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 Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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SA hurtles towards huge fuel price hike in June, with no reprieve in sight BL Premium reports that with a temporary reduction of the general fuel levy set to end, the government says it is giving special attention to the fuel price, which is expected to rise sharply in June. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Mineral Resources & Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe announced a two-month reprieve of R1.50/l on the fuel levy at the end of March and said there would be other price-reducing measures from the beginning of June. The respite on the levy terminates at the end of May, but no announcements on other measures have yet been made. Together with the full general fuel levy, the price of 95 octane unleaded petrol is poised to rise to an unprecedented R25.72/l from R21.84/l on 1 June, which would have a serious effect on inflation, particularly for the transport and agriculture sectors. Mantashe indicated last week that the temporary R1.50 relief was unlikely to be extended because the proceeds from the sale of strategic oil reserves were enough to ensure a reduced levy for only two months. When they announced the two-month reprieve on the payment of the general fuel levy, Mantashe and Godongwana had said that a “broader package of relief measures” would be explored and they would come into effect after the expiry of the two-month fuel levy reduction. Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, indicated on Thursday that the government would wait for Mantashe and Godongwana to give feedback. “But it’s a matter that is receiving special attention ... because it affects our economy very strongly,” he added. Meantime, the speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has agreed to a Democratic Alliance (DA) request for a debate in the house on fuel price hikes, Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Government mulls extending fuel levy intervention as major fuel hikes loom – Gungubele, at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
ArcelorMittal strike ends with 6.5% wage increase agreed with Numsa, Solidarity Fin24 reports that ArcelorMittal SA (AMSA) has reached a wage agreement with employee unions, bringing to an end two weeks of strike action at its operations. The steelmaker on Thursday announced it had settled its wage dispute with the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and Solidarity. The deal came just days after the company lost its bid to have the Labour Court interdict Numsa’s strike at all of its plants. The agreement is for a 6.5% increase on all remuneration elements, plus a R5,000 once-off ex-gratia payment. The deal applies to all bargaining unit employees and will be backdated to 1 April. "The agreement that has been reached with the unions is testament to the commitment of all parties to move the business forward rather than getting stuck in an unfortunate wage dispute that does not serve anybody, especially our employees," commented AMSA’s CEO Kobus Verster. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Lisa Steyn at Fin24 Sibanye-Stillwater begins fresh wage talks with striking unions under auspices of CCMA The Citizen reports that Sibanye-Stillwater has begun fresh wage negotiations with labour unions in a bid to resolve the protracted strike at its gold operations. Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) have been striking over wage increases at Sibanye for almost three months. Workers are demanding R1,000 for entry-level surface and underground workers and 6% for so-called ‘artisans, miners and officials’ for three years, but Sibanye made a final offer of R850. On Thursday, NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu confirmed that the gold producer and unions were meeting under the auspices of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in a bid to resolve the strike. “We are meeting at Birchwood Hotel (in Boksburg) where the company requested the meeting with the unions in terms of Section 150 of the Labour Relations Act. This means that the CCMA will be facilitating the conciliation and all the parties are here, including NUM, Amcu and the company,” Mammburu indicated. This follows a meeting in Johannesburg on Wednesday convened by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi between government ministers and Sibanye. The meeting was called to get feedback on progress made in resolving the strike that started in March. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thapelo Lekabe at The Citizen Sibanye-Stillwater gold miners in limbo wage strike drags on The Citizen reports that on the seventieth day of the Sibanye-Stillwater gold miners’ strike, in Pretoria union members stood in kilometre-long queues to get breakfast after spending another cold night in the park at the bottom of the Union Building gardens. About 3,000 striking mineworkers were waiting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to address them on the wage increase negotiations. Democratic Alliance shadow minister of mineral resources, James Lorimer, said the strike has affected the miners badly. “They have lost an income that will take them months if not years to earn back,” he noted. He pointed out that the miners had lost an entire salary each month of the strike in hopes of getting R300 extra in the long run. “We have been on strike for three months, we are now waiting for Ramaphosa to intervene and address us,” said miner Lwandile Deyi. Another mineworker from Carltonville said they were waiting for feedback from their leaders: “We sleep in the buses and the taxis and make fires to keep warm. But, honestly, it’s difficult to sleep on a bus with all the people here.” Livhuwani Mammburu from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the union was not hopeful that the fresh wage talks following Sibanye’s section 150 application on Monday for the CCMA to conciliate would result in a resolution to the strike. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marizka Coetzer at The Citizen
‘No chance' of Numsa leaving Saftu, says Vavi after his re-election as general secretary Fin24 reports that re-elected SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has ruled out the possibility that his return to the position would drive the federation's largest union, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), to leave the fold. Vavi was speaking after his re-election to his position in the country's second-largest labour federation, despite allegations of financial misconduct and an attempt to suspend him in March. In March, outgoing Saftu president Mac Chavalala wrote to Vavi asking him to give reasons why he should not be suspended. Chavalala found himself suspended a month later, alongside three other office bearers, after 13 Saftu member unions resisted attempts to suspend Vavi, calling the move unconstitutional. Among the tensions is a disagreement between Vavi and Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim, who wants Saftu to align itself to a political party. Vavi, in contrast, believes Saftu should remain completely independent of political influences. Vavi defeated Moses Mautsoe to retain the position of general secretary while Chavalala lost his re-election bid for Saftu president to Ruth Ntlokotse. Still, for the duration of the four-day conference in Boksburg, Vavi faced heckling from Numsa delegates and calls for his defeat. When asked on Thursday whether Numsa would walk out of the federation due to his re-election, Vavi said there was "no chance" of that happening and that the opposition to him from Numsa delegates arose in the "heat of the moment". He added that despite tension between himself and Jim, the pair were "old friends". Following the announcement of the Saftu conference results, Numsa released a statement in which it congratulated Ntlokotse on her election as president and acknowledge the election of the national office bearers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24 Unity in action between unions should not be ‘uncritical or unprincipled’, says Vavi Fin24 reports that during a briefing after his re-election as general secretary of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), Zwelinzima Vavi was asked about allegations that he was agitating to bring Saftu and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) together as a united labour front. Vavi denied that and said all unions and labour federations in SA had a duty to unite against exploitation of workers, but that such unity should not be uncritical or unprincipled. "We didn't engage with that issue (at Saftu’s elective conference). But that is not what we are doing at all. We are adamant that there must be unity between all trade unions in the country, including Saftu, Cosatu and Nactu (National Council of Trade Unions) and 27 federations that exist with hundreds of unions around the country. We make a statement that says that unity is absolutely necessary. But it is not unity without any principles. We insist that the starting point of that unity is unity in action," Vavi stated. Vavi tipped his hat to various unions currently cooperating in industrial action in various sectors around the country, including the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union and the National Union of Mineworkers at Sibanye Stillwater, and the Public Servants Association and the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers Union at the SA Revenue Service. Vavi, once again, took the opportunity to deny the allegations that he misused funds of the federation. He said he was "hurt" by the "misinformation" that he claimed arose to scupper his campaign for re-election. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24 (scroll down) Report to Saftu congress reveals unions bleeding membership, while marriage with political ideology has lost appeal SowetanLive reports that the diagnostic report presented by the SA Federation of Trade Unions’ (Sasftu’s) national executive committee of the organisation’s congress in Boksburg this week painted a bleak picture of how unions appear to be losing grip on labour matters. This amid the economic crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and internal infighting among their leaders for power. With only 23% of workers in SA holding union membership, the report revealed that unions were bleeding members, with increasing numbers of workers not represented across the country. Numsa is Saftu’s largest affiliate with 290,000 members. However according to the diagnostic report, the union has suffered losses of membership of more than 50,000 in the past five years. Overall, Saftu has lost 79,000 members since it was formed by 24 unions that broke away from Cosatu in 2017. The perilous loss of membership by Saftu affiliates has been so bad that, while it set a target on achieving a million members five years ago, it has now decided to revise this due to what it described as the “extremely regrettable” demise of SA working class. Saftu said all unions everywhere have suffered in part because of internal weaknesses in addressing conditions faced by unions. Analysts believe the relevance of unions is declining in SA due to factors that include their proximity to political parties, not having clear plans to deal with automation and also being victims of their past successes. Mining and labour analyst Mamokgethi Molopyane pointed out that the marriage between political ideology and union activities had lost appeal, especially with younger workers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nomazima Nkosi at SowetanLive
With deadline fast approaching, discussions on new social compact ‘intense’ Fin24 reports that Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele announced on Thursday that discussions between government, business, and labour on a new social compact were “intense” and that there was a desire among the parties to find each other. In his State of the Nation address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he wanted to secure the compact within 100 days. So far, 75 days have passed, and Gungubele said that Ramaphosa was indicating the urgency with which he wanted the task done. "We have not set new timeframes. The concern is we must finish this thing," he indicated. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paron at Fin24 (scroll down)
Most don’t appreciate what the job as Eskom CEO entails, says André de Ruyter as he hits back at ‘armchair critics’ TimesLive reports that Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has hit back at “armchair critics” calling for him to resign as load-shedding continues, saying he will only do so if the utility's board asked him to. Over the past few weeks, the head of the embattled state-owned power utility has been criticised for Eskom’s management and the constant blackouts. By 10 May, Eskom had implemented 32 days of load-shedding in 2022 compared with 26 days over the same period in 2021. Speaking on eNCA, De Ruyter said he would not be blamed for a “ship that’s been mismanaged over the past 15 years” and “hollowed out by corruption”. He added: “I know there are many armchair critics who delight in being very clever and style themselves as energy experts but, with respect, I don’t think they have the full appreciation of the challenge the job entails.” De Ruyter also said he understood the frustration of many over load-shedding. In April, Eskom board member Busisiwe Mavuso defended De Ruyter during a parliamentary briefing, saying he and the board would not be the “fall guy” for the mess the power utility was experiencing. She asserted that it was the ANC-led government’s failures that had caused damage at Eskom over the years. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Unathis Nkanjeni at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Treasury fills two top positions that were vacant for years Fin24 reports that Cabinet announced on Thursday that two top positions in the National Treasury, which have been vacant for several years, are to be filled. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said Cabinet had approved the appointment of Shabeer Hamid Khan as Accountant General and Mendoe Ntswahlana as Chief Procurement Officer. Khan was previously the chief financial officer of the department of trade, industry, and competition, and Ntswahlana was a deputy director-general in the Eastern Cape provincial treasury. The director-general in the Treasury Dondo Mogajane’s contract ends next week after a 23-year career in government. Gungubele said that Finance Minster Enoch Godongwana was in the process of finding a replacement. The Treasury, which suffered a large exodus of staff over the past 10 years, is slowly being rebuilt as Godongwana moves to fill vacancies, beginning with the most senior level. Read Life Healthcare CEO urges government to fix the health-care staff crisis before implementing NHI BL Premium reports that Life Healthcare has urged the government to fix SA’s desperate shortage of health-care professionals before it embarks on the sweeping financing reforms proposed in the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, currently before parliament. NHI is the government’s plan for achieving universal health coverage, which aims to ensure patients receive care that is free at the point of delivery, paid for by a central NHI Fund. Life Healthcare CEO Peter Wharton-Hood said the company supported the philosophy of universal health coverage, but not the way the government planned to achieve it. “The HR [human resources] problem needs to be solved, and it needs to be solved fast. Unless you have enough doctors and nurses, and capable managers, hospitals won’t function. The debate around financing is not worth having until the building blocks are in place,” he said on Thursday. SA is short of 20,000 nurses and 13,000 doctors, he indicated. “There is no clear plan to close that gap. We [private hospitals] are denied the opportunity to train nurses the way we used to. Nurses are not even on the critical skills list,” Wharton-Hood lamented. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn & Nico Gous at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Former mineral resources deputy director-general Joel Raphela back in dock on Thursday after being rushed to hospital the day before TimesLive reports that former department of mineral resources deputy director-general Joel Raphela, who was on Wednesday rushed from court to hospital for medical attention, has been released on R20,000 bail after a brief appearance in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday. He was taken to hospital on Wednesday after showing signs of discomfort during what was intended to be his first appearance in a fraud case. Raphela was arrested on Wednesday morning with former Tegeta Exploration and Resources director Ronica Ragavan and former trustee of Optimum Coal Mine Pushpaveni Govender in connection with fraud involving R107.5m meant for the rehabilitation of Optimum coal mine. Raphela went to hospital before their appearance was concluded. Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka declined to be drawn about the nature of Raphela's sudden discomfort in court on Wednesday. At the time, Raphela seemed to struggle to speak and respond to questions from Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe. While being led to the holding cells during an adjournment, Raphela appeared unable to walk independently and was helped by a court orderly. Raphela has been charged for his alleged role in laundering rehabilitation trust funds from the Optimum and Koornfontein mines in Mpumalanga, which were controversially acquired by the Gupta family from Glencore. The court granted R20,000 bail to Raphela's co-accused on Wednesday. The state did not oppose their release and the trial was postponed to 22 June. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Isaac Mahlangu at TimesLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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