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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Ramaphosa a no-show at Cosatu congress, while Gwede Mantashe booed off stage BL Premium reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa stood down at the last minute from addressing worker representatives on Monday, leaving ANC chair Gwede Mantashe to face the wrath of delegates at Cosatu’s national congress in Johannesburg. Mantashe was booed off the stage by the angry workers irked by the high cost of living, low salary increases, poor service delivery, load-shedding, high unemployment and what they regard as the ANC’s intransigence towards corruption. According to the programme, Ramaphosa, not Mantashe, was supposed to deliver the ANC’s message of support at the congress. Mantashe – who has been criticised together with Eskom management as being responsible for the rolling blackouts choking economic growth – had barely taken to the podium when delegates stormed the stage singing, “Asinamali (We don’t have money)” and “Hamba Gwede (Leave, Gwede)”. The Cosatu delegates waved placards calling for inflation-beating increases and an end to austerity measures. Mantashe is a former general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, a Cosatu affiliate. He later commented: “The issue [of the booing] is to send a message [to government] but the anger is not anger, it’s stage-managed anger. They were saying they want their increase and I’m not in the bargaining council.” The labour federation is still angry after Ramaphosa’s administration refused to honour the last part of a three-year wage deal signed in 2018. Mantashe’s booing on Monday came moments after Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi had called on workers to defend the ANC, which she said was still the best option to advance the workers’ struggle. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Losi tells ANC to clean up its act or it will lose at the polls and workers’ voices will be sidelined BusinessLive reports that Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi said on Monday that the ANC must rid itself of “corrupt elements” if it is to avoid suffering a crushing defeat in the 2024 general election. In her address on the first day of the Cosatu conference in Midrand, Losi said the tripartite alliance, like any marriage, “has its ups and downs”, but stressed it remained the best “vehicle to advance the struggle of workers”. Losi told delegates: “The ANC and SACP [SA Communist Party] remain the most progressive and relevant political formations to drive the demands of the working class. The ANC is not perfect; it has made serious mistakes, it has battled to clean itself of the demons of factionalism and corruption ... Our task is to defend workers’ hard-won victories. Therefore, we must contest [for] the ANC and the alliance [made up of Cosatu, the SACP and the ANC] to ensure the voice of workers is heard and not sidelined.” Losi said in her opening address to the congress: “We must contest the ANC and alliance to ensure the voice of workers is not sidelined. Let’s help the ANC get rid of criminal elements if it wants to be saved.” Losi argued that workers could not afford an ANC electoral loss: “Winning the 2024 elections is not about ensuring jobs for comrades in Parliament. It is about defending the hard-won victories and rights of workers. We cannot afford to fail.” The congress at Gallager Estate in Midrand kicked off on Monday and will end on Thursday. Roughly 1,854 voting delegates are said to be in attendance. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nomazima Nkosi at BusinessLive. Read too, ANC still the best option for workers, Cosatu says, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Zingiswa Losi set to contest for second term as Cosatu president EWN reports that the incumbent Cosatu president, Zingiswa Losi, is set to contest for a second term at the trade union federation’s 14th national congress being held this week. While policy discussions will be key on the agenda for the week, the leadership race is also set to take centre stage. Losi was elected as the first female president in 2018 and served for the past four years. Her bid for the presidency was threatened with some confusion about which union she belonged to, with both Popcru and Satawu claiming her as their own. Popcru has since confirmed that Losi is a registered member of the police union. Her base, Popcru, which will come into the congress with close to 200 delegates, has vowed to vote in her favour. With a total of over 2,000 delegates expected to vote, it appears that Losi also has the backing of several union affiliates. The position of general secretary is also set to be hotly contested, with Bheki Ntshalintshali tipped to vacate the post. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Nokukhanya Mntambo at EWN
Ramaphosa admits there is ‘no quick fix’ to a power crisis that has ‘long history’ Mining Weekly reports that amid intense load-shedding, which has been under way continuously since early September and has at times been implemented at Stage 6, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that there is “no quick fix” to the problem, which he says has “a long history”. Writing in his weekly newsletter, the President acknowledged widespread public anger, which he described as “wholly justified”. While conspicuously refraining from criticising the current Eskom leadership, the President said: “Given the unpredictable performance of Eskom’s fleet of coal-fired power stations, we will not be able to eliminate loadshedding in the short term. This is the unfortunate reality of our situation, which has had a long history.” No elaboration was provided by Ramaphosa regarding this “long history”, but it has been widely reported that government’s failure to ensure that new capacity was built timeously in line with Eskom’s warnings that such capacity would be required before 2010 is a key cause of the current crisis. Once the build programme eventually began in 2007, it soon emerged to be extremely poorly planned, with execution further hampered by design defects and corruption. The crisis has been made substantially worse in recent years by strikes, sabotage and ongoing corruption at certain stations. Ramaphosa argued in his letter that addressing breakdowns represented a “significant challenge given the average age of power stations, and that in the past critical maintenance was not undertaken at the necessary intervals”. He added that government was giving close attention to the skills, experience and capabilities of the Eskom leadership to ensure that the company had the best people at all levels of the organisation. It was reported on the weekend that board changes could be announced soon. Ramaphosa also insisted that there were real signs of progress and good reasons to be optimistic, “if we look just beyond the most immediate crisis”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly. Lees ook, ‘Ons vorder met kragprobleem’ – Ramaphosa, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
PSA says most members 'tilting towards rejecting' government’s 3% wage offer for public servants TimesLive reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) on Monday said its members appeared to be likely to reject the government’s latest 2022/2023 wage offer. The PSA represents more than 235,000 public sector employees. At the end of last month, the government tabled a final offer of a 3% pensionable salary adjustment for employees on salary levels 1 to 12, effective from 1 April 2022, and continuation of a cash gratuity of R1,000 per month until 31 March next year. “The PSA, as a mandate-driven, democratic union, is not yet in a position to either accept or reject the offer as results have not been finalised. Current mandating outcomes indicate that votes are tilting towards rejecting the offer,” the union said. The main reason was the lack of a guarantee for incorporating the cash gratuity into the baseline or its continuation after 31 March 2023. “The PSA will approach government as the employer to incorporate a clause that will ensure incorporation of the cash gratuity into baseline or continuation of the cash gratuity beyond March 31 2022, which may ensure a positive members’ mandate to accept the offer,” the PSA indicated. The offer tabled by the government will lapse on Wednesday should it fail to enjoy majority support by unions. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLive Public servants signal probable rejection of government wage offer Bloomberg News reports that SA’s public servants are preparing to reject a government wage offer, raising the prospect of the first major strike by state workers in more than a decade. Preliminary results from a ballot of members of the Public Servants Association (PSA), the biggest government labour union, show workers won’t accept the proposal to increase pay by 3%, together with extension of a cash gratuity until March. The union said on Monday in a statement: “Current mandating outcomes indicate that votes are tilting toward rejecting the offer.” It added that it planned to ask the government to incorporate the cash gratuity into baseline pay, or extend it, which “may ensure a positive members’ mandate to accept the offer”. The government’s current offer expires on Wednesday. Remuneration of the government’s 1.3 million workers accounts for almost a third of total government expenditure, and keeping it in check is key to the National Treasury’s plans to rein in the budget deficit and bring runaway state debt under control. The unions have argued that inflation-beating increases are warranted in light of soaring food and energy costs. The annual consumer inflation rate is currently 7.6%. Public servants in July lowered their demands for pay increases of as much as 10% to 6.5%. Public sector workers last went on strike for three weeks in 2010 before settling on a wage increase of 7.5%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rene Vollgraaff & S'thembile Cele at Moneyweb
Case in Randfontein Magistrate's Court of nine illegal miners postponed as a result of language barriers EWN reports that the case against nine illegal miners, who were arrested last week in Randfontein for illegal mining activities, has been postponed to 14 October. They appeared in the Randfontein Magistrate's Court on Monday facing charges of illegal mining and possession of unlicensed mining equipment. They were caught with more than 200 tonnes of gold-bearing material with an estimated value of over half a million rand. The postponement was due to language barriers between the court and the suspects. The suspects speak different African languages and there was a lack of language interpreters for the case. While the court awaits the next hearing, police will investigate whether eight of the nine suspects have proper migration documents. They were offered bail of R2,000, but will remain in police custody should they be unable to pay. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alpha Ramushwana at EWN Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Eight undocumented foreigners and their bosses arrested in Pretoria CBD for working without papers TimesLive reports that eight undocumented foreigners and two employers were arrested at a shop in the Pretoria CBD on the first day of a “mega blitz” inspection on Monday. The Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) said prohibition notices were issued against the use of eight other employees at the shop for contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The prohibited employees were found to be unqualified to work and were without proper personal protective equipment (PPE), such as suitable shoes and uniforms. The DEL’s inspection and enforcement services in Gauteng, police and home affairs officials are conducting inspections this week in the wholesale and retail and hospitality sectors to check the level of compliance with labour legislation. “In terms of immigration law, when you find such [discrepancies or non-compliance], the employer also gets arrested because they would have violated the Immigration Act. The employer was taken alongside the people that were found not in possession of the right documents,” labour inspector-general Aggy Moiloa advised. Employers are being checked for compliance with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, sectoral determinations, the National Minimum Wage Act, the Unemployment Insurance Act and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. Moiloa indicated that the national multistakeholder “mega blitz” inspections started in 2020 in the Eastern Cape and was rolled out to other provinces, with just the Northern Cape still outstanding. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLive Motsoaledi denies he gave instructions for police to conduct spot checks on foreign nationals The Citizen reports that Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he did not instruct police officers to conduct spot on checks on foreign nationals. Citing section 41(1) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002, the minister said police officers did not need an instruction from a minister to perform their duties. Responding to media reports claiming he had given an instruction for spot checks to be conducted, Motsoaledi said: “The Act itself gives such an instruction and this has been happening for the past 20 years since 2002. Law enforcement officers have been applying this Act since that period at roadblocks, in factories, agricultural establishments, hospitality industry, trucking industry and anywhere within the borders of the Republic.” He went on to comment: “Therefore, the media headlines and statements that suggest that I have given instructions to the police officers to stop people and ask for their identification is sensational and it tries to create a controversy where none exists.” In an effort to enforce immigration laws, the police in Limpopo last month arrested 1,022 undocumented foreign nationals for contravening the immigration laws. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen. Read too, Police can use e-system to run checks on foreign nationals without detaining them - Aaron Motsoaledi, at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Large number of Tshwane staff not paid their salaries on Monday due to ‘glitch’ Moneyweb reports that employees of the City of Tshwane, except for those banking at Absa, did not receive their salaries for September on Monday morning as expected. The City, which has been struggling to pay Eskom and is facing the disconnection of electricity services as a result, however, denied being at fault. City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the administration was in contact with the other banks and expected payment to be made before midnight on Monday. The following message was sent by the City to internal staff: “The non-payment of salaries to some employees was as a result of a technical glitch on the part of Absa, and not because of the financial crunch the city is facing and dealing with. The glitch was occasioned by the public holiday on Saturday, 24 September. By law, we have until midnight to pay the salaries. Absa has acknowledged the error on their part and are sorting the matter. Salaries will be paid today (Monday).” The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) in Tshwane slammed the non-payment in a statement. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Moneyweb. See too, Many City of Tshwane employees receive no salaries due to apparent glitch, at EWN
Eskom lands multimillion-rand funding for Komati training centre as part of its just transition plans Fin24 reports that Eskom has secured US$2.17 million (about R38 million) in funding to set up a training facility that will help reskill workers at the Komati power station and communities in the surrounding Mpumalanga region. The grant is to be provided by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), which is a group of global funders that aims to assist developing countries shift to clean energy as part of climate commitments. The alliance includes governments, entrepreneurs and philanthropic partners such as the Bezos Earth Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, and IKEA Foundation. In August, Eskom had signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the SA Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The agreement will see SARETEC assist Eskom in setting up a similar renewable energy training facility to upskill artisans and technicians at the Komati power station. The Komati Training Facility is aligned to Eskom's just energy transition plans to reskill, retrain and upskill workers and communities – who are currently dependent on the coal-value chain – to be able to participate in the renewable energy industry. The initiative will help mitigate the risk of job losses while also creating new economic opportunities for young people. Eskom is repurposing the coal-fired power station Komati to include 150MW solar, 70MW wind and 150MW battery storage. A containerised micro-grid assembly factory will also be established at Komati. Once the training centre is complete, it will be managed by Eskom's Academy of Learning (EAL). The EAL will be supported by SARETEC to achieve accreditation over time – which will allow Eskom to replicate the training centre at other locations or stations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lameez Omarjee at Fin24
Putco proposes appeals against strike dismissals be replaced with Section 188A disciplinary hearings for reinstated employees IOL reports that Putco (Public Utility Transport Corporation) has proposed to its trade unions that the internal appeal hearings in respect of the employees dismissed during the recent unlawful and unprotected strike action be replaced with Section 188A disciplinary hearings. The company dismissed 105 workers for engaging in an unprotected strike earlier this month. Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu advised: “Should the unions accept the proposal, Putco will request the CCMA to facilitate an amendment of the agreement and to replace the internal appeal process with Section 188A disciplinary hearings where the accused employees will have the opportunity to answer the misconduct charges against them in disciplinary hearings chaired by independent commissioners.” Xulu said if the proposal was accepted, employees who were dismissed for misconduct during the strike would be reinstated immediately and placed on suspension pending the outcome of the Section 188A disciplinary hearings. Xule indicated that the number of dismissed individuals had been reduced from 105 to 86, however, “there are 53 additional employees who will be suspended and charged with misconduct. Putco has proposed that the disciplinary hearings for all the 139 employees be expedited to ensure fairness for all those affected.” Putco has requested all unions to indicate their acceptance of the Section 188A proposal by no later than 28 September. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brenda Masilela at IOL
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