Today's Labour News

TOP STORY – ENERGY EMERGENCY

Solidarity calls on the private sector to apply for energy generation permits en masse

Engineering News reports that trade union Solidarity’s Research Institute (SRI) said on Thursday that the only viable and sustainable solution to SA’s escalating electricity crisis was for small independent power producers (IPPs) to immediately flood the market on a large scale. The trade union argued at a media briefing that through a concerted effort by the private sector – including businesses and private citizens alike – to invest in IPP capability, the country’s energy crisis could be resolved within months. However, such a strategy would require government to be willing to act and remove all red tape and bottlenecks. Solidarity is planning to submit a Parliamentary petition to get any possible obstacles or barriers out of the way. A report by the SRI recommended that all barriers to deregulation be removed, that skills be developed to meet the new demand within the private sector and that a tariff system favourable to small-scale power producers be developed urgently. Solidarity said it would endeavour to lead by example and announced plans to become involved in power generation itself through development company Kanton, in which Solidarity is the main shareholder. “Our members’ jobs and income are being destroyed on a large scale as a result of the power crisis. The biggest act of job protection we can undertake right now is to do everything possible to feed power into the system,” Solidarity CE Dr Dirk Hermann said. Solidarity also announced on Thursday that it would establish a help desk to assist applicants apply for generation permits from the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa). SRI head Connie Mulder said Stage 6 load-shedding was likely to become the norm going forward, with the current trend likely to result in more extreme bouts of load-shedding if urgent action was not taken. But, Solidarity emphasised the importance of a functioning Eskom and said any solutions would have to be complementary to Eskom’s efforts and would not be able to replace the state-owned institution.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News. Read too, SA needs hundreds of small power producers to apply for permits, says Solidarity, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). En ook, Private verskaffers kan ‘kragrevolusie’ veroorsaak, by Maroela Media

Eskom brings in ex-employees, original manufacturers to deal with power generating crisis

Fin24 reports that Eskom, which readily concedes it does not have the skills to maintain its plants, is on a drive to bring back former employees to mentor and train staff. It is also, at last, bringing in the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to conduct maintenance on parts of its plants where its own engineers and artisans are having difficulty. This has previously been difficult due to red tape around public procurement. Eskom's chief executive André de Ruyter and chief operations officer Jan Oberholzer are frank about Eskom's lack of capacity, which plays a large part in the downward trend in the performance of its generating units.   While Eskom management has previously suggested bringing former employees back to the company, that led to pushback from current employees and unions. But on Tuesday, De Ruyter said the proposal had received full support from the Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan. De Ruyter indicated: "We are now in the process of bringing in previous employees.   It has been difficult due to legacy race issues, which are still sensitive and we cannot be oblivious to that.   But from the perspective of the shareholder, there has been strong support for this on the basis that they come in to transfer skills." Oberholzer said that two senior people had already been brought back, one to Koeberg and another to the generation division.   A list of 45 people had been compiled and individuals would be approached to return in a mentoring role at senior and lower levels of the organisation. An accelerated loss of skills at Eskom has been underway over the past two decades when old employees were encouraged to take voluntary severance packages to bring in new black graduate engineers. But while the new entrants often had superior qualifications, such as engineering degrees, compared to the artisans they replaced, they lacked the experience of their predecessors.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24 (subscriber access only)

Rising input costs could see SA farmers planting less, while some farmers may be pushed out of the sector

Moneyweb reports that South African farmers may resort to planting fewer crops, as persistent load shedding disrupts planting schedules and spiralling fuel prices make it more expensive to undertake daily farming operations. This is according to Agri SA’s Christo van der Rheede, who believes that the current challenges faced by the country’s food producers could have serious repercussions not only for the sector but for food security too. Rheede explained that with Eskom placing the entire country on a power supply roster, farmers – especially those who were dependent on the national grid – were left unable to use pumping stations, irrigation, cooling and other systems which were critical to their operations. “Farmers are already reporting huge losses as processing machinery, irrigation equipment and other machinery are damaged and come to a standstill due to power outages. With essential systems unavailable during the day, farm workers are required to work after hours. Such overtime wages increase production costs which are already increasing,” he pointed out. Load shedding has also hit farmers hard in terms of trading with retailers.   According to Rheede, retailers are rejecting fresh produce from farmers due to delivery delays caused by Eskom’s power cuts. “In summer this challenge increases exponentially. This will reduce the amount of food available and increase its cost to the consumer,” Rheede noted. Senior agricultural economist at FNB Agri-Business Paul Makube echoed some of Rheede’s sentiments, adding that mounting cost pressures for producers in the sector might end up forcing some out of the industry.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Akhona Matshoba at Moneyweb. Read too, Agri SA’s grim warning about loadshedding, on page 11 of The Citizen of 7 July 2022. And also, Load shedding the root of huge losses in agricultural sector, say Cape farmers, at Cape Argus

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• ANC leaders raise alarm over energy crisis, at Mail & Guardian

FUEL PRICE / ENERGY CRISIS PROTESTS

Saftu plans August 'national shutdown' over crisis at Eskom, cost of living and unemployment

Fin24 reports that SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi told reporters on Thursday that the labour federation planned to organise a "national shutdown" in August to protest against the ongoing crisis at Eskom, the rising cost of living and high levels of unemployment. Vavi was speaking in Boksburg, along with the national office bearers, following Saftu's first National Executive Committee since its conference in May, when Vavi was re-elected to his position. He said Saftu would hold a general strike, planned tentatively for 24 August, to raise awareness around its campaign. He advised that the federation had secured a certificate allowing any worker belonging to a union to participate. While Vavi hailed the 7% increase that unions, including its largest member affiliate the National Union of Metalworkers of SA, had achieved in the recent Eskom wage negotiations, Vavi blamed the crisis at Eskom on the entity's board and group chief executive officer, André de Ruyter, and called on him and the board to step aside. Saftu plans to organise a "working-class summit" in the first week of August before its general strike. At this summit, grassroots organisations and left-wing, "anti-capitalist" institutions will be invited to discuss the federation's campaign and the broader socio-economic challenges of SA.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24. Read too, Saftu calls on working class to ‘mobilise or die’, at The Citizen. And also, Blackout hits Saftu conference calling for action against load-shedding, at TimesLive

Shutdown protest hits KZN on Thursday, as mopping up continues in Mpumalanga

TimesLive reports that the #NationalShutdown protest moved to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on Thursday, with local media reporting that roads on the R34 John Ross Highway, between Richards Bay and Empangeni, had been blocked by trucks. East Coast Radio also reported road closures on the R33 between Greytown and Dundee at Keates Drift due to protest action. Truckers and taxi associations were protesting against the sharp increase in fuel costs. Fuel prices jumped on Wednesday by R2.37/l for 93-octane petrol and R2.57/l for 95-octane, while diesel rose by R2.31/l (0.05% sulphur) and R2.30/l (0.005% sulphur).   On Wednesday, the protest hit the N4 route from Komatipoort to Mbombela. By Thursday morning, only the Elandsvalley road was still closed for cleanup after the protest. Solange Soares, spokesperson for Trans African Concessions (TRAC), which monitors the route from Tshwane to Maputo, said there were no reports of further protest action and the road was clear.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Patrick at BusinessLive. Lees ook, Petrol-onluste nou ook by Richardsbaai, at Maroela Media

State steps in to stop truck protests over fuel price hikes from spreading

BL Premium reports that according to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s adviser Sydney Mufamadi, the government took rapid action to stop this week’s trucker protests in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal in their tracks, thanks to lessons learnt during the riots that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng a year ago. Mufamadi told journalists on Thursday that the government was determined to bring “economic banditry” to a stop and was confident that the violent unrest that engulfed SA in July 2021 would not occur again. Mufamadi said the truck driver protests in SA this week were in part a result of security having been beefed up along the country’s rail network, which had shifted the focus to the roads. State security agencies have been meeting regularly and working around the clock amid threats of a national shutdown over the cost of living in SA, he said. Alluding to a possible solution to the energy crisis in SA as well as the rising cost of fuel, Mufamadi said SA could expect announcements on a clear way forward in the coming days. Local media in KwaZulu-Natal reported that roads on the R34 John Ross Highway between Richards Bay and Empangeni were blocked on Thursday. Truckers and taxi associations said they were protesting against the sharp fuel price increases implemented at the beginning of July.   On Wednesday, the protests over fuel hikes hit the N4 route from Komatipoort to Mbombela. They also shut down several roads around Mbombela leading to the Kruger National Park.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hajra Omarjee at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

Police on high alert after shutdown this week in Mpumalanga, KZN

SowetanLive reports that authorities are on high alert following a shutdown in Mpumalanga by taxi operators and community members and road blockades in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) over the past two days amid a widespread outcry about petrol hikes. National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) spokesperson Col Athlenda Mathe said they had deployed additional police officers to the affected areas. “Police remain on high alert and are monitoring the situation closely in Mpumalanga and KZN to prevent and combat any forms of criminality. The SAPS will not tolerate any acts of lawlessness,” Mathe indicated. Sporadic events of road blockades by truckers were reported on both sides of the R34 and N2 freeway near Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal. Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison Vusi Shongwe said the shutdown had left many people frustrated because they were unable to go to work or access services rendered in Mbombela. He said businesses were also losing income as they had not been operating since Wednesday. Meantime, SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi announced their plans for a national shutdown in August, but said their action would not associate with violence, racism, xenophobia and destruction of property. Saftu intends to send invitation letters to civic organisations, trade unions, union federations, students and other youth organisations. Electricity, rates and food prices have soared over the past few months with petrol increasing to R26.31 per litre.   Economists have warned that it could get as high as R40 per litre.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zoe Mahopo at SowetanLive

Mbalula meets with new Santaco leadership to address rising fuel prices

EWN reports that Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Thursday afternoon met with the newly elected SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) leadership where the rising price of fuel and other pressures facing the industry were top of the agenda. There have been calls for government to intervene with many citizens feeling the squeeze of the soaring fuel prices and the increasing cost of goods and services. Since the beginning of this month, taxi commuters have been forced to fork out anything between R2 to R5 more for their trips. Operators said they were not immune to the rising cost of living and have had to implement the fare hikes to sustain their businesses.   Thamsanqa Tomose, a student in Mabopane near Pretoria where fare hikes are set to kick in on Friday, commented:   “In a week on transport, I spend almost R250 on transport alone. We are facing too many challenges in the community, there are too many expenses.”   Meanwhile, amid pockets of blockades in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal by truckers participating in the so-called national shutdown, Santaco resisted calls to join the demonstrations.   It said it was open to dialogue with government and other industry players.

Read the original of the report in the above regard by Masechaba Sefularo at EWN

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

‘Something is amiss’ says Denosa, with blazes at Charlotte Maxeke, Baragwanath and Christiana Town clinic raising suspicion

The Citizen reports that a year after parts of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital were gutted by fire, the hospital was the scene of another fire on Tuesday night. It came hard on the heels of fires at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital last month and Christiana Town Clinic in North West on Monday. The causes of the fires at all three facilities remain unclear. Head of communications at the Gauteng Department of Health (DOH), Motalatale Modiba, confirmed that a smouldering fire on the unused level two of the parking lot at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital was brought under control. The hospital is still under refurbishment after being damaged by last year’s inferno.   Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow health MEC Jack Bloom questioned the incident. He pointed out that the DOH had spent about R40 million on security at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital and the fire should have been prevented. Bloom said it was important to look at the possibility of arson or sabotage. “The public still does not know what caused the fire last year because there were no reports supplied,” he noted. The Gauteng Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA’s (Denosa’s) Bongani Mazibuko said the DOH was not compliant in terms of occupational health and safety. There was something “amiss” and hospitals were not safe for nurses or patients, he claimed. “The fact that the [Charlotte Maxeke] hospital is still under repairs and there is another fire is great concern,” he pointed out, adding that it was “very concerning for us as Denosa and we would like an in-depth explanation to the cause of the fire and how it can be prevented in moving forward.”   In regard to the working conditions for nurses at hospitals, Mazibuko said if one worked in a place and was not sure about its state and safety, then it did not contribute to a conducive working environment.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lunga Simelane at The Citizen. Read too, Department suspects foul play as another fire breaks out at Charlotte Maxeke hospital, at SowetanLive

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Body of off-duty cop found dumped in Heidelberg after alleged hijacking, kidnapping, at News24
• Veiligheidswag van Welkom beroof, aangehou, by Maroela Media

MANDATORY COVID VACCINATIONS

Contradictory CCMA rulings on mandatory Covid vaccination policies will have to be resolved by Labour Court

GroundUp reports that in the past year, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has delivered several arbitration awards which have upheld the dismissals of employees who refused to get vaccinated against Covid. But a recent award has created some confusion about whether that is still allowed and under what circumstances. On 22 June, CCMA Commissioner Richard Byrne found that it was unfair and unconstitutional for Baroque Medical, which supplies and sells medical equipment, to retrench Kgomotso Tshatshu for refusing to get a Covid vaccination. The company was ordered to pay her 12 months’ salary as compensation. But this contradicts an earlier CCMA award by Commissioner Piet van Staden, delivered in May, who found that Baroque Medical was within its rights to retrench another employee, Cecilia Bessick, who had also refused to get a Covid vaccine. These conflicting decisions may be understandable, because CCMA arbitration awards do not create binding legal precedent in the same way as court judgments. The most recent CCMA ruling therefore does not set a binding legal precedent that employees cannot be dismissed for refusing to get a Covid vaccine. The Labour Court has also not yet delivered any binding judgment about whether an employer can fairly dismiss an employee who refuses to get a Covid vaccination.   Until this occurs, it is likely the CCMA will continue to give conflicting decisions about whether employers can fairly dismiss employees who refuse to get a vaccine. This article goes on to explain what the law currently says about whether an employee can be dismissed for refusing to get a Covid vaccine and under what circumstances.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Geoffrey Allsop at GroundUp

MINING LABOUR

AngloGold appoints Ian Kramer as interim CFO following retirement of Christine Ramon

Mining Weekly reports that AngloGold Ashanti has announced that senior VP of group finance Ian Kramer has been appointed interim CFO, following the early retirement of Christine Ramon on 30 June. A comprehensive international search process for a permanent CFO was well advanced, the producer indicated.

Read the original of the short report in the above regard at Mining Weekly

ALLEGED CORRUPTION

Questions as health boss resigns while facing probe for alleged corruption

The Citizen reports that the resignation of the head of the Limpopo Department of Health (DOH) has raised questions in the province, with many alleging the move was aimed at evading arrest. Thokozani Mhlongo resigned at the weekend while she and other officials were being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for alleged corruption of more than R125 million in a personal protective equipment (PPE) tender. The SIU said on Wednesday that it had completed its investigations.   On hearing the news about the Mhlongo’s resignation, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) said “Good riddance” and asserted that under Mhlongo’s leadership the health system had deteriorated. “There are shortages of nurses in clinics and hospitals, non-absorption of post-community service nurses, non-intake of new nursing students by Limpopo nursing college, acute shortage of ambulances and failure by clinics to provide 24-hour service due to shortages of nurses,” said the organisation. Denosa went on to indicate: “We are also disappointed as Mhlongo resigns at the time when the public was looking forward for Premier [Stan] Mathabatha to implement recommendations by SIU and public prosecutor on corruption and maladministration against her and other exco-members.” In a statement last week, Mathabatha’s office stated the premier “has accepted the resignation of Mhlongo with immediate effect.”   Limpopo provincial government spokesperson Ndavhe Ramakuela said they had established a committee to deal with the disciplinary processes of those who were fingered by the SIU report in the Limpopo PPE tender row. “All the five officials fingered have already appeared before the disciplinary committee,” he said.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Japho Matlala at The Citizen

OTHER HEADLINES / ARTICLES OF INTEREST

• Two Sea Point detectives in court facing corruption charges, at Cape Argus
• Rural healthcare workers fear for their patients under NHI, at Fin24 (subscriber access only)