In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
|
Inquiry into Rheinmetall Denel fatal blast in 2018 to resume on 19 October Engineering News reports that the Department of Employment and Labour's (DEL's) inquiry into the events that led to the 2018 fatal incident at Rheinmetall Denel Munition's facility in Macasser, in the Western Cape, is set to resume from 19 to 22 October. This will be the second sitting since the explosion at the munitions plant resulted in the deaths of nine workers. The DEL ordered the establishment of a Section 32 inquiry to investigate occupational health and safety violations, and appointed Mphumzi Dyulete as the presiding inspector. The inquiry could not continue in 2020 owing to Covid-19 restrictions. Seventeen witnesses are lined up to give evidence. "Once the commission of inquiry has established what happened, it will compile a report and recommendations to the department’s chief inspector who, in turn, will hand over the report to the National Prosecutions Authority for consideration,” Dyulete indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Gauteng police officer killed on Saturday after being struck by drunk driver at roadblock News24 reports that a Gauteng police officer was killed while manning a roadblock on the West Rand on Saturday night. Warrant Officer Jan Christoffel Esterhuysen was killed after being knocked over while controlling traffic in Khutsong when a motorist allegedly failed to stop. Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili indicated: "It is reported that a 20-year-old driver failed to stop at the roadblock, hitting a stationary vehicle and Warrant Officer Esterhuysen, who was controlling the traffic. The suspect tried to flee the scene, but other members managed to stop him, and it was established that he was drunk." Esterhuysen was rushed to hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. He had been stationed at the Fochville Visible Policing Unit and had had 27 years of service in the South African Police Service. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24 Taxi operator arrested for attempted murder after Western Cape traffic official almost run over during route checks News24 reports that a taxi operator was arrested for attempted murder after a traffic officer had to shoot at a vehicle to stop it from running him over during a volatile route inspection. Western Cape Transport Department spokesperson Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka said the officials were checking for illegal operations on the contested Paarl/Mbekweni route. Some taxi operators blocked the road. "A taxi then drove straight towards a traffic officer with the intention of knocking him over. The officer fired shots at the wheels of the taxi, forcing it to stop. The taxi driver was arrested and charged with attempted murder," Makoba-Somdaka reported. The Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) and the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) are vying for rights to trade on the route, with Codeta fiercely guarding what it regards as its territory. Meantime outside Johannesburg's usually busy Commissioner Street on Saturday, four taxis were burnt out. The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport swiftly obtained an interdict against the Witwatersrand African Taxi Owners Association and the Nancefield Dube West Taxi Association. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jenni Evans at News24
Business must do more to encourage vaccine uptake, says BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso Engineering News reports that according to Business Leadership SA (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso, there was much that business was already doing to encourage uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine, but more needed to be done. In her weekly newsletter, the head of the business organisation encouraged employers to support their employees to become vaccinated. Mavuso noted: “We have now delivered over 20-million vaccine doses, with 10.5-million people fully vaccinated. Opening vaccinations to over-12s later this month will add momentum for a while. But it is clear that take-up rates are slowing. We have 27% of our adult population fully vaccinated, including 53% of those over 60, but need to reach 60% to 70% to minimise the impact of the virus.” She pointed out that the country’s challenge had shifted from one of securing enough vaccine supply to one of reaching enough recipients, while overcoming vaccine hesitancy. Mavuso cited emerging evidence that people who received the first Pfizer jab were not returning for the second, with the Gauteng province recently reporting that a million people had not turned up for their second vaccinations. “The involvement of organised business in the vaccine campaign is primarily about doing what we can to save lives. But it is also about protecting livelihoods, ensuring that normal economic activity can resume and people can work to feed themselves and their families. Now we must focus on driving vaccination rates. Business as employers can play a crucial role,” Mavuso emphasised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Experts discuss Covid vaccine mandates as ACDP pickets against compulsory jabs Cape Argus reports that as part of the battle to convince more people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, legal and health experts have debated how to reassure the public and encourage vaccination in a context where there is widespread mistrust in government and experts. The discussion webinar was hosted by public interest law centre, Section 27, and, among the ideas discussed, was the controversial topic of mandatory vaccinations. Constitutional law expert Pierre De Vos said: “We need to think about the extent to which rights are limited, and how severe that limitation is. We need to consider the science of vaccines in order to assess the justifiability of limiting rights. Would a vaccine mandate constitute discrimination that is unfair? How would courts adjudicate on an issue like this? Covid-19 vaccine mandates may not even be the most severe infringements of the right to bodily integrity as is found in the case law” Section 27 executive director Umunyana Rugege spoke about the impact of corruption during the pandemic on the public’s ability to trust in government and the vaccine roll-out. Social analyst Tessa Dooms pointed out that people’s fears mattered and addressing such fears would get a step closer to addressing the public health crisis. The discussion came as members of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) protested at the Western Cape premier’s office in Wale Street, where they handed in a memorandum in which they argued that vaccine mandates were unconstitutional. Led by the party’s mayoral candidate Ferlon Christians, the ACDP supporters said they were firmly against the concept of mandatory vaccinations. Christians said that the ACDP would not hesitate to challenge the mandatory vaccine issue in court if members of the public were victimised for not getting vaccinated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mwangi Githahu at Cape Argus Discovery Health warns of a pandemic of mental illness in wake of Covid-19 disruptions BL Premium reports that Discovery Health has sounded the alarm over a looming mental health crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The medical scheme administrator has seen a marked increase in claims for psychology visits. Psychology visits per 1,000 lives in July 2021 were 16.2% higher than the corresponding period in 2019, at 28.4 visits per 1,000 lives in 2021 compared with 24.4 in 2019. Discovery Health’s clinical policy unit head, Noluthando Nematswerani, indicated: “Mental health is another pandemic. What we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg. I think we are still going to see a significant mental health impact in future claims. What we are seeing right now is people who may not have an established mental health illness, but are presenting with stress-related disorders, which may progress to more serious conditions.” The prevalence of anxiety disorders rose by more than 36%, while depression soared 38%, according to the estimates for SA in a Lancet study published on 8 October. Countries hit hardest by the pandemic in 2020 had the greatest increases in these mental illnesses, with SA among the worst affected. Jasmin Kooverjee, principal psychologist at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, said there had been a marked increase in anxiety and depression among children and adolescents, and a surge in burnout among healthcare workers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
IDC's approval of R1bn post-riot business recovery funding sustains 22,493 jobs Engineering News reports that the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) says approvals for post-unrest business recovery funding have surpassed R1-billion and will sustain 22,493 jobs. The fund was established to help affected businesses in a variety of sectors, including retail, manufacturing and agricultural, recover and rebuild. The recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng impacted growth, affected job creation opportunities, economic transformation and investor confidence in the domestic economy, IDC CEO TP Nchocho pointed out. There is still work to be done to bring many businesses to full operations. The IDC cited three examples of businesses approved for funding. KZN food manufacturer Heartlands Foods, which employs 336 staff, benefited from the IDC’s Post Unrest Business Recovery Fund. Its factory was torched during the unrest, resulting in extensive damage to the building, plant machinery and stock. Further, clothing manufacturer Kingsgate had four business sites that were severely affected by the unrest. The IDC has provided funding to restore Kingsgate operations at all four sites. “This business has more than 770 employees, the majority of whom are bread winners. The loss of jobs would have not only impacted on employees, but their dependants as well,” Nchocho noted. Additionally, apparel manufacturer and supplier Trade Call Investments was impacted by the looting as its stock, comprising electronics valued at close to R120-million, was damaged. Following the unrest, its factory in Mobeni, north of Durban, went out of operation, affecting close to 120 employees. The company’s other factory in Ladysmith, employing close to 1,100 employees, also faced disruption in the supply of raw materials. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
As Numsa’s wage strike rolls into third week, some parties meet for CCMA mediation BusinessLive reports that as the wage strike by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) in the metals and engineering sector enters its third week, some of the parties are looking to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to break the impasse. Last week, Numsa rejected a revised wage offer by the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA (Seifsa) of 6%, up from the previous offer of 4.4%. Seifsa, the sector’s largest employer body that represents 18 organisations employing 170,000 workers, said on Friday the proposed increase of 5% for artisans and 6% for general labourers was final. However, Numsa rejected the offer, saying that, while it was prepared to settle on 6%, the increase must be calculated on what businesses actually paid workers and not the current minimum rate of R49.55 per hour. Calling on industry bosses to “accede to workers’ demands” if they cared about SA’s economic recovery and the sector, Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola indicated on Monday: “There have been no talks with Seifsa since the press conference on Thursday. All employers, with the exception of Seifsa, are participating in CCMA mediation. It started on Thursday afternoon [and] the next session is likely to be some time this week.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive
Village Main Reefs signs two-year wage agreement with the NUM and Uasa Mining Weekly reports that trade unions Uasa and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have signed a two-year wage agreement with gold producer Village Main Reef (VMR), effective 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2023. This followed an announcement last week by trade union Solidarity that it had signed the agreement with VMR. Under the terms of the agreement, Category 4 to 8 workers will receive a wage increase of R800 a year, while so-called ‘miners and artisans’ will get a 5% increase. Lower-level officials will receive an R800 or 5% increase and other officials will get a 5% increase on the standard rate of pay. VMR will increase the current living out allowance to a maximum of R2,500 for all employees, namely by R100 from September 2021 and R100 from September 2022. Among other benefits, the company will provide employees with four months’ paid maternity leave in terms of applicable policies and procedures, with the option to average out over six months. In the event of retrenchments, the company will pay a severance benefit as provided for in terms of the Mineral Council Agreement for the period 2018 to 2021. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other general posting(s) relating to mining
‘Catastrophic’ fuel price hikes await motorists in November, AA says BusinessLive reports that the AA has warned that motorists could be hit with “catastrophic” fuel price hikes next month as a result of increasing oil prices. In its mid-month outlook, the association expects petrol to rise around 99 c/l, with diesel and illuminating paraffin increasing by R1.42 /l, when fuel prices are adjusted on 3 November. This would push 95 unleaded petrol inland to a record R19.32/l — a 30% increase since January — and the wholesale price of 50ppm diesel to R17/l — also the highest ever. “The hikes in diesel and illuminating paraffin would be the largest in SA history, bearing in mind that this is only based on half a month’s data,” the AA said. It advised that R20 a litre for petrol was now a realistic scenario before the end of 2021. The Association doesn’t expect the oil price squeeze to ease in the short term, as the demand for oil will increase as the northern hemisphere enters its winter season. Fuel prices are adjusted on the first Wednesday of every month by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by BusinessLive
Shoprite CEO paid almost R30 million over past year, an increase of nearly 12% Fin24 reports that Shoprite CEO Pieter Engelbrecht, 52, earned R29.9 million over the past year, an increase of almost 12% from the previous year, when he earned R26.8 million. Engelbrecht's total earnings came to almost R2.5 million a month. The company published its annual report on Monday, which showed that Engelbrecht, who has been CEO of Shoprite since 2017, earned R16.8 million in guaranteed pay - slightly lower than the previous year. But he earned a bonus of almost R12 million - compared to R7.6 million in the previous year. The bonus was linked to "specific short-term incentive criteria". Engelbrecht’s "actual outcome" was 112% of the target. Over the past year, Shoprite increased its sales by more than 8% to R168 billion. The minimum wage in the retail sector is R28.25 per hour – or around R5,500 a month. Last month, Woolworths announced that it would "invest" an additional R120 million to hike its base pay to store workers from R33.40 per hour to R41.25 by 2023. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24
Solidarity launches PAIA application regarding reported coming into effect of NHI by year-end Trade union Solidarity announced on Monday that it had launched an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) in connection with controversial remarks made by the Health Department’s Deputy Director-General, Dr Nicolas Crisp. This came after Crisp stated on 30 August that the National Health Insurance (NHI) would come into effect by the end of the year. As a result of these comments, Solidarity addressed a legal letter to Dr Crisp in September this year, but he did not respond. Solidarity said it was consequently compelled to take more serious legal steps as this was causing major uncertainty among its members in the healthcare sector and elsewhere. “It is extremely irresponsible of a civil servant to make such statements while we are still in the middle of a public participation process. This indicates that the government is contemptuous of these processes and merely tries to steamroller these policies,” Connie Mulder, head of the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI), said. He went on to say: “In addition, we have no information regarding the effect of implementing the NHI. What would this mean for members of medical aid funds? What would this mean for healthcare workers? How would this differ from the current state of affairs? The department has simply not given any indication of what this would mean for South Africans, despite the fact that health is something that directly affects every single person.” Solidarity furthermore argued that research by the SNI had already indicated significant shortcomings in the proposed systems. Read Solidarity’s press statement in the above regard at Solidarity News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page