In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Government extends national state of disaster for another month, with a further extension likely BL Premium reports that the government is likely to extend the national state of disaster beyond the one-month extension announced on Tuesday, because the extension may not provide enough time for public consultation on alternative legislation for managing the pandemic. President Cyril Ramaphosa is under growing pressure to lift the state of disaster and allow the economy to fully reopen after two years of dampened activity. SA is under lockdown level 1 restrictions which, while less stringent than levels 2 to 5, nevertheless impose limits on the size of gatherings and curtail activity in the sport and leisure sectors. The sweeping powers the regulations give to ministers have also given rise to concern about the potential erosion of constitutional rights. Shortly after the president’s state of the nation address in February, the cabinet said the state of disaster would end on 15 March, but on Tuesday evening co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced it has been extended for another month. This had been done, she said, "to take account of the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to address the impact of the state of disaster". The government is apparently planning to invite public comment on draft regulations to the various acts required to manage the coronavirus pandemic or another major health threat, and that process is unlikely to be completed by 15 April, Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Ramptoestand wéér verleng, by Maroela Media 'No reason to continue state of disaster', says AfriForum as it heads to court News24 reports that civil rights organisation AfriForum, which started legal action last month to nullify the national state of disaster, on Tuesday condemned the government's decision to extend it by a month. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma earlier announced the extension. The current state of disaster was set to expire on Wednesday. AfriForum's campaigns manager Jacques Broodryk reacted: "This again proves AfriForum's point that the government has no plans of ever giving up the powers they have grabbed under the guise of an emergency over the last two years. There is no reason to continue the state of disaster unless you're a power-hungry politician or the countless corrupt individuals who are profiting from emergency procurement irregularities." The organisation said there was "currently no disaster and hence no need for a state of disaster". According to Dlamini-Zuma, the decision was taken so that the government and organs of state could have enough time to "continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements" to ensure that new legislation was in place for the continued management of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic after the termination of the state of disaster. Read the original of the report in the above regard compiled by Jeanette Chabalala at News24
West Rand Covid hospital donated by AngloGold and refurbished for R500m faces uncertainty as 20 staff members set to leave City Press reports that it is not yet clear what will happen to the multimillion-rand hospital in Carletonville on the West Rand as about 20 staff members are set to leave at the end of this month. The hospital was donated by AngloGold Ashanti, however, the provincial government does not own the building as the donation has apparently not yet been finalised. Gauteng Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi revealed in the provincial legislature on Tuesday that no decision had yet been taken on the future of the hospital. The hospital’s initial refurbishment budget of R50 million allegedly ballooned to almost R500 million. The provincial government invested R460 million in the hospital after it was identified as a Covid-19 critical care facility. According to Mokgethi, since its official opening in May last year only 147 Covid-19 patients have been treated at the hospital. Jack Bloom, Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on health in Gauteng, said the department had spent about R6 million on staff for this hospital. “However, there are only 34 patients who have been treated there since the beginning of this year. It is no use pumping more money into this white elephant hospital which is likely to become a ghost hospital without staff or adequate medical equipment,” Bloom stated. He reported that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was probing corruption as the refurbishment bill had allegedly escalated to more than R500 million. Mokgethi said her department was working on a strategy to retain the staff. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Yoliswa Sobuwa at City Press (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Peperduur fasiliteit dalk binnekort ‘spookhospitaal’, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Four people treated for smoke inhalation during Durban factory blaze TimesLive reports that firefighters on Monday extinguishing a blaze at a factory in Durban in which four people suffered smoke inhalation after they helped to try to extinguish the blaze. The fire broke out in a building in Clairwood, a semi-industrial area south of the city. ALS Paramedics received several calls about the burning factory at about 1.30am. On Saturday, firefighters battled a blaze at a tar-manufacturing company in Hillary, west of Durban. The fire was contained after about three hours, but it destroyed most of the building. A month ago, residents in Clairwood had to be evacuated after three diesel tankers at a local truck yard went up in flames. Recently 13 people were injured when the China Emporium in central Durban caught alight and burned for two days. According to Desmond D’Sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, fires were due there being no oversight. “We don’t have an inspectorate going out to investigate and check whether companies are compliant with bylaws and laws. We have seen an increase in fires in the Clairwood area. The Transnet pipeline is an example. We’ve seen a resins company catch alight and the fire at UPL that happened during the looting last year,” he noted. D’Sa pointed oput that poor communities were mostly affected by the lack of proper emergency plans. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Suthentira Govender at BusinessLive
Numsa: Comair board must fire CEO Orsmond to show airline is its priority EWN reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said at a picket protest on Tuesday that Comair’s board must demonstrate that it had the airline’s best interests at heart by replacing CEO Glenn Orsmond with someone who would improve the company’s performance. Earlier, the union handed over a memorandum of demands to Orsmond, who is faced with convincing the aviation authority to reinstate Comair’s operating licence, which has been suspended indefinitely due to safety concerns. Numsa’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said workers had made endless sacrifices to keep Comair afloat but, even then, Orsmond had failed to turn the company around. “He promised to save 2,500 jobs, instead he used his management skills to cheat us of our benefits, slash salaries and instituted a reactionary and backward collective agreement, which imposed on us. He then signed for 30% salary cuts for six months but that turned into over 12 months,” Hlubi-Majola complained. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Masechaba Sefularo at EWN. Watch too a video clip of the NUM picket at EWN Facing calls for his exit, Comair CEO pleads with workers to help get flights in air EWN reports that as workers blamed Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond for glaring failures that have cost the company its operating licence, the man in charge of the grounded airline operator has insisted that everyone is on the same side. The SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has been going through Comair's documents to help determine when British Airways and Kulula flights will be allowed to take off. The authority embarked on an investigation earlier this week following several reports of safety incidents, including engine failures and landing gear malfunctions. On Tuesday, Orsmond struggled to convince picketing workers affiliated to Numsa that he had their best interests at heart. "We're all on the same side here. I've told you many times we have the best people in the industry but for now, let's get back in the sky, let's work together let's make that our number one priority," Orsmond told the protesting workers. But Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said that Orsmond was in the wrong business. "If you, as a CEO of an airline, cannot guarantee the safety of passengers you have no business running an airline and our demand is simple: we want the board of Comair to remove Glen Orsmond," Hlubi-Majola said. Numsa gave Comair's board seven days to respond to its demands. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Masechaba Sefularo at EWN Nurses protest over alleged terminated contracts by the Western Cape health department Cape Argus reports that a group of post-community service nursing practitioners, supported by the EFF’s Labour Desk, held a picket in front of the Western Cape legislature on Monday over the alleged termination of their contracts by the Department of Health (DOH) due to the issuing of nursing membership certificates by the SA Nursing Council (SANC) having been delayed. The professional nurses said the department had previously granted them employment on submission of certificate payment receipts alone, but this was suddenly rejected. This was said to be despite the department being aware of the three to four month turnaround times for the issuing of certificates by the council. Instead, the DOH had issued a declaration to labour brokers not to hire them. The protestors demanded immediate disqualification of the declaration issued to nursing agencies and permanent employment for all post-nursing community service practitioners. DOH spokesperson Mark van der Heever pointed out that the practitioners had completed their community service on 31 January. On completion of the community service period, their contracts of employment with the department had lapsed. “It is important to note that the department has undertaken a position based on departmental internal policies to make a special concession to appoint nurses who have applied for a position within the department and are qualified and waiting for registration with SANC,” he said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mthuthuzeli Ntseku at Cape Argus
As 130 staffers threaten court action, City of Joburg insists reversal of contract conversion is final News24 reports that the City of Johannesburg insists that the decision of its council in February to reverse the contract conversion of a group of 130 staffers is final and will not be rescinded. In February, the Joburg council reversed a mayoral committee decision taken last year, while the ANC still governed the metro, allowing the conversion of fixed-term contracts to permanent ones. According to the new DA-led multi-party coalition government, the council never approved that decision, which it deemed illegal and which it reversed. The staffers were given notices to make representations, which were followed by notification that their contracts had been converted back to the original fixed-term form. As matters stand, the contracts will expire at the end of April. In a list of demands sent to the City, the staffers have demanded that February's council decision should not be implemented, failing which they will approach the Bargaining Council, the Labour Court or the High Court. In a statement by their lawyer, Mojalefa Motalane, the group said the City had contravened a series of legal processes and had no legal basis for reversing the mayoral decision taken by the ANC in 2021. Mabine Seabe, spokesperson for the mayor Mpho Phalatse, said the City would oppose any legal action brought against it regarding the contract conversion matter. "The Johannesburg multi-party government has been clear in stating that the decision taken by the mayoral committee, council and the City administration was and is a matter of compliance with the law, not a labour issue. In the instance that we are met with legal action, we will be opposing it,” Seabe indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zintle Mahlati at News24. Read too, Former ANC political staff members threaten court action over lost jobs, at IOL
Huawei agrees to achieve 50% local workforce within three years BL Premium reports that Huawei Technologies SA has agreed to ensure that South Africans account for at least half of its local workforce after the government took the Chinese technology firm to court in February for flouting quotas on foreign employees. The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) and Huawei said on Tuesday they had settled out of court after the department’s application to the Labour Court on 11 February. Authorities had said that based on a 2020 audit, almost 90% of Huawei’s workforce were foreigners, contravening a requirement that 60% of workers must be South African. The DEL had sought a fine of R1.5m, or 2% of the local firm’s 2020 turnover, for the alleged rule breaches. “The department has accepted Huawei SA’s employment equity plan which addresses equitable representation of South Africans to above 50% within three years, especially from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act,” the DEL indicated in a statement. Advocate Fikiswa Bede, chief director for statutory and advocacy services at the department, said: “The parties see this as a win-win, as it fosters a public and private partnership that facilitates the transfer of skills, while also addressing the issue of unemployment by creating jobs in the ICT sector.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mudiwa Gavaza at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Huawei agrees to boost hiring of locals in SA to 50%, at Moneyweb
Registration fee hike effected followed ‘extensive’ consultations with medical and dental professions board, says HPCSA The Citizen reports that the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) says the annual registration fee increase that has angered healthcare workers was effected following consultations with the medical and dental professions board. Last week, the SA Medical Association (Sama) criticised the 13% increase as “unfair” and “not justifiable”, and said it would engage with the HPCSA about the matter. It has submitted a request for information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain budgets, minutes of meetings, and other relevant communication and/or data relating to Council’s ‘justification’ for increasing the fees. “Given the lack of promised engagement on the matter, we also decided to explore our legal options,” Sama indicated. In response on Tuesday to the complaints, HPCSA president Professor Simon Nemutandani said the approval of the increase was preceded “by extensive consultation with the Medical and Dental Professions Board and in consideration of their activities for the financial year in question and it is Council budgeting approach to move from a premise of zero cost base and activities of the particular board”. The outlined procedure was followed, and Council subsequently approved and gazetted the fees for 2022/2023 financial year, said the HPCSA. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen
Ministers mull suspension of fuel taxes as one route to cheaper petrol BL Premium reports that as consumers and businesses brace for even higher petrol prices and the government upgraded its inflation forecast, ministers said they were considering a suspension of the fuel levy to ease the impact of surging oil prices. The government is considering measures to shield consumers as the uncertain environment means prices could still rise dramatically. Minerals & energy minister Gwede Mantashe told MPs on Tuesday that he and finance minister Enoch Godongwana were discussing ways to reduce the fuel price, such as the suspension of taxes and the fuel levy, which represented 30% of the pump price of petrol. Other options under discussion, Mantashe said, were to remove the demand side management levy of 10c/l on 95 octane unleaded petrol; introduce a price cap on unleaded 93 octane; or make part of the state’s strategic oil stock available to local refineries. However, a suspension of the fuel levy would have serious implications for the fiscus, which is projected to derive R89bn in 2022/2023, or about 6% of total tax revenues, from that source. Other measures that would have to be considered include encouraging people to work from home to reduce consumption; the enforcement of speed limits; and a restriction on how many litres each motorist would be allowed to purchase per visit to a petrol station. Meantime, the Treasury estimates that consumer inflation could reach between 5% and 5.5% in 2022 compared with the 2022/2023 budget projection of 4.8%. The central bank’s target is 3%-6%, and the reading in January was 5.7%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, SA weighs petrol-price cap, rationing to curb costs, at Moneyweb Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gqeberha bus shelters in ruins after contractor who has been paid nearly R25m abandons work GroundUp reports that the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has paid nearly R25 million for the construction of bus shelters, but the contractor has abandoned the work and the shelters are in ruins. Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said R24.9 million of the more than R57 million contract had been paid to Halifax Group to provide shelters for users of the Libhongelethu Bus Services. The Libhongolethu Bus Company was formed in 2012 and is owned by the municipality. It was meant to operate in the townships of Gqeberha, Kariega and Despatch, but it is only operating in the northern areas of Gqeberha. The bus shelter project was to have been completed in June 2019, but the contractor abandoned construction midway. Halifax apparently left the project after the municipality fined the company for slow progress. Princess Tobin-Diouf, a public relations officer at the municipality, advised that 12 shelters meant to accommodate between 30 and 180 people, and 22 smaller shelters had been partly completed. An additional nine kerbside shelters have not yet been built. On 2 March, the municipality served Halifax with a notice of intention to terminate the contract. Meanwhile, the municipality’s safety and security directorate has been ordered to protect the structures. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Joseph Chirume at GroundUp Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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