In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
|
Transnet CEO Portia Derby digs in her heels as SA counts cost of wage strike 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 Unions threaten to intensify rail and port strike after rejecting Transnet’s revised wage offer Miningmx reports that rail and port trade unions on Thursday rejected a revised pay offer by state-owned utility Transnet and said they would intensify a strike underway since 6 October. On Wednesday, Transnet tabled a revised three-year wage offer to the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) and the United National Transport Union (UNTU). The offer to the striking unions was made during wage talks facilitated by the CCMA. It included a 4.5% across-the-board increase in the current year, a 5.3% across-the-board increase in 2023/24 and a 5.3% across-the-board increase in 2024/25. Also included was a 4.5% increase in the medical aid allowance in 2022/23, to be adjusted in subsequent years in line with the wage increases. The back pay would be paid in two tranches – three months' back pay on 15 November 2022, and three months' back pay on 16 January 2023. Speaking to Bloomberg News, Carestone Damons, a member of UNTU’s bargaining team, said employees would only consider an increase of at least 7%. “Top management earn millions of rands per annum and workers generating this revenue are taking home peanuts. The workers are adamant that they will intensify the strike and continue the strike until their demands are met,” Damons said. The industrial action has severely reduced staff at key ports which export iron ore and coal from SA mines. Shipments of agricultural goods are also at risk, with fruit farmers raising concerns about the limited shelf life of their products. Based on reports at Miningmx and Fin24. See too, Satawu to intensify Transnet strike, labels talk of retrenchments ‘insensitive’, at Moneyweb Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Labour Court interdicts Numsa’s intended strike at Macsteel BL Premium reports that employees at Macsteel are expected back at work on Friday after the steel merchandiser and distributor successfully applied for a court order to interdict strike action by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) that was expected to get under way from Thursday. Macsteel CEO Mike Benfield welcomed the Labour Court ruling and denied that changes had been made to workers’ conditions of employment. He said Numsa was required to show cause by 24 February 2023 why the order should not be made final. “A unilateral change to terms and conditions of employment has not occurred in respect of medical aid contributions and the group personal accident benefit cover as alleged by Numsa. All employees will return to their work shifts on October 14,” Benfield said. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim had said Macsteel used to contribute 50% towards employees’ medical aid, but this benefit was allegedly unilaterally withdrawn by the company without consulting the union. He accused Macsteel of also withdrawing the accidental death benefit for employees who were retrenched by Macsteel but subsequently absorbed through the company’s placement processes. Benfield dismissed the claims as “unfounded”, saying the company had requested Numsa to “withdraw these allegations immediately”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Government's wage offer is 'insulting and disrespectful', say public servants City Press reports that state employees have accused government of deliberately failing to reach a reasonable agreement with them in respect of their ongoing wage dispute in an effort to effect the state’s previously proposed three-year salary freeze for workers. While state employees have bemoaned government’s 3% wage increase offer, which they have termed “insulting and disrespectful”, unions have warned that, although they have yet to embark on a strike, their intention to do so was not a mere threat. Nehawu president Mike Shingange commented: “A strike is not the first thing we resort to when we are deadlocked with the employer. It’s usually the very painful and unavoidable last resort. That’s why we and fellow unions in the public service have declared a dispute with the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council, for which we are awaiting a date for a sit-down conciliation.” Shingange explained that the aim of the conciliation was for public servants and government to find common ground because “we still believe that we can convince government to come back to the table and present an improved and reasonable offer to its employees”. According to Shingange, government was on a mission to ensure that public servants received no wage increases, as has been the “mission for the past three years”. Meanwhile, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said last week that government believed that the 3% salary increase offer to public servants was “generous”. They added: “We have continued to ensure that public servants are reasonably cushioned against the rising cost of living, without crowding out social expenditure. It is a difficult balancing act.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Palesa Dlamini at City Press (subscriber access only)
Limpopo shopping mall closed on Thursday by protesters demanding jobs GroundUp reports that hundreds of protesters closed down the Elim Mall on Thursday, blocking the road to Louis Trichardt in Limpopo with bricks and rubbish. They were demanding that local people be employed at the mall. Motorists could not get through to the shopping mall or to Elim hospital, and learners could not attend school. Elim Mall falls under the Njhakanjhaka traditional area, but is also within reach of the Dhavana traditional area. The protesters were mostly from Dhavana. Walter Mabasa, a community leader from Dhavana, said crime was rife in Elim and most of those responsible were unemployed. “We realised shop owners were hiring friends or relatives who are from outside our area. This should not be the case,” he stated. Mabasa claimed that attempts to engage the mall management to hire more people from the area had been unsuccessful. “The mall is not going to open until we meet the owners of this mall,” Mabasa asserted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bernard Chiguvare at GroundUp
SA mining industry on track for a record low fatality rate in 2022, says Mantashe Mining Weekly reports that according to Department of Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, SA is on track to achieve a new record low in mining fatalities for the year. He was speaking during the Mine Occupational Health and Safety Tripartite Summit hosted by the Mine Health and Safety Council, in Midrand, on Thursday. To date, 38 work-related fatalities had been recorded in the SA mining industry, a significant drop from the 74 recorded last year, Mantashe said. The lowest ever number of fatalities recorded by the SA mining industry in any year was in 2019, when there were 51 fatalities. The industry’s safety performance, however, worsened again in 2020 and 2021 when 60 and 74 fatalities were recorded. But, Mantashe warned that there were still two-and-a-half months to go before the end of the year and that much could change during that time. He implored delegates attending the summit to continue striving for zero harm and zero fatalities. Mantashe singled out fall-of-ground (FoG) incidents as a longstanding area of significant concern, but he also applauded the lack of incidents in both the gold and platinum group metals (PGMs) mining sectors so far this year. The mining industry has been paying particular attention to the issue and has been taking steps to do all it can to eliminate FoG-related deaths. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Former police officer who scouted location for Krugersdorp film shoot where zama zama gang rapes took place arrested News24 reports that a former police officer, Dolphina Truter, who was used to scout the location for the ill-fated music video shoot in Krugersdorp earlier this year where eight women were raped, allegedly by ‘zama zamas’ (illegal miners), has been arrested. She recommended Cowboy Town and assured the team that the nearby mine dump was safe to work at. But, as the crew of 20 was shooting the last scene, they were attacked by at least 60 men – believed to be illegal miners. Eight women were raped. The other crew members were assaulted. Film equipment, money, cellphones and even clothes were stolen during the ordeal that lasted for at least four hours. Police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili said Truter was arrested on Wednesday and charged with theft and defeating the ends of justice. "It was discovered by the investigating officer that the woman had in her possession property that belongs to one of the victims of rape," said Muridili. Truter, a former warrant officer, appeared in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court and was remanded in custody. On Thursday, the video's director Shawn Ray said that Truter had not been part of his crew and that she was hired “just like all the other actors to play a role in the music video shoot." Ray had previously indicated that they had used Truter's scouting services before and that he trusted her "judgment as a former cop". At the shoot, Truter was with her son and daughter. Truter is expected to join the 14 men, accused of the attack, in the dock on 28 November. The case against the men was postponed for DNA testing. They have been charged with rape, sexual assault, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and contravention of the Immigration Act. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tebogo Monama at News24 Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Loss-making PetroSA paid CEO millions to leave, but had to borrow to pay staff salaries Fin24 reports that troubled state-owned oil company PetroSA paid its former CEO millions to leave the company, yet only a few months earlier it had had to borrow money from its parent company to pay staff salaries. PetroSA directors and management presented the company's annual results to the portfolio committee on mineral resources and energy in Parliament on Thursday. The company, part of the Central Energy Fund (CEF) group, made a loss of more than R1 billion, the latest in a long string of losses. Its losses were reduced by a R189-million loan from the CEF, which was needed to pay salaries. Chairperson Nkululeko Poya was pressured by MPs to answer questions on the status of the former CEO Pragasen Naidoo, and whether he had received a golden handshake. Poya asked to be allowed to reply to the question in writing later as he said the matter was "confidential" and "very sensitive". The request was denied and Poya eventually answered: "I confirm that there was an agreement reached between the board and Mr Naidoo, and that agreement did come with costs." While Poya did not put an amount on the payout to Naidoo, independent sources said that the CEO had three years to run on his contract and was paid a large portion of his remaining earnings. Naidoo was the first permanent CEO since 2014. Sandisiwe Ncemane has been appointed acting CEO. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
‘Fed up’ senior JMPD cops demand equal pay with newly employed junior officers TimesLive Premium reports that the City of Johannesburg says a pay disparity dispute that is causing ructions in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) will be settled by 21 October. Several senior JMPD officers are “fed up” with newly employed junior officers earning higher hourly rates than them. And being called on to help train the new recruits is rubbing salt into the wounds. A senior officer who has been at the department for about a decade claimed that she and other long-standing officers earned R151 per hour, while newer recruits earned up to R170 per hour. “That is for four shifts of 12 hours each per week. People may think R20 is nothing, but that means we get paid just less than R29,000, while newer officers earn just over R32,000 a month. That is unfair,” she pointed out. A Labour Court hearing on the issue was scheduled for 30 August, but the municipality’s legal team apparently asked the applicant to stand down pending a settlement offer. JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the public safety department had started addressing the problem and added that: “The department wants to look into the matter and deal with it outside court. We are hopeful that the matter with all of the officers affected will be settled by Friday October 21.” SA Municipal Workers’ Union official Karabo Ramahuma said pay discrepancies were nothing new among JMPD members and that the “revolving door at the mayor’s office” was not helping matters. He added that JMPD officers have been up in arms about the disparities “for years”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hendrik Hancke at TimesLive (subscriber access only)
Most public health facilities would fail NHI test, health ombud tells MPs BL Premium reports that the health ombud warned parliament on Wednesday that the public health sector was in such a dire state and work to raise standards was progressing so slowly that most facilities would not make the grade to provide services under National Health Insurance (NHI). NHI is the government’s plan for universal health coverage and aims to ensure everyone can obtain services that are free at the point of delivery. Its first piece of enabling legislation, the NHI Bill, is before parliament and proposes that a central fund purchases services from public and private health facilities, which must first be inspected and accredited by the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC). “As things stand today we couldn’t go into the NHI with the level of inspections and certification we have done so far, because I suspect most of the hospitals will not meet the high standard required of the NHI,” health ombud Malegapuru Makgoba told parliament’s portfolio committee on health. Makgoba said he visited all the provinces in the past year and found deteriorating health services in all but the Western Cape. “Whilst we are preparing for NHI, we don’t seem to be raising the standards [of] the service we are giving to the population in SA,” he lamented. The OHSC works closely with the office of the health ombud, and both have consistently complained to parliament that they were unable to fulfil their mandate because they were under-resourced. The complaints directorate has only three staff members. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Chairperson of HPSCA’s Medical and Dental Professions Board, Professor Solomon Rataemane, placed on suspension City Press reports that the chairperson of the Medical and Dental Professions Board (MDPB) of the Health Professions Council of SA (HPSCA), Professor Solomon Rataemane, has been temporarily suspended and is being investigated following serious allegations levelled against him. Apparently, Rataemane has been blocked from accessing the council system since Wednesday. Christopher Tsatsawane, corporate head of the council, said the allegations could not be revealed because the matter was under investigation. The suspension was executed on 22 September by the President of the HPCSA, Mbulaheni Nemutandani. On the same day, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, wrote to Nemutandani asking him to provide reasons for the suspension since the Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, was out of the country. Meanwhile, Dr Cedric Sihlangu of the SA Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu), of which Rataemane is a part, indicated that the union was aware of the suspension and said: “What we do not know is the nature of the allegations, safe to say the allegations are said to be serious in nature, until such time when the union is furnished with full facts; it becomes very difficult to provide a position because we do not want to put the cart before the horse.” SA Medical Association (SAMA) spokesperson, Nomonde Sussman, said: “SAMA is of the opinion that Prof Solomon Rataemane’s suspension sits in the ambit of the MDPB. It is the board’s prerogative to take further steps on this matter. SAMA hopes that the necessary processes will be followed.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Majavu at City Press (subscriber access only) Suspended public enterprises DG loses reinstatement case against Gordhan, Lamola and Ramaphosa City Press reports that the Labour Court has dismissed, with costs, the application by former Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) director-general Kgathatso Tlhakudi to overturn a government suspension of him and for the suspension to be declared unlawful and unconstitutional. Tlhakudi was placed on precautionary suspension pending a disciplinary process on 17 June. He was accused of overruling panel recommendations in the appointment of a security manager in the department and of installing a candidate of his choice instead. After the 60-day suspension had lapsed, Tlhakudi launched an urgent court application for his continued suspension to be declared unlawful and unconstitutional. He also wanted the court to stop DPE Minister Pravin Gordhan, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola from further extending his suspension. The court focused on Tlhakudi’s argument that his appeal was founded on his fundamental rights as contained in chapter two of the Constitution. The court noted that there was no explanation from his lawyers why no reliance was placed on sections of the Labour Relations Act (LRA), which specifically deal with the right to fair labour practices as a fundamental right. The court quoted from previous case law that a litigant may not bypass legislation and rely directly on the Constitution without challenging the legislation as falling short of the Constitutional standard. The case law also provided that an applicant could not avoid the dispute resolution mechanism provided by the LRA by alleging a violation of a Constitutional right in the Bill of Rights. The court ruled that in accordance with the established case law, Tlhakudi was not permitted to bypass the LRA by appealing to a fundamental right. But, the court added that Tlhakudi could seek an alternative remedy by seeking arbitration by referring the unfair labour dispute matter to the bargaining council. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rapule Tabane at City Press
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page