In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Actuarial Society warns of race against time to vaccinate SA before fourth Covid-19 wave BL Premium reports that the Actuarial Society of SA (Assa) warned on Monday that SA was in a race against time to vaccinate as many people as possible ahead of the fourth wave of coronavirus infections, anticipated in December. As of 24 October, 21.3-million Covid-19 shots had been administered in SA, but only 11.56-million adults, or 28.8% of the adult population, were fully immunised. If SA’s vaccination rollout accelerated to reach the levels seen in the UK — which has fully immunised more than 80% of its population — it could dramatically cut the death rate in the next wave, said Adam Lowe, a member of Assa’s Covid-19 working group. Vaccination blunts coronavirus transmission and sharply reduces the risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19. The death rate seen in SA’s third wave, which peaked in July, saw the rolling seven-day average of daily deaths reaching a high of 420. “The logistics of the rollout will have to be significantly enhanced to ensure vaccines reach the rural and less technologically enabled population, as well as overcoming the vaccine hesitancy and outright antivaccine sentiment, which still exists,” Lowe said. The government is considering offering incentives such as food vouchers to shore up demand for vaccines among older people, as age is the single biggest risk factor for severe Covid-19. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Busa to go to court for legal certainty on mandatory Covid-19 vaccines BL Premium reports that organised business is to go to court to seek legal certainty on companies’ right to require their staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, as part of an effort to speed up SA’s vaccine rollout and ensure workplace safety. The move by Business Unity SA (Busa), which plans to apply to the high court for a declaratory order on workplace vaccine mandates, comes as a growing number of companies look to implement such policies. It comes, too, in a context in which demand for jabs has declined to a level where SA is now unlikely to achieve its target of vaccinating 70% of adults by December and is at risk of not reaching even 50% by year end. Employers are permitted to make Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory for their employees in terms of occupational health and safety regulations that were issued by the Department of Employment & Labour in June. The regulations allow employers to go this route for operational reasons — with the proviso that if employees refuse for good reason to be vaccinated, the employer must try to place them where they cannot endanger others before it moves to retrenching them — as it is entitled to do if all else fails. But with some trade unionists and student groups protesting that it would be unconstitutional to compel people to get jabbed, Busa wants a declarator from the courts that would provide certainty and give employers confidence “that they are on the right side of the law”. Busa CEO Cas Coovadia indicated: “We are saying: let’s get absolute legal certainty that will give employers a tool if they want to go that route legally and they can then have the usual discussions with labour in implementing it.” One labour lawyer commented: “Employers are faced with competing claims. The vaccinated are refusing to work with the unvaccinated because of the health risk (a legally justifiable course of action) and the unvaccinated are threatening to take them to court for a violation of constitutional rights.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hilary Joffe at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Western Cape government and Golden Arrow launch pop-up vaccination site News24 reports that Golden Arrow Bus Services, in conjunction with the Western Cape government, has launched a pop-up vaccination site at the company's Arrowgate depot in Montana, Cape Town. The Arrowgate pop-up clinic forms part of October transport month activities, while incorporating the provincial government's commitment to take Covid-19 vaccines to the people. Golden Arrow workers, including bus drivers, eagerly queued for free vaccinations on Monday. The vaccination outreach is a partnership between the provincial departments of health and transport, and Golden Arrow. MEC for health Nomafrench Mbombo, accompanied by MEC for transport Daylin Mitchell, visited the site for the launch. Mitchell said it was very important for the government to target public transport operators. "Public transport operators are working in areas of high transit as they transport people to and from different destinations, and their staff often find it difficult to visit vaccine sites to get jabbed," he pointed out. Golden Arrow CEO Francois Meyer noted that the bus company transported about 250,000 passengers per day. According to the company, approximately 75% of its staff had already been vaccinated, but the aim now was to make it possible for every employee to be vaccinated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons at News24. Read too, Vaccination site pops up at bus depot in Cape Town in bid to get staff jabbed, at IOL Competition Commission expected to act soon on high cost of Covid-19 tests BL Premium reports that the Competition Commission (CC) is scrutinising the price of Covid PCR tests, which it says have failed to come down despite falling input costs and the economies of scale enjoyed by the biggest laboratories. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are considered the gold standard for Covid-19 testing and are required for international travel and hospital procedures, placing a burden on travellers, patients and medical schemes alike. "We don’t understand why the price hasn’t come down. Action from our side is likely to be imminent," said the CC’s chief economist, James Hodge. Demand for testing is modest at present because new cases are at their lowest ebb since May 2020, but experts expect a fourth wave in December, driving up demand for tests. Laboratories charged R1,000 to R1,500 per test at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but the price fell to R850 after the health sector was granted a block exemption to the Competition Act’s restrictions on collective bargaining in March 2020. SA’s three biggest players — Ampath, Lancet and PathCare — charge R850 a test at present. By contrast the government’s National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) bills provinces at R507 a test and charges private sector patients R650 a test. "Our expectation is that firms would compete to draw testing. It’s strange that they are not," Hodge noted. SA has spent an estimated R9bn on Covid-19 tests since the pandemic began. The health department’s acting director-general, Nicholas Crisp, said the government was concerned about the cost of Covid-19 tests and officials were working closely with the CC. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Covid-19 testing is too expensive and too difficult in South Africa, at GroundUP Former Gauteng health CFO loses bid to have Premier Makhura held liable for Covid-19 PPE scandal News24 reports that former Gauteng health department chief financial officer Kabelo Lehloenya has failed in her bid to have Premier David Makhura held personally liable in the Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) saga. In a judgment on Monday, Judge Lebogang Modiba of the Special Tribunal ruled against Lehloenya in her attempt have Makhura joined in civil recovery proceedings before the tribunal. Modiba dismissed Lehloenya’s third party claims against Makhura – in his personal and official capacity – and the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG). Her bid against the Department of Health’s Arnold Malotana, Thandiwe Lorraine Pino and head of department Professor Mkhululi Lukhele was also dismissed. Lehloenya wanted Makhura and the officials to contribute to any amount she should be found liable for by the Special Investigative Unit (SIU). In his ruling, Modiba said Lehloenya had failed to establish a proper legal basis against the GPG and Premier Makhura as its executive head in terms of vicarious liability or unjustified enrichment or restitution. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) wants to recover money the government lost when Lehloenya, in her capacity as CFO, allegedly awarded contracts irregularly worth R29.6 million for the procurement of Covid-19 PPE items.. Read too, Makhura welcomes Special Tribunal's judgment in PPE matter involving Lehloenya, at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Tensions in capital city simmer as Tshwane metro interdicts Samwu strike Fin24 reports that an urgent interdict awarded to the City of Tshwane aimed at stopping the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) from striking in the metropolitan municipality is not stopping the union from demanding answers on payment increase agreements and other benefits at the council. Meantime, Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is grappling with Samwu's strike in the city, which has disrupted the delivery of basic services in some areas. On Monday, Tshwane executive mayor Randall Williams advised that the metro had obtained an urgent interdict from the Labour Court preventing municipal workers from continuing with their unprotected strike. The interdict declared that Samwu and its striking members were to "immediately disperse". Samwu's Tshwane regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane said the union was determined to ensure workers received their due from the 2019 collective agreement on benchmarking and other benefits that the city had reneged on. He added that Samwu members wanted the metro to honour agreements based on the Group Life funeral cover scheme, which was meant to provide employees with funeral benefits of up to R40,000. "We were informed of the court order, and we will abide by it. The court order said we should not withdraw labour and we will not do that. Workers are back at work. There is no service disruptions,” claimed Tladinyane. He said once Samwu had a response from the city on Tuesday, regional leadership of the union would relay the message to shop stewards and members who would tell the union what must happen next after they have been given time to process and consider the city's correspondence. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24 Tshwane mayor says Samwu will be billed for cost of 'unlawful strike' TimesLIVE reports that public transport by bus and bulk waste collection for businesses in the CBD were disrupted on Monday in Tshwane due to an ongoing strike by employees affiliated to the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu). Samwu members have downed tools in a wage dispute with the city. The CBD was brought to a standstill on Friday after workers allegedly opened fire hydrants and dumped rubbish on the streets. Tshwane mayor Randall Williams said on Monday the city was quantifying the damage and costs incurred due to the strike action and would issue the bill to Samwu. “The city has properly constituted labour structures where decisions on any labour issues can be deliberated on. These structures remain open and should be used optimally to resolve issues instead of resorting to chaos. These are not lawful labour actions. These are political acts meant to disrupt the work of the city and hamper service delivery in the run-up to the election,” said Williams. According to the city, it was granted an interdict on Friday by the Labour Court against the strike action by Samwu members. Despite the order, protesters still gathered and demonstrated outside Tshwane House. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at SowetanLIVE
Truck drivers protesting over employment of foreign national cause traffic delays on N3 in KZN on Tuesday The Witness reports that motorists were warned on Tuesday about huge traffic delays on the N3 near Montrose in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) as the roads were blocked, causing an extensive traffic backlog. Allegedly, the backlog was caused by local truck drivers who were embarking on a nationwide shutdown to demand that freight companies do away with employing foreign nationals. According to the N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), truck drivers were obstructing the N3 Toll Route in both directions near Montrose. It said law enforcement had been deployed and was monitoring the situation. The protest began on Sunday in other provinces when a group of truck drivers prevented trucks from passing through the N10 national road outside Middelburg in the Eastern Cape. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Sakhiseni Nxumalo at The Witness
Former AngloGold Ashanti chairman stepped down from position following sexual harassment investigation Miningmx reports that Sipho Pityana, a former director of AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), resigned as the firm’s chairman in December 2020 following an investigation into a complaint of sexual harassment. This revelation was set down in a public statement by Pityana, who is seeking a declaratory order from the North Gauteng High Court against the SA Reserve Bank’s regulatory unit, the Prudential Authority (PA). Pityana said the PA unfairly opposed his bid to become chairman of banking group Absa. Wendy Lucas-Bull, the bank’s chairman, is due to step down next year. In his statement, Pityana denied the complaint of sexual harassment. Pityana claimed that the PA had relied on an unfair reference from Maria Ramos, the former CEO of Absa and current chairwoman of AngloGold – an allegation AGA said was “baseless”. Pityana also said the complaint of sexual harassment had been “weaponised” against him. An independent AGA investigation found that Pityana had committed sexual harassment of an AGA employee. Absa enlisted its own independent advocate who concluded the AGA report was flawed. AGA commented: “In response to allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Pityana, AngloGold’s board initiated an independent investigation, led by a senior advocate. The investigation was independent, fair and thorough, and we are confident in its conclusions. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by David McKay at Miningmx Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Unisa finalising collection of qualification certificates delayed due to pandemic Pretoria News reports that on Friday the University of SA (Unisa) announced that its graduation division would be visiting the university’s regional offices from 22 October until 6 November in order to finalise the collection of the certificates that were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent national lockdown levels. Unisa advised students to collect their certificates from their regional offices once they had received an SMS from the university indicating the specific date and place of collection. The university came under fire in August after students launched an online petition regarding the delayed receipt of their certificates despite some of them having completed their courses months earlier. Odette Jones, who initiated the online petition which ended up garnering 990 signatures, wrote that the delays by Unisa in issuing certificates had resulted in many of the students being unable to get requisite registrations with industry bodies or apply for work locally or abroad. Due to operational challenges experienced, however, the institution announced that it had arranged courier services locally and internationally to deliver certificates to students. The certificates for the 2021 Spring graduation period would, according to the university, be ready for collection later in the year. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Goitsemang Tlhabye at Pretoria News
Hawks probe Dr Beyers Naude Municipality in Eastern Cape for unpaid pension fund contributions IOL reports that the Hawks are probing the Dr Beyers Naude Municipality in the Eastern Cape for failing to pay over employee contributions to the pension fund. Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) was investigating the non-payment of employee contributions as that was a contravention of the Pension Funds Act. Cele revealed this in response to parliamentary questions from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Samantha Graham. She laid charges in December 2020 after former finance minister Tito Mboweni indicated that 25 municipalities had deducted nearly R3 billion in unpaid employee contributions to pension funds. The Dr Beyers Naude Municipality had not paid R2,598,207,482. The Municipality is required to pay over pension contributions within seven days of the end of the month in terms of Pension Funds Act. Newly-appointed Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana recently advised that the National Treasury had written to the municipality in Graaff-Reinet early in October 2020 to pay the outstanding debt. The municipal manager, he said, responded in late October 2020 acknowledging the debt and committing to settle all the outstanding amounts. “National Treasury is aware that by 15 December 2020, the municipality did not follow through on its commitment to settle all the outstanding amounts, but has made a number of payments since January 2021, including current and outstanding debt. To date as at 08 September 2021, the total outstanding pension debt is at R16.4 million, which is a reduction by 50 per cent since January 2021,” Godongwana indicated Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mayibongwe Maqhina at IOL South Africa needs to make pension system more inclusive, study indicates Mail & Guardian reports that the SA pension system needs reform and cannot stand against some of the world’s leading programmes, according to a global study on how nations were preparing their aging populations for retirement. In the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index survey of 43 nations, Iceland took the top spot, with SA ranked thirty-first. SA received a C-grade, indicating that its pension system has some good features but also risks and shortcomings that should be addressed. Jennifer Henry, president of CFA Society SA said the index’s insights provided SA with objectives that would help improve the pension system, the key area being increasing coverage of employees and self-employed people or entrepreneurs on private pension. The department of social development recently published a controversial green paper on comprehensive social security and retirement reform but this was subsequently withdrawn. The Mercer index showed there were gender disparities in pensions. Henry commented that gender differences in pensions were a strong reminder that unequal pay and limited job opportunities for women had ramifications over many years. Mercer’s David Knox, a lead author of the study, said measures pension companies could take included removing eligibility restrictions for individuals to join employment-related pension arrangements and introducing credits for those caring for the young and old. “Carers provide a valuable service to the community and shouldn’t be penalized in their retirement years for taking time out of the formal workforce,” Knox added. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anathi Madubela at Mail & Guardian
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