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.
BL Premium reports that as SA’s faltering economy counts the cost of the crippling weeklong strike at Transnet, group CEO Portia Derby has dug in her heels, saying the company cannot afford to yield to worker demands.
This potentially sets the stage for a protracted standoff with trade unions. “I know some people feel this is a strike that we should pay whatever is required. But the truth is we have a responsibility to turn around Transnet and leave a strong, sustainable company on the other side of the divide,” Derby told delegates attending the Agri SA annual congress in Pretoria on Thursday. “It is not sustainable to have about 66% of your operating cost being labour costs,” she added. Workers at the state-owned ports and railway operator downed tools last week, demanding salary hikes of up to 13.5%. The strike, which has brought port operations to a halt, threatens to cripple key sectors of the economy, including large foreign exchange earners like agriculture and mining. As it stands, exporters and importers are virtually unable to move their products. The severity of the strike’s impact also prompted some companies to offer to pay increased fees in an effort to alleviate its effects. The industrial action is costing mineral exporters nearly R1bn a day as they are unable to load crucial minerals on ships at the ports, according to the Minerals Council SA. Also speaking at the Agri SA congress on Thursday, agriculture minister Thoko Didiza indicated: “We have been working with Transnet, trying to see how we can resolve some of that logjam so that the ports and rail can become functional.” She said the government was engaging with labour, industry and the Transnet board.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko & Bekezela Phakathi at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
- Read too, Transnet strike is 'rough', but the SOE must become sustainable, says CEO Portia Derby, at Fin24
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page