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 Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Absa predicts a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections could hit SA as early as next month Fin24 reports that banking group Absa expects a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections to emerge as soon as next month. New daily Covid-19 infections in SA are currently below 1,000 a day, and there have been no new deaths recorded in the official tally in the past two days. The country is waiting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce new Covid-19 regulations as he has alluded to a possible end to the State of National Disaster, amid calls for mask regulations to be dropped outdoors and temperature checks to be scrapped. "We do anticipate a fifth wave. We think it will start as early as late next month," said Absa interim CEO Jason Quinn. Absa said it expected that waves of infection would continue, but social-distancing restrictions in each wave would likely become less prohibitive. The bank said Covid-19 claims in the fourth wave were better than its insurance business expected. So, it might be the case that the fifth wave could also be less severe than the third wave, which hit SA life insurers hard. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Londiwe Buthelezi at Fin24 CCMA upholds yet another “anti-vaxxer” dismissal, but found employer at fault for dismissing the worker via a Whatsapp message, without proper consultation GroundUp reports that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has ruled that the dismissal of an “anti-vaxxer” was fair but in the same breath found the employer to be at fault for sending him a “do or leave” Whatsapp message, without proper consultation. This was in contravention of the Covid-19 directives issued by the Minister of Employment and Labour, the CCMA found. The ruling was centred on the dismissal of articled clerk Dale Dreyden from Wellington-based law firm Duncan Korabie Attorneys at the end of August 2021. The firm had a mandatory vaccination policy because its owner, Duncan Korabie, suffered from life-threatening conditions, had co-morbidities, and had been advised by his doctors to minimise possible exposure to Covid. Other employees, who worked in an open plan office, were also considered high risk or had relatives with co-morbidities. Korabie indicated that there had been various meetings to discuss the issue of workplace safety due to the pandemic. In January 2021, he drafted a policy which set out “the need to vaccinate and the consequences of non-compliance which included disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment”. Korabie then sent a group Whatsapp message giving all employees ten days to get the jab. Dreyden responded, reaffirming his decision not to be vaccinated. That same day, Korabie responded saying, “thank you for your notice” … “Tomorrow will be your last day … you don’t have to come in. I will pay you until tomorrow.” The commissioners noted that Dreyden had shown a “willingness to follow so-called conspiracy theories about the vaccine”. Instead of engaging with him personally, Korabie had used a workplace Whatsapp platform to send the “do or leave message”. The firm was ordered to pay Dreyden, who earned a stipend of R2,500 per month, one month’s compensation and four weeks’ notice pay, totalling just more than R4,800 by 25 March. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at GroundUp Minister Dlamini-Zuma to oppose court bid by DearSA and AfriForum to end national State of Disaster The Citizen reports that amid a pending court battle, the national State of Disaster may not be coming to an end any time soon. This emerged after Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma notified civil rights organisation DearSA and co-applicant AfriForum of government’s intention to oppose their court bid. “This response indicates that the government has no intention of lifting the State of Disaster. And that, despite previous promises, the overreaching regulations are here to stay,” Tim Flack of DearSA said in a statement. With the current State of Disaster set to end on Tuesday, 15 March, Flack said DearSA would continue with its legal action. Last month, AfriForum and DearSA approached the Pretoria High Court in a bid to have the State of Disaster declared invalid, arguing that the Covid-19 pandemic was not of the requisite magnitude anymore. Dlamini-Zuma also recently informed business group Sakeliga via a letter that the State of Disaster would be ended when “adequate measures to deal with the effects of Covid-19 beyond the State of Disaster have been finalised”. According to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, the new health regulations will ensure there are enough protective measures to replace the Disaster Management Act. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen. Read too, Government expected to make an announcement on Tuesday on lifting or not of national state of disaster, at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Numsa to picket outside Comair office to demand removal of CEO Glenn Orsmond The Citizen reports that while Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu has expressed concern over the grounding of all Comair flights indefinitely, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has announced that it will stage a picket outside the carrier’s office demanding the removal of CEO Glenn Orsmond. At the weekend, the SA Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) announced the suspension of Comair’s Air Operation Certificate (AOC) as a result of a number of incident-related occurrences, and later said that it was suspending it indefinitely. Comair operates budget airline Kulula.com and the local British Airways. “This comes at a bad time as families are preparing for school holidays and holidaymakers are planning for Easter holiday getaways,” said Susulu. She urged both Comair and Sacaa to find common ground. Meanwhile, Numsa has demanded that Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond be removed from his position. The union said in a statement: “Osmond’s drastic cost cutting measures have created an over-worked and poorly paid workforce, and as a result the safety standards have also been compromised. If Orsmond is allowed to continue in his role there will be no airline left to defend and at least 1,300 workers will lose their jobs. We demand his removal so that the airline has a chance of survival.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siyanda Ndlovu at The Citizen. Lees ook, Numsa eis Comair-hoof se kop, by Maroela Media Following disruptive protests, Gauteng signs agreement with driving school operators to create consultative platform The Citizen reports that the Gauteng department of roads and transport has signed an agreement with the provincial leg of the National Driving School Association of SA (NDSASA) and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). The agreement follows a series of meetings held last week and on Monday following service delivery disruptions resulting from the closure of Driver Licence Testing Centres across Gauteng. According to the department, the agreement will pave a way for stability and cooperation in the sector: It said: “The purpose of this agreement is to, among others, establish and regulate the relationship between parties, for collaboration to create a platform for discussion and negotiation between parties.” MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo convened talks between the driving school operators and the RTMC in a bid facilitate a peaceful resolution to the dispute relating to the e-Natis system. Addressing the media last week, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said concerns surrounding the NaTIS online system would be addressed: “If the online [system] we launched is not working, it’s a genuine concern which we must be able to attend to. Here is the CEO of RTMC (Makhosini Msibi). If he made me launch something that is not working, I’m here, he must account because that system must work because I want people to get their driver’s licences easy, simple as that.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen
Solidarity, Uasa members no longer subject to lockout at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines after threat of court action Mining Weekly reports that Sibanye-Stillwater says that Solidarity and Uasa have unconditionally accepted the wage offer for employees of its SA gold operations and members of these two trade unions will, therefore, no longer be locked out of the workplace. The remaining two unions represented at the producer, namely the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), have not yet accepted the final offer made by the company and their striking members continue to be locked out of the workplace until such time as they accept the offer. Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman said: “We are pleased that Solidarity and Uasa have now unconditionally accepted our final offer, which we continue to believe is fair and in the interests of all stakeholders. "This is positive progress in the wage negotiation process, and we are hopeful that both Amcu and the NUM will soon follow suit to avoid further consequences for employees and other stakeholders from strike action that we know is not popular among the workforce.” Solidarity has welcomed Sibanye's decision to lift the lockout of its members, but the union says it is a pity that it was forced to approach the courts to force Sibanye to make the right decision. “Sibanye-Stillwater’s actions of the past week took place in bad faith and indicated a weak approach to labour relations: Firstly, Solidarity’s members were locked-out after accepting the wage offer and despite confirmation by Sibanye's chief negotiator that this would not happen; secondly, the illegal lock-out was implemented prematurely; and thirdly, Sibanye tried to gain more time by advancing questionable arguments in the legal proceedings,” said Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly. Read Solidarity’s press statement regarding the above at Solidarity News Harmony employee killed in mine-related material car incident at Doornkop mine Mining Weekly reports that a Harmony Gold employee was killed in a mine-related material car incident at the Doornkop mine, near Soweto on 11 March. Harmony CEO Peter Steenkamp stated: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague. Harmony continues its focus on embedding its risk management practice to create a more engaged and proactive safety culture. The inclusion and involvement of all Harmony stakeholders in all aspects of safety demonstrates a unified commitment to prevent accidents through our ongoing humanistic transformation safety journey. Our prayers are with the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased during this time of tragedy.” The necessary support will be provided to assist the deceased’s family during this time. The relevant authorities were also immediately informed and the affected area has been closed, pending an in-loco investigation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Thulas Nxesi condemns Dudula campaign, saying 'We cannot treat refugees like animals' SowetanLive reports that Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Thulas Nxesi on Saturday said the government would not allow South Africans to treat foreign nationals like animals because they too had rights. Speaking during the presidential imbizo in North West, Nxesi said the government frowned upon acts that made documented or undocumented foreign nationals feel unwelcome in the country. He stated: “What we do not agree with, are the politicians who just jump into the workplaces and say they have come to inspect. Inspect what? Because when they are there, they confuse the people. It cannot be allowed because they are disrupting production in those particular workplaces. We also do not agree with this Dudula approach because it creates confrontation and can lead to violence.” Nxesi was referring to an incident in January when EFF leader Julius Malema embarked on controversial inspections of the hospitality industry to check the ratio of foreign nationals at work. Operation Dudula, which started in Soweto last year and has since morphed and spread to inner Johannesburg and Hillbrow. The movement aims to root our illegal or undocumented foreign nationals, particularly those setting up shops and engaging in alleged criminal acts. Nxesi went on to indicate: “All we are saying is that Dudula must come to us ... and put in their proposals so that we are able to deal with this matter in an amicable way. We cannot allow violence and that is why we are going to be harsh when it comes to those areas. The police will be there to deal with that.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Amanda Khoza at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
With petrol price expected to surge again in April, talks continue on pricing review Business Report writes that the government seemingly won’t be stepping in for now to help motorists mitigate the expected massive fuel price increase next month as negotiations for a petrol price review methodology are still ongoing. The price of petrol is expected to surge with another record increase of R2 or more per litre in April as global oil prices remain elevated above $100 per barrel over Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop said the price of petrol could increase by more than R2 per litre to above R23 per litre in April following a R1.46 increase this month. The ministers of finance and mineral resources, Enoch Godongwana and Gwede Mantashe respectively, have been engaged in discussions that should result in a review of the methodology in terms of which the price of petrol is calculated. National Treasury on Friday said that these protracted discussions were still ongoing. In his Budget speech last month, Godongwana announced that there would be no increase in the general fuel levy and the Road Accident Fund (RAF) levy this financial year. The general fuel levy is currently pegged at R3.93 a litre, up from R3.77 in 2021, and the RAF levy at R2.18 a litre, up from R2.07 in 2021. Combined, these levies add R6.11 to every litre of petrol and diesel sold in the country. The Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) on Friday asked Mantashe to include the union in the government’s review of the pricing methodology for petrol. Misa’s Hermann Köstens said further hikes in the fuel price would have a devastating impact on Misa’s nearly 53,000 members, who were dependent on motor vehicle- and component sales, vehicle services and repair work. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siphelele Dludla at Business Report Agri SA calls on government to suspend fuel levies while Ukraine-Russia crisis persists BL Premium reports that an agribusiness lobby group on Monday called on the government to suspend fuel levies while the Ukraine-Russia crisis persists to help contain food prices. Russia is the world’s third-largest producer of oil and the removal of its supply from global trade has lifted the Brent crude oil benchmark price considerably. The lift in oil prices (from post-lockdown pent-up demand and supply shortages) has raised local fuel prices significantly. Diesel is an important input in the agricultural sector, which is a key driver of growth in SA and contributes 12.2% to GDP. With the recent and still expected fuel price increases, the cost of briging food to SA consumers will rise substantially in the coming months unless the government acts to contain these likely increases. Agri SA, the biggest federation of agricultural organisations in Southern Africa, on Monday said the Ukraine-Russia crisis will have a serious effect on SA’s food security and present a major risk to parts of the agricultural sector. Agri SA chief economist Kulani Siweya said with global wheat prices and agricultural input costs skyrocketing, the SA government must take urgent action and suspend the fuel levies to provide relief for farmers, “especially the nation’s small-scale farmers”, to help contain food prices for consumers. Ukraine and Russia are both major producers of wheat, accounting for a quarter of global exports, and the disruption to the supply of this staple food will cause food price shocks globally and in SA, which imports 30% of its total wheat requirement from these two countries. In addition, Russia is the leading supplier of fertiliser globally. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thuletho Zwane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Skort brandstofheffing op – Agri SA, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Ex-principal struck from teaching register for forcing pupil to search for phone in pit toilet News24 reports that Lubeko Mgandela, a former Eastern Cape school principal who instructed a pupil to search for his lost phone among faeces in a pit toilet, has been removed from the register of educators and will never be allowed to work with children again. SA Council of Educators (SACE) chief executive officer Ella Mokgalane informed the Eastern Cape education department of the sanction last Tuesday. The decision came after the council hauled Mgandela before a disciplinary committee for a hearing in May 2021. On 1 March last year, the 49-year-old former Luthuthu Junior Secondary School principal forced an 11-year-old pupil to try to recover his cellphone in a pit toilet. The device fell into the pit toilet while Mgandela was using it. The incident caused uproar and people called for his arrest and dismissal. The Tsomo Magistrate's Court sentenced Mgandela to 24 months in prison or a R4,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to child abuse. The Eastern Cape education department fired him. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Malibongwe Dayimani at News24
MPs shocked and concerned with the dilapidated state of Cape train stations Cape Argus reports that such has been the sheer destruction at some Western Cape railway stations it left a group of parliamentarians, tasked with the oversight of public accounts, in a state of shock. At the weekend, members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) saw first-hand the damage wrought at the Salt River depot, Langa, Bellville and Philippi train stations. The committee was conducting its final leg of an oversight visit in the Western Cape, during which it raised strong concerns about the dilapidated Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) infrastructure and vandalism at the stations. Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said it had become clear that the decisions taken at Prasa had created a perfect storm for an imperfect outcome in the sense that the security breaches were largely to blame, and that this was as a result of the reckless implementation of a correct decision in 2019. “The committee agrees that the security contract was irregular. However, it was solved in a reckless manner,” Hlengwa said. The committee has scheduled a meeting with Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula for 22 March to share its observations, its engagements with the board and to take matters forward. Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said Prasa was in rebuilding mode, but felt the impact that vandalism and theft of infrastructure had had on the services could not be understated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sisonke Mlamla at Cape Argus Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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