In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Public sector unions renew strike threat over last year’s wage increase Fin24 reports that nine public sector trade unions indicated on Thursday that they would be embarking on an "indefinite strike" to force the government to raise last year's wage increase. The unions also said they would not attend the start of this year's wage talks, which the government had hoped would kick off on Friday at a meeting of the Public Sector Co-ordinated Bargaining Council, because they believed the government would have nothing substantial to offer. The unions concerned include some of the biggest in the public sector, namely Nehawu and Popcru. But, one of Cosatu's biggest affiliates – the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) – and trade unions affiliated to Fedusa do not support the action. Fedusa, which includes the Public Servants Association (PSA), supported strike action last year and held a number of one-day protest actions, but it stated on Thursday that its affiliates were ready to move on and begin talks on the 2023/24 settlement. The reluctance of Fedusa’s unions and Sadtu to support industrial action makes a successful strike in the public sector difficult. The nine unions concerned are "engaging members to revive the mandate, mobilise and ballot them for strike action". They will launch the seven-day notice period for a strike on 22 February, the day the national budget is tabled in Parliament. The dispute between public servants and government dates back to 2020, when government reneged on the final year of a three-year agreement. Nehawu’s December Mavuso explained that union leaders had not called on workers to strike last year because they wanted to give parties in the negotiations time to find each other. “We are in a position now where unions have given us a mandate. Workers were ready to strike last year and have always been ready. We have now arrived at the decisive moment," he said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24. Read too, Government workers up the ante on pay dispute, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). And also, Public service unions vow to return to the picket lines in February, at EWN Grouping of public service unions refuses to take part in 2023/24 wage negotiations, but PSA willing to engage TimesLive reports that eight public service unions (other reports indicate nine unions) said on Thursday that their negotiators would not participate in any Public Sector Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) wage meetings until the 2022/23 dispute was resolved. In addition to a 10% increase, the unions concerned want a R2,500 housing allowance and the extension of bursary schemes. They are also seeking access to pension fund benefits prior to retirement and encashment of capped leave, among other things. “To all of these demands, the government has refused to concede, and it has been months since the negotiations started, yet we still find ourselves at this point of a dispute,” the eight unions noted. So, government must not create confusion by calling for public service labour unions to return for 2023/24 wage negotiations when there was no agreement in the 2022/23 dispute, the unions stated. In their view, if they should agree to participate in Friday’s PSCBC meeting called by the employer, it would mean they were in agreement with last year’s “pathetic” 3% increment. However, the Public Servants Association (PSA) is not part of the grouping of eight. It issued a statement saying it had been mandated by its members to table wage demands for the 2023/24 financial year. The PSA said it would continue to engage with other unions to alert them that failure to start 2023/24 negotiations without delay would disadvantage public servants, who were increasingly cash-strapped and indebted. It added: “The future of the current R1,000 cash gratuity is at risk, taking into account that the employer plans to terminate this payment by March 31 2023.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at SowetanLive. Read too, Public service unions differ on fight over wages, at EWN. And also, Cosatu, Saftu ready to go on strike, but major union PSA won’t join in, at Moneyweb
Electricity minister will have just one job, namely addressing the load-shedding crisis BL Premium reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted on Thursday that the appointment of a minister of electricity with a specific mandate to deal with load-shedding was the best way to tackle the power crisis. He was replying in parliament to the debate on the state of the nation address he delivered last week. Opposition parties were scathing of the announcement of a minister of electricity and a state of disaster, saying it would lead to confusion, fragmentation and turf wars involving the other ministers with oversight over Eskom, namely mineral resources & energy minister Gwede Mantashe and public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan. Ramaphosa said: “This new minister will assume full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response… This appointment will ensure that there is a minister who is ultimately responsible for resolving load-shedding and who is able to work with all fellow cabinet ministers, departments and entities to do so.” He said the minister of electricity would be focused “day in and day out” only on addressing the load-shedding crisis, working together with the management of Eskom and the board. Ramaphosa explained that Mantashe’s responsibility was for energy policy as well as mineral resources, while Gordhan would deal with the restructuring of Eskom and other state-owned enterprises. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Minister of Electricity’s ‘undivided attention’ to be on loadshedding crisis, at Mining Weekly. En ook, Ramaphosa verdedig nuwe minister, ramptoestand, by Maroela Media Outa joins court challenges to energy state of disaster BL Premium reports that legal opposition against the government’s decision to implement a national state of disaster over the energy crisis is mounting, with the latest coming from lobby group Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), which is heading to court for an interdict. The state of disaster, declared by President Ramaphosa during the state of the nation address, is one of a number of interventions, including the imminent appointment of a minister of electricity, that the government has undertaken to resolve the energy crisis threatening SA’s economic prospects. However, the state of disaster decision has drawn widespread criticism, with civil society and opposition parties slamming the move. Outa said the implementation of the legislation was irrational, arbitrary and unlawful, while the DA filed an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) on Thursday to obtain all the legal documentation that led to the government’s decision. Earlier this week, trade union Solidarity also filed court papers seeking to overturn the declaration of the state of disaster, saying the energy crisis did not meet the definition of a disaster in terms of the relevant legislation. “Years of state capture, mismanagement and a dysfunctional culture cannot be a rational justification for the declaration of a national state of disaster,” said Outa’s Stefanie Fick shortly after the body filed its papers at the Pretoria High Court on Thursday. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele defended the move on Thursday saying it would allow the government to cut through red tape to allow for the swifter addition of generation capacity to Eskom’s grid in order to ease load-shedding. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Outa hof toe oor elektrisiteit-ramptoestand, by Maroela Media Cosatu, SACP slam Ramaphosa’s plan to appoint an electricity minister without consulting them The Citizen reports that the ANC’s alliance partners have criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint a minister of electricity in the presidency without consulting them first. This followed Ramaphosa’s announcement during his state of the nation address (Sona) last week that he would be appointing the minister to deal with the country’s crippling energy crisis. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the SA Communist Party (SACP) held a bilateral session on Monday to deliberate on various issues facing the country, with load shedding crisis and Eskom topping the agenda. In their view, the decision by Ramaphosa to appoint the electricity minister went against the commitment to reconfigure the alliance and give all three organisations an equal say in the running of government. “While the idea to appoint a minister of electricity in the Presidency may be well-intentioned, the lack of consultation directly contradicts the spirit of a reconfigured alliance and programmatic unity. Our joint commitment to the reconfiguration of the alliance aims to see the alliance play its role as a strategic political centre of the national democratic revolution, as opposed to tailing what the government decides with no consultation, including imposing policy direction on the movement,” Cosatu and the SACP complained in a joint statement. The alliance partners said Ramaphosa’s announcement undermined the role of the alliance with the ANC and portrayed a picture of presidential unilateralism. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Unlicensed ‘drunk driver’ who killed a metro cop in 2020 sentenced to 10 years TimesLive reports that a drunk driver who killed a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer in February 2020 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mlungisi Nkosi from Meadowlands in Soweto was convicted of culpable homicide, negligent driving and driving without a driver’s licence. He failed to stop at a roadblock and rammed into officer Jacob Moila. The father of one, who was conducting a stop-and-search operation with his colleagues, was killed instantly. Nkosi, who had been out on bail for almost three years, appeared in the Orlando Magistrate's Court on Thursday for sentencing. In handing down sentence, Magistrate Mohammed Jooma said Nkosi failed to show remorse from the day he was arrested and during the trial. A pre-sentencing report stated he had a problem with alcohol but apparently failed to take any initiative to address that issue. When Nkosi was stopped after the crime he even tried to start his vehicle and attempted to flee after committing a “horrendous act”. Nkosi was also handed six months in prison or a R2,000 fine for driving without a licence, which was suspended for five years. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Phathu Luvhengo at TimesLive Tshwane mayoral staff say EFF storming their offices won't keep them away from work EWN reports that City of Tshwane mayoral staff vowed they would be back at their desks on Friday morning and would not be intimidated by what they called the Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF)'s political stunts. On Thursday, EFF councillors stormed the municipal offices in Madiba Street to physically remove the staff of outgoing mayor Randall Williams. The party said that since the mayor had resigned from his job, members of his mayoral committee and other political appointees should not be working. Williams is currently on special leave and his resignation only becomes effective on 28 February, after he amended his original resignation letter which would have seen him stepping down immediately on Monday. City of Tshwane media relations head, Sipho Stuurman, said that Finance MMC Peter Sutton, who is acting mayor, would continue with his duties until the last day of the month. "We are going to go back to work because we have a responsibility and a duty to serve the residents of the city of Tshwane and no one will stop us from doing our jobs just to score political points," Sutton stated. Meanwhile, EFF regional chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu said they did not recognise Williams' amendment of his resignation letter. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabiso Goba at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
City Power warns that illegal mining could (literally) collapse West Rand electricity infrastructure SowetanLive reports that at least two City Power substations on the West Rand are at risk of caving into the ground because of the illegal mining activities that have left the ground hollow. During a media tour to the Roodepoort and the Robertsville substations on Thursday, City Power engineers warned that if underground mining continued, the infrastructure would collapse, leaving close to 10 areas without electricity and possibly damaging buildings. At the Roodepoort substation, a 15m-long concrete pylon that connects to other pylons along a 10km route, is at risk of collapsing. Right next to the pylon are various shafts from which two groups of illegal miners were seen resurfacing carrying plastic bags. City Power said if the illegal mining activity persisted, there would be disaster in the area. At the Robertsville substation, various sinkholes have emerged with parts of the substation building showing signs of drifting and cracks. One of the receiving gantries at that substation is also likely to collapse should mining continue. Engineer Hilda Nonkonyana said City Power was looking to acquire new secure sites where they could build substations without the risk of being influenced by the zama-zamas. In the meantime, they would try to fill in areas that were caving in an attempt to stabilise the infrastructure. Johannesburg MMC for environment and infrastructure services Jack Sekwaila said geologists would be making an assessment about the risk of nearby houses and businesses caving in. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at SowetanLive. Lees ook, Roodepoort keelvol vir kragprobleme, by Maroela Media
Time for more transparency on executive pay in South Africa Dr Salomé Teuteberg of the Transforming Corporate Governance programme at the Labour Research Service in Cape Town writes that an amendment to the Companies Act – when it is finally passed into law – should provide welcome information on differences between the highest and the lowest paid employees in companies in SA, which is one of the most unequal countries in the world. Three quarters of employed people in the country earn less than R5,800 per month, according to Business Market Research. Yet SA chief executive officers (CEOs) are among the best paid in the world. Remuneration of directors is among the most hotly debated topics in corporate governance, with shareholders wanting information and directors wanting privacy. Some policy on this does exist in the King Report on Corporate Governance. But the Companies Amendment Bill will elicit much more detailed information, by compelling companies to divulge the difference between lowest paid and highest paid workers – or at least to be more transparent on these numbers. The Bill was posted for comment in October 2021, and the comment period expired 30 days later. But the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition says it is still processing the Bill. In SA, the average CEO received a total guaranteed annual package of R5.7 million in the year ended February 2022. CEOs also typically earn short term incentives (a form of bonus) of about R3-million to R4-million. A minimum wage worker in SA earns R21.69 per hour, or less than R42,000 a year. Typically, these workers do not earn bonuses. Minimum wages vary per industry. Research in 2021 found the lowest wages to be in the wholesale and retail trade, with a minimum wage of R4,257 a month. In comparison, retail CEOs earn on average over R3-million a month (R37-million a year in 2021). This is over 700 times what a low-level wage earner earns. “We don’t argue that CEOs and workers should be paid equally. But we do argue against such large gaps, especially in South Africa where inequality is persistent,” Teuteberg indicated. Read Dr Teuteberg’s article in full at GroundUp
Ramaphosa announces task team to look at pension issues of employees of former TBVC states IOL reports that after decades of frustrations, thousands of civil servants from the former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei (TBVC) states, who have voiced concerns over their “miscalculated pension” payouts, will have their issues looked into. The problems of employees who came from the four independent Bantustans was brought to Parliament’s attention by UDM leader Bantu Holomisa on Tuesday this week during the debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address. The workers were employed by the TBVC states in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1996 their billions in pension funds were moved to the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), which is managed by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). Holomisa said that although these workers had raised their concerns with the GEPF and PIC, they had not been attended to. With limited resources, some of the remaining workers had taken the matter to court, while others had since died. Responding to Holomisa’s concerns on Thursday, Ramaphosa announced that the issue of former TBVC workers would be handled by a panel to be formed by the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana. “I have asked this task team to provide a report on this matter and I have also asked the minister of finance to set a team to look into the issue of pensions for civil servants from the TBVC states. So, that work is going to get under way and I would like to thank General Holomisa for having raised this matter,” Ramaphosa indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sihle Mavuso at IOL Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Government intensifying efforts to implement NHI, Ramaphosa tells MPs EWN reports that government is said to be intensifying efforts geared at implementing South Africa's national health insurance (NHI) scheme. This was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his response on Thursday to the debate on his state of the nation address. The president stressed that access to quality healthcare was key to improving the quality of lives of all South Africans. "We are committed to the provision of quality healthcare for all regardless of their ability to pay. We will therefore progressively implement the national health insurance, the NHI, as soon as the necessary legislation is approved by this Parliament," Ramaphosa stated. He advised that the government was preparing for the NHI's rollout through the national quality improvement plan. "We are improving the quality of care in our clinics, through the ideal clinic programme, using the capabilities of the electronic vaccination record system that we developed for Covid-19," the president indicated. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Kevin Brandt at EWN
MISA employee accused of corruption in Digital Vibes case says department didn’t 'stress' about side hustles News24 reports that according to Lizeka Tonjeni, who is on trial in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria for allegedly accepting a R160,000 bribe, there was no culture of making formal financial disclosures at the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA). She worked at MISA, which awarded a tender to the controversial Digital Vibes communications company in 2018. Tonjeni has pleaded not guilty, alleging that the money she received was from selling healthcare products. While giving her evidence on Thursday, Tonjeni explained why she never formally disclosed that she was making money outside the workplace by selling healthcare products. Tonjeni's version was that there was an informal disclosure to the CEO because she had sold products to his wife. She testified that the government department did not stress about making such disclosures because they were in the habit of selling things to each other at MISA. Tonjeni claimed this was the norm at the department and she also referenced how the CEO had bought a suit for the CFO, without knowing whether or not that side business had been declared. She added that the "side hustles" were no secret. It was understood that disclosures were only needed when you worked at a state department, and were conducting business with the government, that a conflict of interest might arise. The State previously led evidence that Tonjeni had made no formal disclosure of remunerative work she conducted outside the workplace. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley at News24
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