In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
|
Minister Thulas Nxesi booed, whisked away as public sector workers rage against 3% increase offer News24 reports that Acting Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Minister Thulas Nxesi received a hostile reception when he went out to meet protesting public sector workers who had marched to the National Treasury's offices in Pretoria. Cosatu, Saftu and Fedusa held their third national protest on Tuesday against the government's 3% baseline wage offer for public servants. They called for a 10% increase or, at the very least, a resumption of negotiations. But, as Nxesi stood alongside the unions' leaders on a temporary stage, the protesting workers booed him and hurled abuse at him. A protester threw what appeared to be a can at the minister, but he swerved and managed to avoid getting hit. Nxesi was unable to address the workers on their ultimatum and was bundled into a police van when the crowd became rowdy. SA Communist Party and Green Peace members joined unions, namely Hospersa, Nehawu, Denosa, Sapu, Nupsaw and the PSA, on the Gauteng leg of the protest. Nhlanhla Sibisi, a Green Peace spokesperson, said the organisation supported the unions and indicated: "As part of the campaign for sustainable energy, we stand with unions because we believe in sustainable jobs, and we believe no person should be left behind. There are jobs in the green energy sector." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Patrick at News24. Read too, Nxesi whisked away by protectors as striking civil servants get hostile, at EWN State disrespects us and we have reverted to 10% wage demand, says PSA TimesLive reports that Public Servants Association (PSA) members joined a nationwide strike by those aligned to several other public sector unions on Tuesday. The strike took place in all provinces except the Western Cape, where there was an ongoing taxi strike. Unions belonging to Cosatu, Saftu and Fedusa marched to Treasury to hand over a memorandum. It was received and signed for by acting public service and administration minister Thulas Nxesi. PSA chief negotiator John Teffo said: "We have reverted to a 10% wage demand since we saw the employer disrespect us." The government has offered a baseline 3%. Teffo warned that an indefinite strike might be imminent should their demands not be met. He said members were prepared to intensify their strike action through measures including border closures and shutting economic activities aligned to public services. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at TimesLive Public sector workers reject 3% wage increase, call on government to return to negotiating table GroundUp reports that hundreds of public sector workers marched to the offices of the National Treasury in Tshwane on Tuesday, rejecting the government’s 3% wage increase and calling on the government to return to the negotiating table. The protest action was organised by unions affiliated to Cosatu, Saftu and Fedusa. Acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi came out of the Treasury offices to receive the unions’ memorandum. Cosatu Deputy President Mike Shingange addressed the workers and said: “We want to see this matter concluded, that is why we are here to call you back to the bargaining council.” In the memorandum, the unions demanded a 10% increase across the board, permanent employment of police reservists, teachers and community health workers, and the filling of vacant posts. They gave the government seven days to return with another offer, failing which they would intensify their action from 2 December. In some parts of the country clinics and other government offices were closed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chris Gilili, Thamsanqa Mbovane and Joseph Chirume at GroundUp. Read too, Government workers threaten ‘total shutdown’ for higher pay, at BusinessLive Health services affected in Gauteng on Tuesday as public servants strike TimesLive reports that as thousands of public servants embarked on a strike on Tuesday to demand better wages, the government warned employees who worked in essential services they were prohibited from participating in protests during working hours. In Gauteng, the provincial Department of Health (DOH) obtained an order at the Labour Court on Tuesday afternoon against several unions so as to prevent their members from obstructing health services. DOH spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the provision of services in some parts of the province, particularity in Sebokeng Hospital in Sedibeng and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, had been affected. At Chris Hani Baragwanath, the protest action resulted in the cancellation of all elective surgeries planned for the day and only one emergency theatre was operational. “The situation improved in the afternoon and the department continues to closely monitor the effect of the protest on facilities,” Modiba indicated. He said police had been ordered to assist the department where necessary to enforce the interim order, which would remain in effect pending the return date of 1 March next year. Department of Public Service and Administration spokesperson Moses Mushi said the government had provided departments with guidelines on applying the principle of “no work, no pay” to manage those public servants who intended participating in the strike during working hours. Mushi said leave would be strictly managed, and no leave would be granted unless under extreme and compelling situations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Santaco says minibus taxis will be back on Western Cape roads on Wednesday IOL reports that the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape says all taxi operations will resume on Wednesday following a two-day strike that left commuters stranded on Monday and Tuesday. The two-day violent strike was a result of Western Cape Government decision to cancel its Blue Dot Taxi Project despite meetings with the provincial government to try to prevent the strike action. Three buses were torched on Monday morning. In a media release, Santaco apologised for the inconvenience the two day strike caused and gave the assurance that operations would resume effectively on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Santaco’s Nceba Enge denied that members of the taxi industry in Cape Town were involved in the violence and intimidation directed towards commuters and private transportation. He claimed members of the taxi association were not involved and that most of them were at home. Enge opined that the reported violence might have been a result of a third force acting as taxi drivers to taint the image of Santaco members. The denial came despite three men with strong links to the taxi industry being arrested, allegedly with 13 petrol bombs, in Delft. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sibuliso Duba at IOL
Mob kills man in ambulance, attacks paramedics in Atteridgeville on Monday evening News24 reports that a mob killed a man in an ambulance and attacked Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (EMS) paramedics in Atteridgeville, Tshwane, on Monday evening. The EMS responded to calls for medical assistance after the man was injured in a mob justice attack. The health department said he was in critical condition and lying on the ground when the EMS arrived. They treated the patient at the scene and tried transporting him to the hospital for further medical treatment, but residents, who accused the man of criminality, prevented the ambulance from leaving the area. They demanded justice on the spot and attacked the man while he lay on the stretcher, as well as the paramedics. They barricaded the road to prevent the ambulance from leaving, hit it with stones, stole medical equipment, and assaulted the man until he succumbed to his injuries. The paramedics were treated at Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital and will receive counselling. The health department reported that it had recorded 12 attacks and robberies against paramedics this year, the same number recorded in 2021. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Bhengu at News24. Lees ook, Pasiënt sterf tydens aanval op ambulans, by Maroela Media Student police officer killed during training at Limpopo training facility The Citizen reports that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has launched an investigation after a student police officer was killed during a training session in Limpopo on Sunday. The incident happened at the Thabazimbi Tactical Academy. IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping said: “It is alleged that the new recruits were undergoing tactical and combat training when the student officer was accidentally killed.” The complete outcome of the investigation will be announced once concluded. A team of psychologists, social workers and chaplains from the Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) have been sent to provide psychosocial support to the family and those affected, police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe indicated. “This is an unfortunate incident. We request space to conduct a thorough investigation to be able to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. We pledge our full support to the family of the deceased and all affected”, said General Fannie Masemola, SA Police Service national commissioner. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen. Lees ook, Polisierekruut tydens opleiding doodgeskiet, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Agri SA calls for national minimum wage rises below inflation as sector battles to remain viable BL Premium reports that Agri SA has warned that an above-inflation increase in the national minimum wage (NMW) in a difficult economic climate would threaten the financial viability of many farmers. The agricultural industry body said further increases should be CPI (now about 7%) minus two percentage points to ensure operations remained viable. The organisation has previously warned that the rising cost of labour could see farmers speed up adoption of technology and mechanisation to cut costs. The agricultural sector contributes about 3% to GDP and provides nearly 900,000 jobs. Earlier this year, the Department of Employment & Labour published a further increase in the NMW, pushing it to R23.19 an hour, or a hike of nearly 7%. According to Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) figures, the average annual inflation on farm labour rose 11.6% since 2012, while the general CPI was about 5%. “Until now, the sector has been able to absorb these increases largely due to the boom experienced by labour-intensive horticultural industries in the pre-pandemic years. But these industries now face significant pressures too, with BFAP projecting price decreases over the next decade,” Agri SA’s Johan Wege said in a statement on Tuesday. He warned that the trend of above-inflation pay rises in the NMW would affect the sector in the short and long term. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bekezela Phakathi at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Beleërde landboubedryf vra vir beperkte loonverhoging, by Maroela Media
Joburg MMC in hot water over threat to axe employees linked to political parties The Star reports that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has slammed the MMC of Economic Development in the City of Johannesburg Nkululeko Mbundu for his threats to fire municipal administrators for problems related to service delivery. In a council meeting last week, Mbundu said if it were up to him, he would fire all politically-linked administrators because they created blockages in the delivery of services to residents of the city. Mbundu is an ActionSA councillor and a member of the multi-party government, which has had tense relations with workers who were employed during the ANC’s term in office. The comment has created an uproar from Samwu and opposition parties. Samwu chairperson Esther Matyana indicated that Mbundu’s comments had left workers feeling nervous about their job security and said the union had demanded a meeting with the MMC on his comments. Matyana said Mbundu’s comments were an indication that the multi-party government had no remorse in dismissing 130 workers who were fired earlier this year. The matter is still before the South Gauteng High Court. “It’s not enough that 130 families are suffering because of them, and now they are talking about dismissing more workers. How long should black people suffer under this DA administration?” Matyanana asked. She also said Samwu had noted that the City had reserved certain jobs for non-black applicants, which was a concern. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Itumeleng Mafisa at The Star
SARS does about-turn, will now welcome back two employees axed in 2017 during Bain ‘restructuring’ Fin24 reports that the SA Revenue Service (SARS) has dropped its opposition to the reinstatement of two staff members axed in 2017 for refusing to partake in the company's restructuring. Former employees Hope Mashilo and Tshebeletso Seremane have been asked to return to the tax agency "at their earliest availability", roughly five years after they were dismissed. The decision comes ten days after SARS publicly apologised and paid compensation to a dozen former staff members hounded out the agency during the era of state capture. SARS axed Mashilo and Seremane in 2017 for refusing to move to vaguely defined new jobs called "domain specialists" established as part of a controversial restructuring proposed by consultancy Bain. SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter acknowledged this week that the agency's actions five years ago had had a "devastating and profound impact on the lives of Ms Mashilo and Ms Seremane and their families". He said: "SARS deeply regrets the hurt, pain and suffering visited on them and their families." The decision to reinstate Mashilo and Seremane is an about-turn for SARS, which previously argued in court that Mashilo and Seremane should not be reinstated. But the Johannesburg Labour Court twice found in favour of the two former employees. Kieswetter, meanwhile, denied that the agency's past opposition to the reinstatement of the two employees meant he supported the actions taken by his predecessor, Tom Moyane. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Cronje at Fin24. Read too, Sars reinstates two employees dismissed during Bain ‘restructuring’, at BusinessLive
Health committee presses for adoption of NHI bill in advance of ANC conference BL Premium reports that Parliament’s ANC-dominated health committee is racing to complete its work on the contentious National Health Insurance (NHI) bill, seemingly intent on getting it through the National Assembly before the party’s elective conference in December. After approval by the National Assembly, the bill will be submitted to the Council of Provinces for concurrence. The NHI has been on the ANC’s political agenda since 2007, and has featured prominently in its election promises ever since. If the bill is approved by MPs, Health Minister Joe Phaahla will be able to show delegates to the conference, which begins on 16 December, that the current administration is making progress towards implementing the policy. The bill is the government’s first piece of legislation for breathing life into its plan for universal health coverage, which aims to ensure everyone can obtain health services that are free at the point of delivery. Parliament’s portfolio committee on health has been considering the bill since August 2019, and is nearing the end of its work. Given that the ANC holds the majority of seats on the health committee and in the National Assembly, it is expected to drive through a version of the bill that differs little from the document tabled in 2019. Throughout its deliberations, the committee has remained sharply divided on party political lines. On Tuesday, opposition parties voiced their frustration with the committee’s processing of the bill, and reiterated their calls for Treasury and the Minister of Finance to provide them with details on how the NHI would be funded. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Security company employee uses work firearm in cash-in-transit robbery, commits suicide to avoid arrest Daily News reports that police investigations into a cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery in the south of Durban in which a suspect apparently committed suicide are continuing. Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda reported that a CIT security guard had just collected money from a store at a mall along Seadoone Road in Doonside and was walking towards the armoured vehicle when he was accosted by two suspects who robbed him of the money bag at gunpoint. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, which was later spotted on Matilika Road towards Felekisi. Police gave chase and the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle hitting a wall just outside his home. “The suspect was declared dead on the scene and preliminary investigation revealed that he succumbed to a gunshot wound from his firearm which was found lying next to him. It is suspected that he committed suicide in order to evade imminent arrest. Investigations further revealed that the suspect was an employee of a security company and the firearm which was found at the scene belonged to that company,” Netshiunda indicated. Cash taken during the robbery was also recovered in the suspect's vehicle. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thobeka Ngema at Daily News
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page