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, 6 May 2022.
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New Somerset Hospital shooting: Police officer dies, pushing death toll to three The Citizen reports that the 32-year-old police officer who was injured during a New Somerset hospital shooting has passed on. On Sunday, Western Cape officials confirmed that the officer underwent emergency surgery on Saturday, but succumbed to injuries related to his gunshot wound overnight. The death toll now stands at three, after two patients were declared dead on Saturday. The deceased officer had been escorting a patient and was in a cubicle when he heard an altercation in another cubicle of a surgical ward. The officer went to check and was shot through the head after the suspect apparently grabbed his gun and fired several shots. Two patients, aged 42 and 48, were also shot dead. According to the Western Cape premier, Alan Winde, the killer had been discharged from the hospital and was waiting for an ambulance to take him home when he grabbed the firearm from the police official. Western Cape Minister of Health Nomafrench Mbombo indicated that a female nurse had been able to sedate the patient in order to recover the firearm. Mbombo confirmed that there were 26 patients in the cubicle during the altercation. The 40-year-old suspect has been remanded in custody and will undergo psychiatric evaluation. “We are doing our best to ensure that the government hospitals are safe,” Winde said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lethabo Malatsi at The Citizen. Read too, Cape Town hospital shooting: Death toll rises to three, at News24. En ook, Konstabel sterf ook ná skote by Kaapstad-hospitaal klap, by Maroela Media Farm workers demand urgent ban on 67 pesticides that women on farms say are making them sick GroundUp reports that about 200 farm women from the Cape Winelands marched in Worcester on Thursday calling for a ban on hazardous pesticides frequently used on farms. They also wanted farmers to be held accountable when they contravened labour regulations. According to the Women on Farms Project (WFP), which organised the march, about 67 of the pesticides still used on SA farms have been banned by the European Union. The farm women marched to the Labour Centre in Worcester to hand over a memorandum, which was received and signed for. The WFP’s Denile Samuel reported that farm women have been complaining that farmers were not complying with regulations on protective clothing, were sending workers into the vineyards too soon after spraying pesticides, and were not giving them support when they got sick from pesticide exposure. The legislation currently regulating the safety of farm workers is the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1985, and, with regard to pesticides specifically, the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Substances. These regulations dictate “the need for personal protective equipment, including respiratory protective equipment” and also the duty of the employers to send a worker for a health evaluation if they are exposed to pesticides. David Esau, the labour department’s chief Western Cape Inspector, indicated: “The matters raised in the memorandum have been referred to the national Chief Inspector. The department is prepared to meet with Women on Farms so that we can work together to prepare a program that will look into the health and safety of the workers in the farms with regards to the use of pesticides.” Andrea Campher of AgriSA said farmers must ensure that their workers were safe, wore the necessary protective clothing and followed the directions and warnings on the labels of pesticides. Pesticide use should not be to the detriment of the health of workers or the environment, she noted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Liezl Human at GroundUp 'Like her family, we too want answers', says MSC about SA worker who died on cruise ship News24 reports that according to global cruise line company MSC Cruises, it is searching for answers following the death of an employee, an Eastern Cape woman, on one of its cruise ships in March. Hombisa Nana Mafuduka, 31, was reported dead on 24 March. According to her family, Mafuduka had vomited up blood and had collapsed. The family was later told that she died after a watertight door squeezed her. Her family said previously that they suspected foul play and further alleged that her autopsy was conducted without the family's consent. Mafuduka had worked in the ship's kitchen for two cruise sailing seasons. In a detailed response to questions from News24 last week, senior management at MSC Cruises South Africa said they had assisted Mafuduka's family following her death. "We want clarity on what happened as much as everyone else, including, of course, Hombisa's own family. This has been our stance from day one. We have cooperated, naturally and to this end, to provide the police with all of the necessary information that they seek to aid their investigation," they indicated. Senior management added that they understood the family was upset and hurt. "At the same time, it is somewhat disheartening to see incorrect rumour, innuendo and speculation being aired in the public domain about this awful tragedy and us being directly accused of not being transparent," they said. "We, as much as her family, want to get to the bottom of this," management pointed out. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marvin Charles at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
SA’s Covid-19 positivity rate of 31.1% of those tested nears record Bloomberg reports that SA’s daily coronavirus test positivity rate neared a record on Saturday, rising above 30% for the first time in almost five months as two sublineages of the omicron variant spread rapidly ahead of the nation’s winter season. There were 8,524 new Covid-19 cases identified, representing a 31.1% positivity rate of those tested, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported. That’s the highest rate since the 32.2% recorded on 15 December, when a record 26,976 cases were recorded. The surge means SA is close to its highest positivity rate yet. The record so far was 34.9% on 14 December. The positivity rate is taken as an indicator of how fast the disease is spreading through the community as many cases go undetected. Still, only five deaths were recorded in the last 48 hours and just over 2,600 people are in the hospital with the disease. At the peak of the wave in mid-2021 when the delta variant was rampant, hundreds of people were perishing daily and hospitalisations peaked at about 16,000. Last month South African scientists identified two omicron sublineages, BA.4 and BA.5, and laboratory experiments have since shown that those strains can reinfect those who have already had the original omicron strain. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rene Vollgraaff at Moneyweb. See too, Covid-19 update: SA currently has 61,812 active cases, with 5,486 new cases recorded on Sunday, at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
As fierce public sector wage battle looms, PSA says 10% pay increase demand is 'very economical' Fin24 reports that a fierce fight is looming at the upcoming public sector wage talks, with unions having put forward a list of demands that includes a 10% wage increase across the board. Rallied by sharp increases in living costs, union members will square off against a cash-strapped government that has little room to manoeuvre. The latest round of public service wage negotiations is now in its early stages, and the agreed-upon rate of increases will be applied from April retrospectively to the end of March next year. The negotiations will end once a majority of unions negotiating at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council accept an offer from government. Labour's consolidated demands for the 2022/23 wage talks include a demand for a 10% wage increase regardless of employee level of experience, a R2,500 increase in the housing allowance, and a "disaster salary" of 12% of basic salaries in the case of potential future disasters such as the Covid-19 pandemic. This time around with the cost of living rising exponentially, the unions are firm in their resolve for a considerable increase above the inflation rate of 5.9% in what is envisaged to be a single year deal. Spokesperson for the Public Servants Association (PSA), Reuben Maleka, indicated: "Current inflation is about 6%, and already Moody's predictions are that inflation will rise [to] about 8%. Take fuel price, food and transport costs for workers. In fact, we are very economical to demand even 10%." Department of Public Service and Administration spokesperson Moses Mushi indicated that, while government would not comment immediately on the details of the wage demands, it had every intention of negotiating in the interests of keeping the broader economy stable. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24 (subscriber access only). Read too, Unions demand 10% increase in public sector wages, setting the stage for a bitter battle, at Daily Maverick Unions and employers in passenger bus sector ink 6% wage increase deal Fin24 reports that the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council (Sarpbac) announced last week that unions have accepted a 6% wage offer at the passenger bus wage talks and signed a deal with employers in the sector. This came after months of tense negotiating between employer representatives and labour at the bargaining council, which threatened to collapse into a national strike in late April. The unions, namely Numsa, Satawu and the Transport and Allied Workers' Union returned to the negotiation table after a deadlock was reached ahead of the Easter weekend when employers said they could not afford the unions' 11% increase demand. The SA Bus Employers' Association and the Commuter Bus Employers' Association revised their initial offer of a 2.5% wage increase upward to 6%, which the unions then accepted. Sarpbac’s Gary Wilson said the wage hike would apply to the actual wage rate as well as to allowances. The wage increase will take effect as of 1 April retrospectively, and the agreement will be in place until 31 March 2023. The settlement will see the minimum wage in the sector rise from R40.43 per hour to R42.85 per hour. Allowances such as night shift, subsistence and travel, cross border, double driver and the tool allowance will all go up by 6%. Wilson said the issue of primary health care benefits in the sector was referred to Sarpbac's central committee for further engagement and research. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24
Ramaphosa takes swipe at Sibanye-Stillwater after Workers’ Day fiasco Bloomberg News reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa bemoaned the poor state of labour relations at some mining companies just days after striking Sibanye-Stillwater gold mineworkers stormed the stage where he was speaking in Rustenburg. The workers, on strike at the precious metals producer for the last two months, were demanding that the company meet their demands. Ramaphosa was forced to abort his May Day speech and was taken to safety by his security detail. Ramaphosa founded the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1980s and led the largest-ever gold industry strike in 1987. Speaking on Friday in a speech at a mine owned by Anglo American Platinum and, without mentioning Sibanye by name, he urged mining companies to negotiate with workers. “Hostility between employers and employees should belong in the dustbin of history. We should not continue to be trapped by the past where there was total hostility between stakeholders,” he said. Sibanye’s workers want a raise of R1,000, while the company is offering R850. They were further angered late last month when Sibanye revealed that its CEO, Neal Froneman, had earned over R300 million in the previous financial year, mainly due to the performance of the company’s shares. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Antony Sguazzin at Fin24 Prodding from Gwede Mantashe fails to end Sibanye-Stillwater strike deadlock Business Times reports that management and striking unions at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations are as far apart as ever despite the high-profile intervention last week of mineral resources & energy minister Gwede Mantashe. He facilitated meetings between Sibanye's management and the leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (Amcu) on Monday and Thursday. These were the first face-to-face talks since workers downed tools two months ago. Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting on Thursday, Mantashe said his role had been limited: “Our role … is to nudge parties to talk to one another. We are not a negotiator for either the union or the company. We are saying to them, 'You cannot have a strike for two months and you do not talk to each other and you write letters to each other.' Their meeting today and on Monday is a massive move.” During the meeting on Thursday, which went on into the night, the unions offered to reduce their wage hike demand for so-called ‘miners, artisans and officials’ from 6% to 5.8%. Sibanye is offering 5%. The unions said they were prepared to cut their demand for a R100 monthly “living out” allowance for entry level mineworkers by half, but would not lower their demand for a R1,000 a month salary increase. This would add up to a total monthly increase of R1,050. COO of Sibanye’s gold operations Richard Stewart said Sibanye was sticking to its R850 final offer (R50 living-out allowance and an R800 salary hike). NUM general secretary William Mabapa said there was no end in sight to the strike even after the meetings facilitated by Mantashe. Amcu general secretary Jeff Mphahlele said that in light of the stalemate, a secondary strike at Sibanye’s platinum mines in solidarity with colleagues in the gold mines was increasingly likely. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, NUM, Amcu still battling for higher wages, at City Press (subscriber access only). And also, The trouble with Froneman’s R300 million pay is that the context – both historical and current – matters, at City Press (subscriber access only) Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Survey finds that young people have to choose between eating and looking for work GroundUp reports that according to a study conducted by Youth Capital and Open Dialogue on the costs of job-seeking, more than 80% of unemployed young people in SA have to choose between looking for work and buying food. “This is an alarming statistic,” said Kristal Duncan-Williams, the project leader, during a virtual launch of the report, co-hosted by the DG Murray Trust, on Thursday. The results were based on a survey of 2,200 respondents aged between 18 and 34, most of whom were looking for work at the time. Between August and November 2021 they were asked about how much they spent on data and transport looking for work, and where they got the money to look for work. Asked if they had to choose between looking for work and buying food, 84% of participants answered “Yes”. The study was built on the findings of the 2019 Siyakha Youth Assets Study, on youth unemployment. The Siyakha study found that young South Africans, on average, spent R938 a month looking for work. These costs included transport, data or internet usage, printing, certification, copying, postage, scanning, as well as application fees or agency fees. With regard to finding money to look for work, most participants - 69% - said they borrowed money from family members. A further 20% said they borrowed from a friend, and 27% said they used a government grant. The survey found that 44% of respondents had been looking for a job for more than a year. According to StatsSA, nearly two thirds of people aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marecia Damons at GroundUp No more certification for public job applications, now only Z83 and CV required The Citizen reports that South Africans applying for public service jobs have been given relief in that they will no longer have to attach certified copies of their qualifications to their applications. Instead, they will only be required to submit a completed Z83 form and a curriculum vitae with their applications. Without the change in procedure, hundreds of thousands of unemployed people would have had to spend money on making copies of their certificates and then go to a police station or post office to have them certified by a commissioner of oaths. The change will also free the police for their normal crime fighting duties instead of spending time in charge offices certifying copies of job seeker’s qualifications. Police officers have had to do this administrative task in addition their normal policing duties, despite numerous complaints about the shortage of police boots on the ground to fight crime. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has issued circular 19 of 2022 to all national and provincial government departments and entities, instructing them not to demand certified copies from job applicants anymore. The DPSA said the certified copies of qualifications would only be required once an applicant had been shortlisted for an interview. The changes were implemented from 1 May. The DPSA said the changes to the Z83 form were introduced in order to “improve the financial and administrative challenges both for human resources in departments and more so for the citizens”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Eric Naki at The Citizen
Salga boss Xolile George set to fill vacant Secretary of Parliament post News24 reports that Parliament is finally set to have a permanent secretary, with the post having been vacant and an acting official at the helm since 2019. Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said on Friday that the president, his deputy, and cabinet ministers had approved the appointment of current SA Local Government Association (Salga) chief executive officer Xolile George as secretary of Parliament. While Mothapo's statement did not include details about George's salary, it was revealed that the executive authority would recommend to the National Assembly (NA) and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that he assume his duties on 1 June, subject to the houses' confirmation of his appointment. "The presiding officers said Mr George is an administrator who will bring a remarkable and deep knowledge and extensive experience in a range of areas that include intergovernmental and international relations, development economics, and political-administration interface. The appointment of Mr George will bring the required stability in the administration of Parliament, as the position of the Secretary to Parliament has been vacant for almost five years," Parliament’s statement indicated. Beyond the parliamentary officials throwing their weight behind him, George also has support from the parliamentary branch of the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), which has been pushing for his appointment. Parliament had been without a permanent secretary since the sacking of Gengezi Mgidlana in 2019. Since then, the deputy, Baby Tyawa, had been acting in the position. The absence of a permanent secretary came into sharp focus following the fire at the parliamentary precinct in January. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Juniour Khumalo at News24
Almost 500 children of slain cops have not received bursary money from SAPS trust TimesLive reports that almost 500 children of police officers killed in the line of duty have not received their bursary money from the SA Police Service Education Trust (Sapset) since 2020. In response to a parliamentary question, Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed that for the 2020 academic year, allocations were made to 349 beneficiaries. However only 146 were paid, which amounted to R1,477,455.32. For the 2021 academic year, allocations were made to 292 beneficiaries, but they have not been paid due to “systems and financial constraints”. MP Zandile Majozi had questioned why the trust, which was established in 2010, was not mentioned in the SAPS 2020/2021 annual report. Cele replied the annual report for 2019 was complete, however from 2020 onwards, the reports were still in draft format. “The financial statement for 2019 was drafted. However the Sapset was not able to pay the auditor and it is not finalised,” he said. The Sapset board only has one member left. “A proposal has been made for a new board and executive committee and awaits further directives,” Cele advised. The trust is registered as a non-profit organisation that is funded through gifts, donations and sponsorships from individuals, firms and companies. It provides financial and resource assistance for the children of the SAPS deceased members who died in the line of duty or on duty. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nivashni Nair at TimesLive
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