In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Strike activity in 2022 dropped to levels last seen in 2014 Moneyweb reports that a study by the Casual Workers Advice Office shows that strike activity in 2022 fell to levels last seen in 2014. By far the main reasons for the strikes were demands for improved wages and benefits, as well as demands for permanent jobs and unpaid bonuses. The Strike Barometer 2022 shows that there were 86 strikes in 2022, of which 51 were wage-related. The second-highest cause of strikes in 2022 (19 out of a total 86) related to demands for permanent employment. The strike total for 2022 was 27% lower than 2020 and 48% lower than 2018. Some 48 strikes were ‘protected’ and 38 ‘unprotected’, which was a reversal of prior years when unprotected strikes exceeded the number of protected strikes. A protected strike is one that complies with the Labour Relations Act, meaning workers are protected from dismissal for strike activity. Some 17 of the 38 unprotected strikes were by non-unionised workers. “This goes somewhat against the pattern of recent years, which has witnessed a growing proportion of strikes by such workers,” the barometer noted. The barometer was based on Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) reports as drawn on information supplied by employers, as well as trade union websites, WhatsApp groups and other sources. But, there might have been more strikes than reported in the barometer, particularly short strikes by non-unionised workers. The Casual Workers Advice Office commented that, although the DEL produced an annual industrial action report “these reports are consistently and crassly anti-working class, and do not register the significance of strikes from a movement building perspective”. According to the barometer, 17 workers were either “assassinated while organising a strike, shot dead by private security hired by bosses during a strike, shot and injured by police or private security, or beaten, petrol bombed or had their property damaged”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ciaran Ryan at Moneyweb
Mpumalanga traffic cop killed by vehicle she was trying to stop News24 reports that a Mpumalanga traffic officer has died after she was hit by a vehicle she was trying to stop on the R544 between Emalahleni and Kriel. Innocentia Mlangeni was carrying out routine law enforcement work on Monday afternoon when she noticed a driver of a light delivery vehicle overtaking dangerously. Mlangeni then attempted to stop the vehicle, but it ploughed into her. The driver stopped after the collision and was arrested at the scene. Security and Liaison spokesperson Moeti Mmusi said an investigation into the incident was already under way. The driver was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. Acting Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Speedy Mashilo called on motorists to respect all law enforcement officers on the road, saying that they were "on the road to… to save lives". Last month, a Mpumalanga traffic officer died after being struck by a truck. Gijimane July Nkabinde was directing the truck to the Middelburg weighbridge when it crashed into him. The driver of the truck was arrested and charged with culpable homicide. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Nicole McCain at News24. See too, Mpumalanga traffic officer killed by vehicle she was trying to stop, at IOL Two drivers of cranes arrested in Cape Town for reckless driving News24 reports that two crane drivers were arrested for overloading and reckless driving on their way to Muizenberg on Tuesday. The City of Cape Town said the Highway Patrol Unit spotted and stopped the cranes at the corner of Spine and Strandfontein Roads on Tuesday morning. Both vehicles had counterweights attached. Counterweights prevent a crane from toppling over when it is hoisting something. When the cranes were taken to the weighbridge on the N2, they were found to be overloaded by 17 tons each. Moreover, the drivers could not produce permits for the cranes. The cranes will stay at the weighbridge until valid permits are produced. The City said that, although heavy duty vehicles were commonplace, they had to operate within the law. Read the original of the short report in the above regard compiled by Jenni Evans at News24
Resounding ‘No’ to declaration of state of disaster to deal with energy crisis Moneyweb reports that the response from Agri SA CEO Christo van der Rheede to the ANC’s proposal to declare a national state of disaster to deal with the electricity supply situation is that government doesn’t know whether it is coming or going with the Eskom crisis and declaring a state of disaster won’t solve that. He participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Press Club on Tuesday as SA experienced its 100th consecutive day of rolling blackouts. Van der Rheede said Agri SA attended the National Disaster Management Advisory Forum on 1 February, following which it consulted its members about the proposed state of disaster. Agri SA members decided not to support it. He said the three key players – the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Eskom, and the Presidency – didn’t know exactly what the problem was and contradicted each other. Agri SA has written to the National Disaster Management Centre to make its position clear – and has asked that if it is decided to declare a state of disaster, agriculture should be declared an essential service to ensure food security. Adv. Stefanie Fick of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) pointed out that the electricity crisis was the result of systemic problems that have existed since 2008 and asked how the declaration of a state of disaster would solve it now. It would instead open the doors to corruption – as during the Covid-19 state of disaster. Fick said that, if necessary, Outa would approach the courts if a state of disaster was declared Professor Dewald van Niekerk of North-West University (NWU) and head of the African Centre for Disaster Management cautioned against using disaster management law to manage everyday problems. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Moneyweb Load-shedding outlook for 2023 remains extremely bleak, says De Ruyter EWN reports that outgoing Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has described the load shedding outlook for 2023 as extremely bleak. He was participating in a discussion at the Investing in African Mining Indaba on Tuesday. De Ruyter said that 2023 would still be a difficult year in terms of the country's power supply. But, he expressed the anticipation that from next year onwards there should be a reduction in rolling power cuts. “Increasingly we are seeing that we are able to attract more private sector generation capacity to the grid. We see in our stats, people who connect to the grid. We also see it in numbers collated at Nersa. There’s more than 900 megawatts of new capacity that is either in the process of being built or in the process of going through engineering,” De Ruyter indicated. At the same time, he advised that if Eskom had enough money for diesel, load shedding would not be such a major problem. He explained that the billions Eskom was owed by municipalities was what stood between power cuts and resolving the utility’s generation challenges as that could save up to two levels of load shedding. De Ruyter and board chairperson Mpho Makwana were back before MPs on Tuesday to brief members of Parliament on ending load-shedding. De Ruyter said that “where we are right now, we need more cash” to buy diesel to maximise the use of Eskom’s open cycle gas turbines. He also said the expedited return of Kusile units 1, 2 and 3 could add over 2,100 megawatts to the grid, but current indications were that it would take at least a year, “but a quicker solution is being investigated.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kevin Brandt & Babalo Ndenze at EWN
Distell workers down tools and picket to get minority union Solidarity recognised by employer GroundUp reports that about 50 Distell workers stopped work and picketed outside the Adam Tas production site in Stellenbosch on Monday morning and were set to continue striking on Tuesday. They were demanding that Distell give their union of choice, Solidarity, recognition and bargaining rights. The striking workers included warehouse workers, machine operators, order pickers, and cellar staff, among others. Distell is SA’s largest alcohol producer. The company is currently merging with international giant Heineken. Shop steward Cederik Arendse said that about 187 workers had decided to join Solidarity, but Distell was refusing to recognise the union and give it access to the workplace. He said Solidarity was the largest union at the Adam Tas site. Distell spokesperson Dennis Matsane indicated that that bargaining rights were awarded to unions with a minimum of 20% member representation at the national level. Last year, Solidarity took the matter to the CCMA, which recommended that the union should reach the level of 20% membership at national level at Distell in order to get bargaining rights. According to Matsane, 120 Distell workers were members of Solidarity, of whom 105 worked at Adam Tas. Nationally, Distell has a total of about 3,700 workers and at Adam Tas there are about 640 workers. “We want the union of our choice. We want a union who will fight for our rights,” said worker Belinda Appollis. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Liezl Human at GroundUp Workers seeking union recognition say eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has insulted them by calling them ‘lazy’ TimesLive reports that according to the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of SA (Matusa), eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s comment that municipal workers were lazy was insulting to workers who had to work without resources. Members of the union staged a protest march to the Durban City Hall on Tuesday. Matusa’s Thulani Ngwenya explained that the march was to add further demands to those they had submitted in August last year, to which the city had failed to respond. Among the grievances was the city’s failure to recognise Matsa as a union, despite it having met the minimum threshold of 15% of all municipal workers as members. In its memorandum of demands addressed to city manager Musa Mbhele, the union alleged that he had issued a circular cautioning employees from associating themselves with the union. The matter of the recognition of Matusa’s organisational rights is currently with the CCMA and the outcome of a membership verification process will be made known in March. The protestors also expressed their displeasure with the outsourcing of work to subcontractors when there were employees with the capacity to do that work. With workers calling for Kaunda to step down after his alleged comments about municipal workers being lazy, Ngwenya reassured them it was not the case. “You are not lazy, I’ve seen you working. Whoever says you’re lazy is insulting you,” he stated. A mayoral spokesperson could not confirm whether the mayor had withdrawn or was still standing by the comment. It was agreed that Matusa leaders would meet Mbhele on Friday to discuss their grievances and officially submit the memorandum to him. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lwazi Hlangu at TimesLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Silicosis class action bolstered by Supreme Court of Appeal ruling against DRDGold and ERPM GroundUp reports that the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed a bid by two gold mining companies to challenge a court certification of a class action. This could potentially result in them being liable for damages suffered by thousands of miners who contracted silicosis. Apart from challenging the certification, DRDGold and East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM) had also wanted to overturn the decision in the Johannesburg High Court to develop the common law by allowing families of miners who have subsequently died, or may die pending the resolution of the case, to benefit from any eventual damages award or settlement. But the SCA said neither issue was appealable at this stage. This means that the class action can proceed. At this stage there are only 69 applicants in the class action. A process is underway for others affected to either opt in or opt out of the litigation, following which “common issues” will be determined in a first round of litigation and then individual claims during a second stage. Following the certification of the litigation as a class action, several of the initial 32 mining companies which had been cited entered into settlement agreements with miners who had worked for them. As a result, the certification now only applies to six mining companies. But two of those, DRDGold and ERPM, launched an appeal with the SCA. In the SCA ruling handed down this week, Judge Christiaan van der Merwe noted that the potential class members were poor and vulnerable and the litigation had already been ongoing for ten years. For the court, “the overwhelming interest of justice consideration is that the finalisation of the class action should be expedited.” The court struck the matter from the roll, ordering the two mines to pay the costs. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at GroundUp Top dogs can make roughly R20m a month, zama zama gang boss boasts Business Report writes that SA’s dire unemployment levels have left millions of people living in poverty and doing anything necessary in order to survive and support their families. In areas with abandoned mines, zama zamas, or illicit miners, dig for gold to sell on the black market. SA has more than 6,000 abandoned mines, which make for fertile ground for zama zamas to try their luck. Yet, turf wars often erupt between several zama zama gangs for control of the former mining areas. In a recent “Vice” mini-documentary about illegal mining, one zama zama boss whose identity was withheld was quoted as saying: ‘’This is a business, this is a game. There’s nothing you can do. If somebody plays in your territory, you need to fix him up. You need to rob Peter to pay Paul. It’s blood money. There’s a group of five of us who are the big bosses. We can make roughly R20 million and we share it among ourselves.’’ The zama zama top dog told “Vice” that the process worked as smoothly as a well-oiled machine when it came to bribing corrupt police officers to stay off their tails. ‘’In our scheme, we take out around R15,000 a month. They are on our payroll, those cops,’’ he claimed. Meantime, the police are fighting a losing battle because as some zama zamas get arrested, more come to take their places. ‘’Unfortunately, because of the money going up and down, arresting them is not the end of it,’’ a police officer told ‘’Vice’’. He said it was an ongoing battle. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Xolile Mtembu at Business Report Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Solidarity’s Bank Charges Report 2023 shows banks offering some relief to struggling consumers On Tuesday, the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI) launched its Bank Charges Report for 2023. According to the latest report, it is clear that banks are under increasing pressure to make adjustments in their prices and reward programmes due to the impact of rising inflation and interest rates on consumers. The report was compiled by looking at different forms of added value, such as reward programmes, while indicating that cost remained a determining factor when making a choice between the different bank accounts. The report included a comparison between the interest rates and savings product benefits of the country’s five largest banks, as well as that of online banks such as TymeBank and Bank Zero. Theuns du Buisson, economic researcher at the SRI, reported: “It is clear that banks’ added value offers have been adapted to the struggling economy and consequently the struggling consumer.” The SRI is of the opinion that online banks offer the best value by far, especially for clients who have no need for cash transactions or physical branches. Among the cheaper account profiles, FNB’s Easy pay as you use account emerged as the cheapest account, followed by Absa’s Transact account. Capitec emerged as the cheapest account among the middle-income profiles, but only barely ahead of FNB’s Fusion account, with only R2 separating the two. SRI noted that the accounts in the middle-high income category were much more focused on added value and reward programmes than purely on costs. Among these accounts, FNB’s Fusion Premier account came out as the most affordable, with Absa’s premium package a close second, with again a difference of only R2 separating the two. View the complete report here. Read Solidarity’s press statement on the report at Solidarity News. Lees ook, Dié bank se kliënte glimlag breed, by Maroela Media. As well as, The cheapest bank accounts in South Africa, at BusinessTech
Former Eskom executive Dan Marokane appointed as interim CEO of Tongaat Hulett, which went into business rescue last year Fin24 reports that former Eskom executive Dan Marokane has been appointed interim CEO of Tongaat Hulett, a company whose future is still in severe doubt after its crippling debt pile pushed it into business rescue last year. Just how much power Marokane will actually wield is debatable. SA's biggest sugar producer has been under the control of its business practitioners Metis Strategic Advisors since October last year, when its lenders refused to greenlight its restructuring plan. Chris Logan of Opportune Investments noted that Tongaat’s business rescue practitioners "would have all the power" in terms of the Companies Act which gave them full management control of the company. He was "even somewhat surprised" the group had appointed an acting CEO. The potential failure of Tongaat's rescue process would put 500,000 jobs across southern Africa at risk, but would have a particularly devastating effect on KwaZulu-Natal, where the company owns vast swathes of land and its SA operations are located. Tongaat said that Marokane had more than 20 years' experience in the oil, gas, power and agro-processing sectors and had been a "key member of the management team which led the turnaround journey of the company". He will be taking over from former SABMiller executive Gavin Hudson, who has been at the helm since 2019 and is stepping down at the end of the month. Tongaat became mired in an accounting scandal in 2019. Since then, it has been in an uphill battle to turn its operations and debt situation around. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nick Wilson at Fin24 (subscriber access only). Read too, Tongaat Hulett appoints interim CEO, at BusinessLive
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