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 Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Striking Putco workers reject management's new proposal and insist on 6%, with back pay and bonus payments EWN reports that striking Putco (Public Utility Transport Corporation) drivers at the Dobsonville depot have vehemently rejected a new wage offer proposed by the bus company’s management in bid to bring an end to the wildcat strike. Putco tabled a final offer after meeting with trade unions on Sunday. Last week, the bus company dismissed 105 bus drivers who had downed tools over a 6% salary increase and bonuses dating back to 2020. In its final offer to the striking drivers, Putco management announced it would pay the 6% wage increase promised to workers, but it would not be back-dated. Putco also said it was willing to pay workers their bonuses, but this would take place over a period of 12 or 18 months. Management, however, asserted that the 105 workers who had been fired for misconduct would not be automatically reinstated and would have to go through a separate disciplinary process. Addressing a crowd outside the Dobsonville depot on Monday, National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) national organiser Fredrick Mabasa said: “The message that we are getting is that you don’t want a 6% wage increase that won’t come with back pay; you want 6% with back pay and your bonus must come in full. If your employer can’t pay it now, then we can agree as to when they can pay it. But it must not come in installments.” Unions are set to give feedback to other striking drivers before reporting back to the bus company’s management. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Veronica Mokhoali at EWN
Fire at Denny Mushrooms plant on Friday is second suspected arson case in two weeks TimesLive reports that a huge fire at the Denny Mushrooms plant in Shongweni in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday was the second suspected case of arson in two weeks. Ethekwini fire divisional commander Dennis Govender said on Monday that the first fire, which had been “something small”, had occurred a week ago and arson was suspected. Shortly after 5pm on Friday, firefighters were again called out to the facility. “When we got there, the fire had spread from the offices to the warehouse. We saved about 60% of the warehouse by extinguishing the blaze but there would be smoke damage,” Govender advised. He said arson was again suspected. A case of malicious damage to property has been opened at the Marianhill police station for investigation. Rumours circulating on social media alleged that disgruntled workers set the plant on fire after the company offered a 7% wage increase as opposed to their 8% demand. Libstar, which owns Denny, confirmed that it was working with the authorities to assess the damage and investigate the cause of the fire, but it did not address questions about social media reports of a labour dispute over wages at the site. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nivashni Nair at BusinessLive. Read too, Fire hits Denny Mushrooms farm, arson claim investigated, at Fin24 Civil engineering industry bargaining council calls for collaboration on plan to end extortion and violence by ‘construction mafia’ Engineering News reports that the Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry (BCCEI) has put an action plan in place that reaches out to all concerned parties to address systemic extortion in the construction sector. Working in support of Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille's and the Special Investigating Unit's Infrastructure Built Anti-Corruption Forum, the BCCEI has called on all affected parties to be part of a collaborative solution. The BCCEI action plan includes macro-level engagements with government, as well as support mechanisms at the micro-level of construction projects. BCCEI operations manager Lindie Fourie advised that the council has approved the allocation of resources to coordinate input from project stakeholders including contractors, clients, employees and communities and offer guidance to contractors when sites were disrupted by construction mafia or communities. This will include working closely with the responsible persons within the SA Police Service mandated to address extortion incidents. Fourie went on to indicate: “To help our members to execute projects safely and smoothly, we are creating a centralised database with key contacts at regional and national level. This includes unions, government departments, police, private security and community leaders, as well as taxi associations.” Additionally, the BCCEI will also be reaching out to credible specialists to assist in resolving site disruptions. Fourie is hopeful that momentum is building in the national response to construction mafia disruption and violence. “The safety of employees on site remains the key concern. A key aim must be to create a stable environment where law-abiding communities and capable local sub-contractors can benefit fully from construction works,” she noted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Second person dies of GBS after receiving J&J Covid-19 jab in South Africa The Citizen reports that according to the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra), a second person has died of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) following vaccination with the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine. In August, the regulator reported on the first fatal case of GBS following vaccination with the J&J jab. Sahpra said an assessment of the new case was conducted by the National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee (NISEC) using the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) methodology. “The case was classified as a vaccine product-related event following investigations conducted and causality assessment. The events reported in the vaccine recipient were consistent with the case definition of GBS and no other likely cause of GBS was identified at the time of illness,” Sahpra said. GBS is listed as a rare adverse event in the professional information (PI) for Covid-19 Vaccine Janssen (J&J). The regulatory authority went on to comment: “Covid-19 vaccines have consistently been shown to prevent severe forms of disease, hospitalisation and death. Based on the currently available evidence, Sahpra has determined that the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination far outweigh the very low risk of severe adverse events, including GBS.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Faizel Patel at The Citizen. Lees ook, Sahpra bevestig tweede entstof-sterfte, by Maroela Media
Government doubles down at Nedlac on need for yet another social compact Fin24 reports that amid growing resistance to a social compact, the government has doubled down on the need for it at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) summit held on Friday. At the start of the year, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced plans for a new social compact, in order to get agreement from labour, business and civil society about the interventions needed to turn the economy around and create millions of jobs. Over past months, the ministers of employment and labour, trade, industry and competition and finance have been meeting with social partners to shape the new social compact. But there has been much criticism about whether a new compact is needed, given the scepticism about how effective it will be in the face of SA’s urgent problems. Business Leadership SA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso recently said: "I don't know what more we need to be socially compacting on. This is the seventh social compact we are entering as a country … we haven't even delivered a fraction of the commitments we made in the last social compact." At Nedlac last week, Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi stated: "Those who say social compact has failed are wrong. Totally wrong… We are dealing with human beings. We are dealing with differing interests, and we have to negotiate all those issues." He admitted that it had not been easy for the stakeholders to find common ground on some issues. Cas Coovadia, CEO of Business Unity SA, said Nedlac could not afford to continue with the old way of negotiating issues for years on end and it had to move with greater efficiency when discussing issues to urgently find outcomes. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Londiwe Buthelezi at Fin24 (subscriber access only) Nedlac says SA must be proactive in face of remote work and 4IR Business Report writes that with the Covid-19 pandemic having transformed the world of work, organised business, government, community, labour and civil society have been urged to be proactive in transitioning to remote working which is enabled by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This was the main theme at the 27th National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) Annual National Summit on Friday in Johannesburg. Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said the Nedlac Council needed to be proactive by taking up and leading on the major challenges the country was facing. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the government to impose strict lockdown restrictions, forcing some professions to allow workers to work remotely, thus changing the landscape of traditional office-based work. Reflecting on the rapid changes taking place in the workplace and the jobs of the future, Nxesi said there was a need to focus on sustainability, just transitions from the old to the new, technological changes and the reorganisation of work. “Most obviously we now have the widespread work-from-home phenomenon – and we still await findings on the long-term effects of this, although I know it has led to major reprioritisation in government and private sector budgets,” Nxesi noted. He reiterated his support of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Global Commission on the Future of Work report that called for “a human-centred agenda for the future of work”, by placing the people and the work they did at the centre of economic and social policy and business practice. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks said the challenges of remote work and the 4IR required the government and social partners to work together to ensure the transition was a just one. “Remote work and the 4IR are here. Denying and ignoring it exposes workers and society to unnecessary risks,” Parks said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siphelele Dludla at Business Report
Fairwork finds low pay, harsh conditions and no safety for app workers The Citizen reports that according to a new study by Fairwork SA, app workers, namely those who drive/derive work via apps such as Uber, Bolt and Mr D, are not adequately protected amid the cost-of-living crisis. The study found that these workers continued to face insufficient wages, unfair working conditions, and lack of benefits and protection afforded to employees. More than 1% of the SA workforce finds work via digital platforms such as these apps, but the report by Fairwork found that many of these workers faced low pay and dangerous conditions. Thirteen of the most popular platforms in SA were rated from 0 to 10 according to five principles of fair work (pay, conditions, contracts, management and representation). SweepSouth, an app that offers home cleaning, gardening services, electricians, plumbers and more, ranked the highest with 7 out of 10 points. It was followed by getTOD, M4JAM and Mr D with 6 points each. Droppa, Indriver and SecretAgent were at the bottom of the 2022 ranking, as they could not provide evidence that they met any Fairwork criteria of decent work. Multinational companies like Uber or Bolt also scored poorly, with 2 and 1 points respectively. While in previous years it was enough for platforms to have a written policy to achieve points, this year they were asked for its practical application by providing evidence they compensated workers for their inability to work and that workers had a real say in their working conditions. None of the platforms could prove either of the criteria. Regardless of the sector, most app platform workers reported transportation costs as the biggest contributor to their work-related expenses. Almost half the app platform workers interviewed this year raised safety as one of their main challenges. Delivery and ride-hailing drivers interviewed pointed out that the threat of hijacking and assault was a daily worry. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Devina Haripersad at The Citizen
Rise in illegal mining in Limpopo concerns portfolio committees Mining Weekly reports that according to the parliamentary portfolio committees on Mineral Resources and Energy, Police and Home Affairs, Limpopo is experiencing a surge in illegal mining activity, particularly in the Sekhukhune, Mopani, Capricorn and Waterberg districts. Delegations from the three portfolio committees concluded a two-day joint oversight visit to illegal mining hotspots in Limpopo on 10 and 11 September. They met with senior officials from the three departments and communities affected by illegal mining. The delegations also visited sites where illegal mining is taking place. Officials from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the SA Police Service (Saps) told the committees that illegal mining was especially increasing at abandoned and disused mines. The Department of Home Affairs also reported on the high number of undocumented foreign nationals from countries such as Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, who were involved in illegal activity. The portfolio committees were informed that besides illegally mining precious minerals, the illegal miners were “terrorising” communities and committing various crimes, including rape, murder and the theft of copper cables. Members of the three committees appealed to mining companies and the DMRE to find solutions to secure and rehabilitate abandoned mines. The committees also directed the three departments to put in place strict measures in the identified areas. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Jagersfontein mine dam collapse
Cosatu continues to bleed members, with Satawu and NUM responsible for most of the losses Sunday Independent reports that ahead of its national congress, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has blamed SA’s ailing economy and fierce rivalry among unions for the continued decline in its membership. Still the largest trade union federation in SA with just over 1.5 million members, Cosatu will hold its four-day 14th national congress in Johannesburg later this month. Membership numbers have declined by almost 60,000 since 2018 and Cosatu has shed over 416,000 members between 2015 and this year. Cosatu asserts that its membership has been greatly affected by retrenchments due to the economic downturn, greedy employers putting profit before people, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown. Figures provided by Cosatu reveal that the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) were largely responsible for the loss of about 60,000 members since 2018. Satawu had about 218,000 members in 2015, but the once-powerful union now has fewer than 59,500 members. The membership of the NUM declined from 250,000 in 2015 to 158,000 in 2022. But, the SA Municipal Workers’ Union now has more than 161,000 members, an improvement from the 151,000 in 2015, while the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union currently has 148,000 members, which is down from 157,000 in 2015. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadftu) are the largest of Cosatu’s 18 affiliates. Nehawu currently has just over 275,000 members, while Sadtu has about 251,000. Both unions have enjoyed steady growth in the period between 2015 and this year. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Loyiso Sidimba at Sunday Independent
Commission calls for submissions about ‘possible adjustment’ to national minimum wage for 2023 BL Premium reports that the commission tasked with reviewing the national minimum wage (NMW) and making recommendations to Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Thulas Nxesi has called for written submissions for a “possible adjustment” for 2023. In a note, National Minimum Wage Commission chair Adriaan van der Walt invited stakeholders to submit written representations on the current national minimum wage of R23.19. “These recommendations will be considered by the commission before it publishes its annual report and recommendations on the annual review of the national minimum wage later in the year,” Van der Walt indicated. He said that after the annual report had been published, “a further opportunity will be given to interested parties to submit written representations regarding recommendations included in the report” and that the written representations “will be forwarded to the minister of employment and labour together with the commission’s report.” Unions have hailed the introduction of the NMW. However, the agriculture industry, among other sectors opposed to the national minimum wage, has consistently warned that the gradual increase in the NMW would result in job losses as some employers could be forced to retrench some of their workers to comply with it. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Suspended property regulator CEO makes it onto shortlist for new SABC board Fin24 reports that suspended Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) CEO Mamodupi Mohlala has made it onto the shortlist to fill board vacancies at the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The public broadcaster’s axed head of news, Phathiswa Magopeni, has also made the list. A subcommittee of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Communications will this week kick off its interviews of 37 candidates to fill the 12 vacancies on the SABC board. While the current board's term is set to expire in October, at least five of the shortlisted candidates to be interviewed, including Mohlala, are currently serving on the outgoing board. A non-government organisation, Public Interest SA, has written to Parliament, asking that Mohlala be removed from the shortlist of candidates. The NGO noted as a matter of concern Mohlala's suspension at the PPRA following a complaint to the Public Service Commission. Mohlala's case is currently before the CCMA. Public Interest SA’s Tebego Khaas wrote as follows: "Under the circumstances, we beseech your committee to request Ms. Mohlala to withdraw her candidature in the public interest failing which you should disqualify her candidature as she doesn't qualify to be deemed a fit and proper candidate." According to the PPRA board, a report from a forensic investigation also showed that Mohlala failed to ensure that its pension fund contributions were collected and paid to the fund. PPRA chair Steven Ngubeni said the authority would take further action soon, including pursuing possible criminal charges. Magopeni was axed by the SABC in November following charges of negligence and bringing the public service broadcaster into disrepute following the airing of an interdicted episode of the investigative journalist television show, Special Assignment. Magopeni took the SABC to the CCMA in February, stating that her disciplinary process was flawed and unfair. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at News24. Read too, Controversially sacked Phathiswa Magopeni could make SABC return, at Sunday Times (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Career management and succession planning shortcomings plague National Defence Force defenceWeb reports that “challenges”, “grievances” and “shortcomings” were among three most often used words in a presentation to parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) on succession planning in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF). The presentation by Vice-Admiral Asiel Kubu, the military’s senior personnel practitioner, with input from the Defence Force Service Commission was critical of aspects relating to career advancement and promotion in the uniformed regular and reserve components of the SANDF. The most recent example of seemingly poor, possibly no succession planning was the case of SA Navy chief Vice-Admiral Mosiwa Hlongwane. He was due to exit office at the end of June and a farewell parade was announced. Enquiries about Hlongwane’s successor were met with silence by SANDF Directorate: Corporate Communication and it was only when he didn’t leave that the navy public relations department tersely advised that Hlongwane would remain “until further notice”. Kubu’s presentation indicated that there were four areas relating to the high number of career management grievances. Those “challenges” and “shortcomings” involved the “absence of a dedicated electronic system and programme for career management and succession planning”, different interpretations of career management processes and procedures, a failure to apply basic tenants of career management processes and a failure to balance personal circumstances with operational requirements. Kubu told the JSCD that while there was a succession planning process, the delay in “placement decisions” between 2018 and 2020 “might have created the impression there is no succession planning in the SANDF”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard on page 7 of The Citizen of 12 September 2022
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