In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Without legislative regulation, it’s sink or swim for workers holding it down on their own in gig economy Fin24 reports that without a change of mindset among those in power, SA may not fully reap the benefits of the digital economy that has birthed the growing trend of gig work. This is according to the chairperson of Productivity SA, Mthunzi Mdwaba, who is also a former vice president of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) of the ILO. He says the lack of legislative regulation can lead to exploitation and is hampering the potential to change the future of work for the better. Tech-based services - including e-hailing platforms, food deliveries, online tutoring and fitness coaching - have gained traction among the country's unemployed and those looking to earn additional income as gig workers. In theory, this should support some jobs growth in an economy still battered by stubbornly high jobless numbers. But while the emergence of Covid-19 has been supportive to some online service providers due to a shift in work patterns - including the ability to work from home - others have been left reeling. Mdwaba lays the blame for this firmly on a lack of regulatory protection for gig workers. Key among the changes he would like to see is a shift in policy direction that would see gig workers qualifying for the same protection and benefits as those who are permanently employed. Mdwaba points to hordes of e-hailing drivers whose unclear recognition within the sector has seen them miss out on relief efforts aimed at cushioning business operators against the impact of Covid-19. Mdwaba says protection for gig workers cannot come fast enough to unlock economic growth. "There is enormous value to be unlocked by the gig economy, and what the Covid-19 has taught us is that the future of work is no longer traditional employment." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sibongile Khumalo at Fin24 (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Female doctor at Lillian Ngoyi community centre in Soweto stabbed by patient The Star reports that a female doctor was attacked by a patient at the Lillian Ngoyi Community Health Centre in Soweto on Thursday night and sustained injuries to her hand. While the incident has not been confirmed by the community centre, a member of staff at the facility reported that a female doctor had indeed been injured by one of the patients. The incident was also confirmed by the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) shadow MEC for health, Jack Bloom. "This busy clinic is situated next to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, but has only a skeleton security staff since security contracts expired earlier this year,” Bloom indicated. The DA lambasted the lack of enforcement at the facility, saying that last week’s incident followed other security problems there. Gauteng Department of Health spokesperson Kwara Kekana admitted to the shortage of security personnel at the facility. "Yes, there is limited security coverage inside the facility. The department is in the process of appointing a new private security company for optimal coverage of the clinic. Scheme Private Security company has withdrawn their services since Saturday, April 30, due to issues known by the company. Currently, the security officers that are appointed by Gauteng Department of Health are providing security services in the clinic," Kekana said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Star Delivery driver killed in Umhlanga crash on Monday IOL reports that a delivery driver was killed in a crash on Umhlanga Rocks Drive on Monday. The driver of the motorbike, a 34-year-old man, sustained critical injuries. According to Kyle Van Reenen of Emer-G-Med, the crash occurred between a light motor vehicle and the motorbike. “Several advanced life support intervention methods were used in attempt to stabilise the patient, however, the man went into a state of cardiac arrest. Extensive cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts were made by emergency care practitioners, but they were unable to save the man and he was declared dead on the scene,” said Van Reenen. The driver of the light motor vehicle did not sustain any injuries. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Jolene Marriah-Maharaj at IOL
Covid-19 cases on the decline with just over 1,600 new daily infections TimesLive reports that after showing high numbers of Covid-19 infections in recent weeks, the latest figures released by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Monday showed there has been a steady decline in the number of infections. The institute said 1,662 new Covid-19 cases had been identified in SA in the past 24 hours, representing a 13.7% positivity rate. The national health department reported another 19 deaths, eight of which had occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours. This brought the total fatalities to date to 100,952. The NICD said the new cases were from Gauteng (39%), followed by the Western Cape (22%), KwaZulu-Natal (13%), Free State (6%), Mpumalanga and North West (5% each), Eastern Cape and Northern Cape (4% each) and Limpopo (1%). There were 83 new hospital admissions in the past 24 hours, bringing to 3,164 the number of people presently in hospital with Covid-19. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by TimesLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
In bid to avert strike, SARS floats wage offer from ‘savings’, but claims it 'cannot afford' unions’ demands Fin24 reports that the SA Revenue Service (SARS) has responded to union demands for a CPI plus 7% wage increase by indicating that, while it could not afford to pay such a wage hike, it was open to making funds available to its bargaining unit employees from its savings in 2021. It did not specify the details of its proposed new offer. This came after the Public Servants Association (PSA) and the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) each declared a dispute at the tax collection agency and served SARS with a notice of intention to strike. In a statement, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said even though the National Treasury had made no provisions in its allocation to the tax body for wage increases, SARS did its "due diligence" to make funds available to employees represented in the bargaining unit. "I am pleased that under difficult conditions we are able to provide some financial relief to our employees. I also remind our employees that we are inordinately privileged to have employment security at a time when so many are unemployed and financially destitute," Kieswetter indicated. PSA spokesperson Reuben Maleka said the union had begun picketing on Monday. He also advised that labour would meet with Kieswetter that evening to discuss the offer to convert savings into a form of financial support for staff, and how that would affect take-home pay. If the deadlock is not broken, the PSA is expected to commence with a full-blown strike on Wednesday. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24. Read too, SARS tables new offer in wage negotiations with unions, at TimesLive
NUM wants Gwede Mantashe to follow through on threat to revoke Sibanye's mining rights Fin24 reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) wants Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to follow through on his threat to revoke Sibanye-Stillwater’s mining rights in the gold sector. The NUM and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) have been on strike for nearly three months over wage demands at Sibanye’s gold mines in Gauteng and the Free State. Remarking on the Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman's comments that the company could withstand a strike for years if needed, Mantashe last week suggested his department could cancel the company’s mining rights because it appeared disinterested in using them. Section 47 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act gives the minister power to suspend or cancel rights, permits or permissions in particular circumstances. NUM said in a statement on Monday: "We will be fully supporting the minister when he starts the process of revoking Sibanye-Stillwater’s mining licence. We are calling for Minister Gwede Mantashe not to capitulate when threatened with legal action by this evil company." Sibanye did not want to mine, the NUM claimed, adding that the company was “arrogantly sitting on top of the properties of minerals, preventing other potential companies from mining". Sibanye’s James Wellsted said the company had noted the comments made by Mantashe as well as the statement released by the union. "We will engage with [the] Department of Mineral Resources and Energy if this prospect is formally raised with the group but reserve our right to protect the interests of our stakeholders through appropriate legal channels," he said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at Fin24 Sibanye-Stillwater mineworkers sleeping at Union Buildings want Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in protracted wage strike Pretoria News reports that scores of Sibanye-Stillwater mineworkers under the banner of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are bracing the freezing weather in Pretoria to urge President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in their four-month long wage strike. Mineworkers from Sibanye’s gold operations have been sleeping on the lawns at the Union Buildings since last week Thursday to demand intervention by the Presidency in their protracted wage negotiations. Mandla Mokadi, a representative of NUM, said the workers had gathered at the Union Buildings “because the president met with workers at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Workers Day and he promised the workers to engage with the mine's Chief Executive Officer." Mokadi claimed that following the meeting with Ramaphosa, the president instructed the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, to intervene. But, the only thing Mantashe had been able to do was to facilitate a meeting between the trade unions and the mine management, which fell through as the company stood by its mandate and so too did the workers. As a result of the continued impasse, workers had decided to come to the man who had promised them a solution as the employer remained adamant that it could not give workers a decent increase whilst at the same time awarding the CEO millions. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Goitsemang Tlhabye at Pretoria News Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman says “naïve” criticism of executive pay will force companies to delist from JSE Miningmx reports that according to Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman, growing hostility towards executive pay would drive essential skills into the private sector and even force companies to delist. “There’s a lot of naïvety about executive pay. People look at it emotionally and not technically,” Froneman has remarked. Sibanye-Stillwater has been criticised by unions for paying Froneman R300m at a time when they are locked in a three month strike with gold mining employees. Said Froneman: “This (controversy over executive remuneration) will drive companies to delist and become private because it’s unfair towards the executive and senior management teams that run these companies. The whole sentiment drives average performance and there are people in companies who are not average, and you will lose them to private industry. I fully acknowledge the issue of inequality and poverty, but you don’t solve this by not rewarding performance. You solve it by creating jobs and economic growth, not by cutting salaries of executives.” The bulk of Froneman’s pay related to share incentive schemes, announced in March just as the strike was kicking off. “It’s not my job to defend my salary; that’s up to the board. But the one thing the executives have asked the board is that a greater proportion of their pay is related to performance,” he said. But according to a rated analyst, whilst executive pay was supported by shareholders, and shares were paid at a cost to them in terms of dilution, Froneman nonetheless lacked diplomacy for speaking out about the matter. The criticism against him has indeed been intense. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by David McKay at Miningmx Other community posting(s) relating to mining
Numsa’s Irvin Jim draws first blood against Vavi in battle at congress for soul of Saftu TimesLive reports that Numsa leader Irvin Jim and his union drew first blood in his tussle with Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi for the soul of the trade union federation. In a dramatic start to the organisation’s conference in Ekurhuleni, Jim opposed the conference being chaired by Saftu acting president Atwell Nazo. Jim argued there was no mention of “acting” in the Saftu constitution and insisted that the federation’s first deputy president Nomvume Ralarala should conduct the opening in the absence of suspended president Mac Chavalala. Unions supporting Vavi moved that the conference be opened by Nazo as he had been installed as acting president by a national executive committee meeting (NEC) at which Numsa had been present. Vavi tried to intervene, accusing Numsa of wanting to collapse the conference, a move Jim dismissed on the spot. After a protracted debate, it was concluded that the national office bearers should make the decision. With that, Jim emerged victorious as Ralarala took to the podium to chair and open the congress to loud cheers from the Numsa section. Numsa is Saftu’s largest affiliate and has 40% of the 708 voting delegates attending the elective conference. Jim and Vavi have been at each other’s throats in recent months over the direction Saftu should take. After national office bearers attempted earlier this year to suspend Vavi, they were in turn suspended at an NEC meeting in late March. One of the suspended officials, Vavi’s deputy Moleko Phakedi, will this week make a challenge for the top position. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mawande AmaShabalala at TimesLive. Read too, The future of SA's labour movement at stake at critical Saftu conference, at Fin24 Saftu enters second day of fractious conference to elect new leadership EWN reports that after a day of squabbles, the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) will on Tuesday enter the second day of its conference to elect new leadership. The conference, with its tensions, is already emulating some political conferences where there’s an ultimate victor which could lead to even more divisions in the organisation. Tensions between general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and the trade union federation’s largest affiliate – the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) – dominated the first day. Vavi, who received a letter of intention to suspend him in March, which was subsequently followed by the suspension of four office-bearers, is fighting to stay in his position. Numsa has been demanding that the status of the four be dealt with before the business of the conference gets underway. In a report to the conference, Saftu made its own assessment of the state of the organisation. It admitted that the conference was taking place at the federation’s lowest point in its five years of existence. Saftu also listed five challenges that have paralysed it, namely endless bickering by office bearers; unresolved political and ideological differences being swept under the carpet but hovering over the federation; lack of resources; the threat of business unionism; and the weakening of revolutionary morality. Saftu said there was an urgent task to capacitate the federation. But with Vavi’s career on the line, these issues might once again take a backseat on Tuesday. The conference is set to continue until Thursday. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Tshidi Madia at EWN
For reasons of security, Pravin Gordhan says no to state offloading bankrupt Denel BL Premium reports that Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) Minister Pravin Gordhan has ruled out offloading Denel, the broke state-owned arms manufacturer that is on the brink of collapse and is struggling to pay salaries. Denel, which is one of the many parastatals struggling to recover from state capture, has recorded huge losses in recent years and owes staff R650m in outstanding salaries and suppliers R900m. This has led to calls from opposition parties and other stakeholders for the state to privatise the entity. In a written reply to questions by the EFF published in parliament at the weekend, Gordhan said Denel was a strategic national asset that was interlinked with sovereign security, suggesting it should always be under some form of state control for security reasons. “The government is therefore seized with the primary responsibility to preserve the critical defence industrial capabilities that reside in Denel,” Gordhan stated. He said that while the ongoing financial challenges required, among others, a strategic review and repositioning of the company, “selling a stake at a Denel level is not among the current considerations”. But, the minister added: “However, options under considerations include strategic equity partnerships in carefully selected business units and strategic partnership, such as joint ventures at capability and product levels.” The crises at Denel and other entities have put the government under pressure to show its intent on the restructuring of SOEs and reducing the financial burden on the fiscus. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bekezela Phakathi at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Struggling Denel workers informed via SMS of 'no more medical aid', at Sunday Times (subscriber access only) Eskom plans to rope in veteran engineers amid skills deficit at power utility Business Report writes that Eskom has decided to rope in veteran engineers to mentor and upskill its power station managers in a bid to avert prevalent, unplanned breakdowns at its ageing coal-fired power stations. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced this intervention on Friday during the presentation of his Budget Vote for the 2022/23 financial year in Parliament. This comes on the heels of the sudden resignation of group executive for generation, Phillip Dukashe, early this month after a year in the job and 26 years at Eskom. He cited personal reasons. Gordhan said it was no secret that Eskom did not have the necessary human capital for the maintenance of its current fleet of power stations. The minister said Eskom was taking urgent steps to improve the performance of generation, including oversight meetings to hold power station management accountable for performance and the setting up of war rooms at selected power stations. He said a lack of engineering and technical skills plus experience in Eskom remained a significant challenge, and Eskom had introduced a new training programme at its Academy of Learning to upgrade skills. “A skills mentoring programme using highly experienced power station managers has been launched. This team will be deployed to power stations where load losses are particularly severe,” Gordhan indicated. In 2020, Eskom was slammed for considering recruiting a group of 60 retired engineers who had volunteered their skills to boost its capacity in order to maintain its power stations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siphelele Dludla at Business Report. Read too, 'No attempt to disguise' latest incident of sabotage at Eskom power station as another cable is cut, at Engineering News
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