submit their data. The sector kick-started its vaccine programme two weeks ago. More than 300,000 teachers had been vaccinated since the start of the programme, the Department of Basic Education advised on Monday. Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga is expected to provide an update on the vaccination programme on Wednesday. Meanwhile, teacher unions Sadtu, Naptosa, Saou, PEU and Natu have urged teachers and support staff in the sector to use the remaining days of the vaccination drive to get the jab and to be ambassadors of the vaccine. The education sector will conclude its vaccination drive at the end of the week. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sesona Ngqakamba at News24 Health department defends decision to let special groups jump Covid-19 vaccine queue BL Premium reports that Nicholas Crisp, deputy director-general for National Health Insurance, has defended the Department of Health’s (DOH’s) decision to enable special categories of people to apply for the Covid-19 vaccination ahead of schedule. “The rationale is an economic one, for people who need to travel for work or study. I want to see equity, but you have to be a pragmatist as well. If someone is going to do a deal that will create jobs you don’t want to limit that. And if someone has signed up for an education programme you don’t want them not to complete their studies,” Crisp stated. The DOH ran into fierce criticism after issuing a circular on Sunday that set out categories of people who would be able to apply for exemption from the eligibility criteria for vaccination, which was currently restricted to people over the age of 50, healthcare workers, teachers and security personnel, and a limited number of workplace programmes. The department then issued a notice on Tuesday withdrawing the circular, but did not offer an immediate explanation. But Crisp said the withdrawal was temporary and the circular was being revised to clarify the criteria for people to be considered for a priority shot. It would be reissued shortly, he said. The categories in the circular released on Sunday included ministers, deputy ministers, premiers and MECS; SA diplomats and their families who have been posted overseas who wish to be vaccinated when they are in SA; individuals who need to travel outside SA for reasons such as business or study commitments, representing SA at sporting events, and seeking medical care; and individuals nominated by the president, health minister, or health director-general. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (paywall access only) NPA’s Shamila Batohi tells Scopa that 25% of agency’s workforce has been affected by Covid-19 EWN reports that according to National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi, a quarter of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) workforce has been affected by Covid-19. Batohi and the heads of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks on Tuesday briefed Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa). She said the NPA had applied to the Department of Health to make NPA staff and prosecutors essential services so they could get vaccinated. The country’s top law enforcement agencies told MPs that the Covid-19 pandemic had dealt them a heavy blow, affecting their capacity to investigate. Batohi said that they had been badly affected by Covid-19 and had asked the Department of Health to assist. The NPA has made a plea for more finances, describing its goods and services budget as “shameful”. “We don’t just need people, we need to give people the tools of the trade to do their work. We need to increase technology,” Batohi pleaded. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Babalo Ndenze at EWN. Read too, Lack of skills, manpower hampering NPA and Hawks with its 20,000 caseload, Scopa hears, at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Samwu declares pay dispute, threatens strike at municipalities BL Premium reports that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has warned that strike action is in the offing if the parties to municipal wage talks fail to find each other in dispute resolution. The union, which represents about 160,000 of SA’s 290,000 municipal workers, declared a dispute at the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (Salgbc) during the last round of talks held recently, and threatened to negotiate “on the streets”. The union advised that more than 80% of its members were balloted and “preliminary results are that workers in their majority have voted to go on strike”. Samwu claimed on Tuesday that the SA Local Government Association (Salga), which represents the country’s 257 municipalities, was negotiating in bad faith by pushing for workers to get below-inflation increases and for any benefits linked to pay increases to be frozen. In June, Samwu and the Independent Municipal & Allied Trade Union (Imatu) rejected an independent facilitator’s proposal for a three-year pay deal, with employees getting 4% in the first year, followed by CPI minus 1% for the second and third years. Expressing disappointment with Samwu’s decision to declare a dispute, Salga said on Monday that it had filed dispute papers at Salgbc. The association said it had opted for a section 47 referral in terms of the Labour Relations Act, which seeks to solve disputes affecting essential service workers through conciliation and arbitration. This, said Salga, was due to the “fact that all municipalities perform the designated essential services”, so the dispute could only be resolved through interest arbitration as opposed to strike action. However, Samwu’s Dumisane Magagula said that Salga could not “out of the blue” argue that municipal workers were essential service workers “when it suits them”. There was no law that all municipal workers cannot participate in the strike, he argued. Magagula indicated that the dispute-resolution process would “commence soon”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (paywall access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Alberto Calderon appointed as AngloGold Ashanti’s new CEO BL Premium reports that AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) appointed mining industry veteran Alberto Calderon as the new CEO of the world’s third-largest gold company. The Johannesburg-based company searched for 11 months to replace Canadian Kelvin Dushnisky who resigned two years into the job. During Dushnisky’s time, he outlined sweeping changes to the company, including its exit from operations in SA. With Calderon’s appointment, interim CEO Christine Ramon returns to her full time role as CFO. Calderon was head of aluminium, nickel and corporate development between 2011 and 2013 for resources company BHP, where he was also group executive and chief commercial officer from 2007 to 2011. Between 2002 and 2006, he was CEO of the Cerrejón colliery in Colombia. More recently, Calderon was CEO of Australia’s Orica, an explosives and reagent company serving the mining industry around the world. He held the position for six years until early 2021 when he stepped down. AGA has no mines in SA as it has opted to focus on its international suite of mines in nine countries on four continents. Its largest source of gold is in Africa. AGA’s next phase of growth will be from two projects in Colombia. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Allan Seccombe at BusinessLive (paywall access only) Tshiamiso Trust to start paying out valid silicosis and tuberculosis claimants soon Business Report writes that the Tshiamiso Trust, which is responsible for carrying out the terms of the R5bn settlement between six mining companies and thousands of gold mine workers who contracted silicosis and tuberculosis in SA mines, said on Tuesday that it had been successful in reaching claimants and the beginning of the flow of payments was imminent. “In the four-and-a-half months since our claims system opened, more than 34,400 claimant appointments have been made, and 31,820 claims lodged as of Thursday, July 1,” said spokesperson Monako Dibetle. The lion’s share of the claims was lodged by mineworkers from Lesotho, while the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, North West and Mozambique also accounted for thousands of claims. Presently Tshiamiso has 54 operational sites across the Southern African Development Community. The trust was established two years ago to ensure that thousands of eligible claimants receive their compensation. The companies that are party to the agreement are African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American SA, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye-Stillwater. Employees who worked on SA’s gold mines between March 1965 and December 2019 and who contracted silicosis and tuberculosis are eligible to claim. Dibetle said that the beginning of the flow of payments to claimants with valid claims was imminent. “The trust expects to make announcements in this regard before the end of July,” Dibetle indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at Business Report Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Autopax’s Translux and City to City bus services to shed 350 jobs Independent Media reports that Zolani Matthews, chief executive of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), has announced plans for the agency’s bus operating subsidiary Autopax Bus Service, which operates long distance busses Translux and City to City, to shed 350 jobs. Matthews told the media, during a briefing reviewing his first 100 days as Prasa CEO, that it had become abundantly clear that Prasa required a review of its bus operations in the form of Autopax. He indicated: “Notwithstanding the negative impact of Covid on the bus industry, Prasa had already taken a decision to divisionalise Autopax from its subsidiary. Extensive consultation has commenced with labour as some of the plans involve a reduction in employee numbers and currently the target is for a reduction of 350 employees; we are however looking at the possibilities of absorbing a certain number of these into Prasa Group where vacancies are available.” Matthews added that they hoped that a new model of operations for Autopax would become possible once the divisionalisation process had been established, although this remained a work in progress with engagements ongoing with the Department of Transport and National Treasury. “This would include a revised mandate on the operations of Autopax to support the primary mandate of Prasa on rail operations,” he advised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Samkelo Mtshali at Independent Media
Solidarity files court papers opposing water department’s appointment of Cuban engineers Engineering News reports that on Tuesday trade union Solidarity issued court documents in its case against the Department of Water and Sanitation, challenging the legality of the controversial decision to appoint Cuban engineers. The 24 foreign engineers were welcomed to SA by the department in April to “enhance and improve government’s efforts on water delivery and related services”. However, Solidarity, questioned why Cuban engineers were required when many local engineers were unemployed. There were also questions about what special skills the Cubans could impart to their local counterparts. According to Solidarity, the department and Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu did not comply with the legal requirements of the Constitution, which determines that State institutions must be managed cost-effectively. As such, Solidarity wants the decision to appoint the Cuban engineers to be set aside. In its view the correct procedure in appointing such engineers was not followed by the department and there was no transparency in the process. Furthermore, Solidarity has argued that the decision to appoint Cuban engineers was unethical because they will see only a small portion of the money while most of the money will be paid over to the Cuban government. Solidarity’s legal matters head Anton van der Bijl said it was irresponsible and irrational to pay out any money to fund imported labour while SA’s was beleaguered by a pandemic and unemployment Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News. Read too, Sisulu ‘mislei’ publiek; besluit oor Kubane ‘onwettig’, at Maroela Media. And also Solidarity’s press statement regarding this matter at Solidarity News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
White cricketers earn almost twice as much as coloured players, former Cricket SA director tells hearing BusinessLive reports that as Cricket SA (CSA) tackles issues of discrimination‚ racism and transformation, fresh attention is being given to the salary disparities in the organisation. Former CSA director Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw made startling revelations on Monday as the first witness at the public hearings of CSA’s social justice and nation building transformation project. According to Kula-Ameyaw‚ who served as an independent director from May to October 2020‚ white cricketers earned almost 100%, or R77‚000, a month more than coloured players. Indian players earned 32%, or R51‚000, less than their white counterparts, while African players earned 26%, or R42‚000, less than whites. She presented a document titled “Salary Differentials Presentation”, which she said was shared with the previous CSA board in August 2020. She said she had worked out the monthly average earnings of the players in both the Proteas senior men’s and women’s teams and used a sample of 34 players who were in the same category and level. She used the earnings of eight white male players‚ eight male black Africans‚ three Indians and two coloureds. In the women’s side six white players‚ four black Africans‚ two Indians and one coloured were sampled. “About the salary differentials‚ the average I worked through‚ the average for white players is R156‚216‚ black Africans is R114‚191‚ Indians coming in at R105‚209 and coloureds last at R79‚194‚” Kula-Ameyaw said. “The long and short of this‚ which is shocking‚ is that the discrimination and racism is systematic and entrenched,” Kula-Ameyaw told the hearing. She will be called back at a later stage to field questions. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tiisetso Malepa at BusinessLive
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