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 roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 22 October 2021.
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Civil engineering industry signs three-year agreement for 4.8% wage rise in the first year Engineering News reports that a three-year wage agreement has been signed by parties to the Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry (BCCEI). It will see workers getting a wage increase of 4.8% during the first year to the end of August 2022 and 0.75% above consumer price inflation for the following two years to the end of August 2024. Employer organisations the Consolidated Employers Organisation and the SA Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors and trade unions the Building, Construction and Allied Worked Union and National Union of Mineworkers signed the agreement. The three-year agreement will become effective from the date of promulgation by the Minister of Employment and Labour. BCCEI’s Kevin Moodley commented that the signing of the agreement was a significant milestone for the civil engineering sector and had again demonstrated the value of industry stakeholders working closely for the good of the sector. Other employment changes agreed to include an acting allowance, which will see an allowance paid to employees while acting in a position higher than their current job grade, and alignment of conditions with amendments to the Labour Relations Act, for example employees will be entitled to ten days parental leave subject to benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Increases have also been effected to various allowances, including the sleep-out allowance, the living-out allowance, the night shift allowance and the cross-border allowance. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Small firms in metals and engineering sector oppose extension by labour minister of Seifsa-Numsa wage deal BL Premium reports that small employers in the metals and engineering sector have vowed to oppose an extension of the wage deal agreed last week between the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa). Seifsa and Numsa agreed to implement an above-inflation wage hike of 6%. After reaching the wage agreement with Seifsa, which is the largest employer body, Numsa called on employment & labour minister Thulas Nxesi to extend the agreement to non-parties, including members of the National Employers Association of SA (Neasa). In a statement on Friday, Neasa, which represents smaller players in the sector, said it would fight any extension of the 6% deal to its members. Over the past five years Neasa has successfully taken court action to prevent the Metals and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC) from extending wage deals to nonparties. Neasa members now reach deals at plant level. According to Neasa, the extension of the agreement will cause the demise of many businesses in the already “shrinking” steel sector and will further contribute to the staggering unemployment rate in SA. “It is therefore paramount that the extension of this agreement is prevented at all costs,” the employers’ association said. It further pointed out that the wage deal was not binding on its members. The association recently recommended that its members implement a 5% increase across the board for employees who were not on strike. Neasa’s rejection of the wage deal coincides with criticism of Numsa for dragging out the three-week wage strike, which cost the industry R600m and employees R300m in lost wages. Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Family of farmworker, who died after being driven over by truck, calls for full investigation by labour department Weekend Argus reports that an Atlantis family is calling on the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) to investigate the death of a farmworker, who was killed on duty. On 7 October, tragedy struck for the family of Ronaldo Keyster, 22, of Atlantis, who had recently become a father to a baby girl. Keyser worked alongside his mother Cathleen Keyster, and his cousin Randall Keyster, on the Klipfontein Farm, in Darling, under the ownership of AF Kirsten. Randall witnessed the incident and said his cousin died in his arms. David Esau, DEL provincial chief inspector, said Klipfontein Farm had not reported the incident to their offices. He said an investigation would follow immediately, after the Weekend Argus made a query regarding the incident. Esau later confirmed their investigation would take a week to finalise before they could give further feedback. The SAPS have confirmed that they were investigating a case of culpable homicide. The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will also be doing its own investigation into the matter. Armed with payslips and Keyster’s death certificate, his aunt Erica Ohlson said she visited Kirsten’s offices after the incident, to request that he contribute to the funeral, but that workman’s compensation was never mentioned, nor UIF benefits for death, even though the company had deducted those funds, according to the payslips. The employer later paid for the funeral. Read the full original of the lengthy report in the above regard by Genevieve Serra at Weekend Argus Robbers make off with SAPS pistols, cellphones and laptop from satellite police station at Sir Lowry’s Pass SowetanLIVE reports that three robbers made off with service pistols, cellphones and a laptop after hitting a police station in the Western Cape on Saturday. Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the armed suspects approached two officers who were on duty at the community services centre at the Sir Lowry’s Pass satellite police station and held them at gunpoint at 9pm. “They disarmed the police officers and fled with two 9mm service pistols, three cellphones and a laptop computer,” Mamabolo reported. No one was injured during the incident. Mamabolo noted that there have been similar incidents across the country in which police stations were targeted. “This brazen attack is part of a continued sequence of attacks targeted at law enforcement officers across different provinces, having left many officers either injured or deceased. They take place at a time when the criminal justice cluster is faced with many internal challenges, including understaffing and the lack of sufficient resources in efficiently servicing communities, and therefore further fuelling avoidable tensions between the two,” Mamabolo pointed out. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mpho Koka at SowetanLIVE. Lees ook, Polisiebeamptes by satellietstasie aangeval, beroof, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
SA Medical Association calls for immediate Covid-19 booster shots for healthcare workers EWN reports that the South African Medical Association (SAMA) has called for Covid-19 booster shots for healthcare workers. With South Africa having a good supply of vaccines, the association says that booster shots for frontline healthcare workers should be made available immediately. SAMA chairperson Dr Angelique Coetzee pointed out that the booster shots would ensure the continued health of healthcare workers and reduce transmissions in facilities. Coetzee stressed that the additional jabs would become more necessary as new variants of Covid-19 arose. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Veronica Mokhoali at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category Covid-19 in SA: 11 new deaths as cases hit 2,919,632, at News24 Covid-19 cases in SA decline as country records 300 new cases and 11 deaths, at IOL Covid-19-statistieke: KwaZulu-Natal het steeds meeste nuwe gevalle, by Maroela Media Fourth wave severity depends on if there is a new variant, Salim Abdool Karim says, at BusinessLive New study finds that Covid-19 can damage brain cells, impairing cognitive function, at Business Insider SA City of Johannesburg launches mass vax campaign, on page 6 of The Star of 22 October 2021 Incentives in store to encourage over 60s to get Covid-19 jabs, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Two employees killed on Thursday in incident at Harmony's Kusasalethu shaft Mining Weekly reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) is mourning the loss of two mineworkers at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu shaft near Carletonville. There was a seismic event at 02:27 on Thursday, 21 October, which resulted in a fatal fall of ground. The event measured 2.5 on the Richter Scale. Reportedly, the proto team was able to rescue a winch driver, and he was taken to hospital for medical attention. The bodies of the second winch driver and the team leader were recovered under the debris. “Our prayers go out to the loved ones of the two fallen comrades,” said AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa. “The board, executives and management of Harmony are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. We extend our thoughts and prayers to the families, friends and colleagues of our deceased colleagues,” said Harmony CEO Peter Steenkamp. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Eskom’s De Ruyter says Just Energy Transition to result in 300,000 new energy jobs over ten years Engineering News reports that according to Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter, ongoing analysis and work done by various groups into the so-called Just Energy Transition (JET) pointed to the potential creation of 300,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs in SA’s electricity sector over the next decade. This figure was over and above accounting for job losses in the coal sector as a result of the looming shuttering of some coal-fired power generation units. Speaking on Friday at the SA National Energy Association Unlock Conference, De Ruyter explained that the JET – through significant investment in solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power – would create a favourable environment for job creation. In addition, he said the push into renewable energy would also drive local manufacturing capability, as everything other than the solar PV wafers (a component of which Chinese manufacturing holds the monopoly and economies of scale) could and should be made in SA. Eskom has started work on repurposing its Komati power station from being formerly coal-fired to being a small, pilot-scale plant producing solar PV power, as well as making land available for agriculture – a term De Ruyter called “agri-voltaic”. Eskom is also setting up a small assembly line for microgirds in Mpumalanga. “If we can get this JET to take off, it will enable us to plug the supply/demand gap sooner and more cost-effectively as renewable energy has proven to be the fastest way, and increasingly also the most affordable way to introduce new capacity, thereby reducing the risk of load-shedding,” De Ruyter said. Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard at Engineering News
Mango airlines makes voluntary retrenchment offer The Citizen writes that Mango airlines’ lowest-paid staff have drawn the shortest straw, again. In its first round of voluntary retrenchment offers to non-pilots and non-management, the ailing budget airline put the legal minimum package on the table. In a circular to staff, an offer of four weeks’ notice pay, leave pay and a week for every year worked was put on the table, along with the roughly eight months’ back pay due to Mango staff who took voluntary pay cuts last year to aid the airline’s survival. Employees have until month end to accept or decline Mango’s offer. The letter to staff states that “due to the company’s fleet not being operational, the company has been unable to generate revenue resulting in an inability to provide work for employees. Mango Pilots’ Association told members: “There will be restructuring required, however, a formal retrenchment process will only begin once the business rescue plan is published and accepted. It is hoped to receive enough voluntary severance package applications to avoid this.” Last week it was reported that Mango’s business rescue plan apparently included a fleet reduction to four aircraft, which at current ratios, might mean that up to 500 jobs would have to be culled. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hein Kaiser at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Research body reports that food inflation in September again higher than expected Engineering News reports that according to the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), food inflation in SA last month was higher than expected, at 6.6% year-on-year. Food inflation contributed 1.1 percentage points to the consumer price index headline inflation figure of 5% for the month. On the other hand, in month-on-month terms, September’s food inflation rate showed zero increase over the figure for August (which had also been higher than expected). “Numerous driving factors highlighted in our previous inflation briefs remain relevant, such as high global commodity prices, high red meat prices on the back of lower slaughter numbers, [rand] exchange rate weakening and rising input costs,” the BFAP noted. The only food category that saw a year-on-year decrease in prices was fruit, which recorded a decline of 2.1%. As in August, the food categories which recorded the highest year-on-year inflation in September were oils and fats (22.4%) and meat (10.3%). For other categories, the rates were 5.8% for sugar and sugar-rich foods, 5.5% for milk, cheese and eggs, 5.2% for fish, 4.2% for vegetables, 3.2% for bread and cereals and 2.8% for non-alcoholic beverages. In month-on-month terms, however, the picture was different as no fewer than five of the above food categories registered price declines. “Our view is that inflationary figures for the rest of 2021 can continue to surprise towards the upside as meat prices are expected to remain firm as we approach the festive season,” the BFAP stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gwede Mantashe appoints highly experienced Smunda Mokoena as Nersa chair Engineering News reports that Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has appointed the highly experience Smunda Mokoena as chairperson of the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa). The appointment became effective on 20 October and Mokoena’s term is expected to continue until 13 September 2024. Mokoena is a previous CEO of the National Electricity Regulator (NER), as well as CEO and full-time regulator member at Nersa, which succeeded the NER. Nersa noted in a statement that Mokoena has over 34 years of work experience in mining, energy, infrastructure development, policy making and economic regulation. Prior to his work as a regulator, he worked as deputy director-general at NEPAD in The Presidency, deputy director-general at the then Department of Minerals and Energy (DME), where he also played the role of chief director for energy supply and deputy chief inspector of mines. Before joining the DME, he worked as a senior engineer at Elandsrand Gold Mining Company, Western Deep Levels, ERGO and Anglo American. Mokoena holds a Master’s in Business Administration from De Montfort University (UK), Bachelor of Science (Engineering) from the then University of Natal and a Government Certificate of Competency as Electrical Engineer for the Mines and Works from the then DME. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
SA’s pension system gets a C-grade in 2021 global pension index Fin24 reports that according to the 2021 Global Pension Index Report produced by Mercer and the CFA Institute, SA’s pension system is a C-grade. It ranked the country's pension system number 31 out of 43 countries. The index analysed 43 pension systems covering almost two-thirds of the world's population. It did not limit its research only to occupational pensions. SA scored 53.6 out of possible 100 points. It did particularly badly in terms of sustainability and adequacy of pensions in the country, scoring below 50% in those two areas. And that's not based only on retirement savings, but homeownership, debts and other savings that households have. SA has many factors working against it, from high unemployment to high household indebtedness and people constantly taking their retirement savings in cash. However, the 53.6 points presented a slight improvement from 2020, thanks to the annuitisation of provident fund benefits, which began in March this year. According to the report, Iceland, the Netherlands and Denmark have the best systems to help people live comfortably after retirement. While SA’s performance is nothing to brag about, it did fare relatively better than countries like Thailand, India and Argentina – and even the more developed Italy and Japan. The Fin24 reports goes on to look at what other countries are doing right that SA isn't. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Londiwe Buthelezi at Fin24. Read too, South Africa’s pension system drops to 31st place, at Moneyweb
Two former Mpumalanga municipality employees and company director facing fraud charges get bail of R20,000 each News24 reports that a former project manager and an administration clerk at a municipality in Mpumalanga, as well as a company director, have been released on R20,000 bail each after being charged with defrauding the municipality of over R170,000. Luthando Mpangeva, the former project manager, and Mxolisi Hadebe, the former administration clerk at Supply Chain in the Dr Pixley Ka Seme Municipality, along with company director Sibusiso Blessing Simelane, appeared in the Middleburg Commercial Crime Court on Friday. "It is alleged that, in 2018, the accused colluded together in facilitating and submitting fraudulent invoices of Evoke Trading to the municipality without any services rendered. The municipality suffered a total actual loss of R172,478.00," said a Hawks spokesperson. The three will be back in court on 8 December. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Lwandile Bhengu at News24
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