In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related reports.
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Salga and municipal trade unions sign 'historic' five-year wage deal Fin24 reports that the SA Local Government Association (Salga), which represents SA's 257 municipalities, last week signed a five-year wage deal with the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu). The "historic" deal will see a 6% wage increase in the current financial year. The consumer price inflation (CPI)-linked agreement followed "intense negotiations" in July and August. The final breakthrough came on 15 August when the "facilitators issued a proposal that all parties accepted as a fair compromise". The agreement, effective from 1 July 2024, remains in force until 30 June 2029. Key features include employees receiving a 6% salary increase in the 2024-2025 financial year, with 4.5% effective from 1 July and an additional 1.5% from 1 March 2025. The 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 financial years will see salary increases set at CPI plus 0.75%, with increases pegged at CPI plus 1.25% in the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 financial years. Salga also introduced a revamped exemption process, using a set of financial distress indicators from the National Treasury to assist struggling municipalities. Samwu said the agreement would "directly impact" 300,000 municipal workers and their families and represented "stability, consistency and long-term benefits for municipal workers across the country." Samwu said that as part of the agreement, employees earning R22,000 per month or less who did not receive any form of housing allowance would benefit from a once-off payment of R2,000 in the first year of the agreement, "acknowledging the urgent need for housing support for low-income workers". Imatu’s Johan Koen said they had given a firm commitment to engage with Salga on methods to optimise productivity in the sector over the next five years. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Nick Wilson at Fin24 (registration required). Read too, Salga signs five-year wage deal with municipal unions, at BusinessLive Imatu warns municipalities not to abuse exemption process to renegotiate recent wage deal BL Premium reports that the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) has urged municipalities to not abuse an exemption clause in the recently signed wage deal and has promised to oppose any frivolous applications by councils to be exempted from the terms of the agreement. The SA Local Government Association (Salga), Imatu and the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) signed a five-year wage deal on Friday that will give SA’s estimated 300,000 municipal workers wage increases of 6% in the first year and consumer price inflation (CPI) linked increases over the next four years. As required in terms of the Labour Relations Act as well as the constitution of the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (Salgbc), the wage agreement contains an exemption procedure for municipalities that cannot afford the increases. Imatu’s Johan Koen explained that parties to the bargaining council had, from this year, introduced a new mediation process for exemptions. “Once an exemption application is received, the SA Local Governing Bargaining Council must appoint a mediator who must attempt to resolve the application by mediation within 30-days, unless the parties agree to a longer period. If mediation fails, the exemption application must be heard and determined by the arbitrator, assisted by the financial expert within 30 days,” he advised. Koen went on to warn: “Imatu will oppose exemption applications should we find, after we have examined the financial statements, that the municipality can in fact afford the increases. However, we have noted that some municipalities who are not happy with the terms of the agreement have in the past used exemptions as a means to effectively renegotiate the agreement.” He urged municipalities to only apply for exemption if they genuinely could not afford the increases. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Eastern Cape councillor accused of acid attack on Great Kei municipal official News24 reports that a Great Kei Municipality official has alleged that a councillor poured acid on his legs after an altercation in Komga, Eastern Cape, last week. The official, Zipho Buso, claimed that the ANC's Ward 7 councillor, Zola Tshali, celebrated his 46th birthday last Wednesday and, during the event, a quarrel allegedly broke out. Tshali then allegedly poured acid on Buso's legs, leaving him in "severe pain". The official was taken to the nearby Komga Hospital, where he was treated and discharged on the same day. According to Buso, 49, he has not been able to return to work due to his injuries. “I went to the councillor's birthday on invitation by him. I am so hurt and disappointed by his [alleged] actions. I will open a criminal case after getting the doctor's report on Wednesday," Buso indicated. The municipality said it was aware of the allegations, but it had not opened a criminal case. Municipal spokesperson Akhona Shumane-Cakata said they would be working with the local police to uncover more facts, “which could lead to disciplinary action being instituted against the perpetrator." The DA said it had lodged a complaint with the ethics committee and added: "The alleged actions of the councillor raise concerns about the safety and security of community members in the ward under his leadership.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sithandiwe Velaphi at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Premier Group goes to court to end long-running Mister Sweet wage strike GroundUp reports that an urgent application to stop workers from striking at the Mister Sweet factory in Germiston was filed by the Premier Group at the Johannesburg Labour Court on Wednesday last week. The giant company also asked the court to interdict workers from colluding with third parties to engage in any act of intimidation or violence against workers who were not participating in the strike, which has been ongoing since 19 August. Simunye Workers Forum, which represents the majority of the workers, intends to oppose the application, which will be heard on Tuesday. The workers are asking for the salaries of lowest paid workers be doubled from R6,000 to R12,000 per month, with R7 per hour increases for higher-paid workers. The company has apparently not budged from a 7% wage increase offer during negotiations over the past weeks. Meanwhile, 23 organisations from six provinces released a statement on 6 September in solidarity with the striking workers, and called for a boycott of Mister Sweet products. In the statement, the organisations, involved in housing, law, and labour, stated: “The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity’s Household Affordability Index for August 2024 puts the cost of a basic food basket a month at R5,227.14. With just R6,000, workers must struggle to pay for food, transport, healthcare, education, and everything else. The wages that the Mister Sweet bosses pay the workers condemn them to poverty”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kimberly Mutandiro at GroundUp
Homeowner whose room was used by illegal miners as entrance to Khuseleka mine appeared in court on Monday TimesLIVE reports that Nthabiseng Tsimane, a 65-year-old North West homeowner who allegedly allowed a group of “illegal miners” to use a bedroom in her house as an entrance to the nearby Khuseleka mine shaft, appeared in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s court on Monday. Tshepang Evans Kgasago, 31, appeared with her. “Their case was postponed until September 16 for a bail application,” police said in a statement, adding that they were remanded in custody. The two were arrested in the early hours of Thursday at the Nkandla informal settlement near Khuseleka 1 mine. Eight more suspects were arrested at the weekend for alleged illegal mining. On Monday afternoon, the case of the other eight suspects was still in progress. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE
Over 6,200 foreign nationals are employed in government departments The Citizen reports that the number of foreign nationals employed by the SA government has been advised in response to a parliamentary questions. Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi answered questions on the matter posed by ActionSA’s Dr Tebogo Letlape. According to Buthelezi’s written response on 4 September, there were 6,220 foreign nationals in the government’s employ as of 31 July 2024. However, the Minister highlighted that the figure represented a minuscule percentage of the government labour force. An estimated 1.2 million people were employed directly by the state, making the foreign complement just 0.5% of the overall staff. The 6,220 foreigners included temporary employees appointed for specific functions, with the appropriate permit having been granted. The stats provided by PERSAL did not reflect the levels of education held by the foreign nationals, but they did indicate the portfolios that have been benefiting from the imported workforce. Health and education were the portfolios with the highest number of foreign representatives. This split was evident in all nine provinces, with health and education making up at least 60% of all foreign appointees. Overall, Gauteng’s administration had the highest concentration of foreign national employees with 1,705. Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal were second and third with 653 and 647, respectively. The statistics excluded the Ministry of Defence and the State Security Agency. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jarryd Westerdale at The Citizen
Steenhuisen to discuss vet shortages with officials Mail & Guardian reports that Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen will be meeting with agriculture officials and others in the veterinary sector to address the shortages of veterinarians (vets) in SA. It was recently reported that vets were leaving the country by the hundreds annually, resulting in a shortage that the sector was struggling to plug. This has been felt particularly in rural regions. In a statement, Steenhuisen said the agriculture department was making a “firm commitment to ensuring the working conditions of animal health practitioners are improved in South Africa.” He added that the shortage had a far-reaching implications for animal health, biosecurity and food security, while acknowledging that veterinarians did not have enough resources, medicines and remuneration. SA is well below the international norm in terms of the ratio of veterinarians per population. In its statement on Monday, the agriculture department advised that SA has 4,000 registered veterinarians. A 2022 survey from the SA Veterinary Association showed that the majority of vets leaving the country were younger than 25. Reasons for the exodus included safety, economic concerns, career growth, the working environment and the regulation of veterinary services. On Monday, Steenhuisen said he was aware of the gravity of the situation, given that veterinarians played a crucial role in safeguarding the agricultural sector. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Aarti Bhana at Mail & Guardian
Extortionists target people queuing in Nelson Mandela Bay for unemployment insurance benefits HeraldLive reports that jobless Nelson Mandela Bay residents waiting for Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) payouts are being charged up to R80 to secure a spot in long queues at Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) offices in the city. They claim “unscrupulous” individuals place rocks, bags and bricks in the lines and extort money from them for the spots. Eastern Cape DEL spokesperson Ziphozihle Klaas-Josefu said a security officer had allegedly been linked to extortion attempts. She also confirmed that there was a backlog in the processing of claims and advised that in order to address the backlog, DEL offices would open on Saturdays from 14 September. Journalist Bulelwa Payi, who was retrenched in November, said the backlog had left her in the lurch. She added that it was disappointing that people trying to unblock funds were instead confronted by criminals. “It is a dog-eat-dog world outside the offices with people selling spots in the line for about R80 each. Those who want to be attended to first pay the money, sometimes only to be told the system is down once they get inside,” Payi stated. Charmaine Arries, who visited the Govan Mbeki branch, lamented: “The queues are almost 400m long. It looks like Shoprite on pay day. You have to be there by 4.30am to be assisted early.” On the extortion incidents, Klaas-Josefu said: “A case was reported in October about a security officer who is an employee of the department who was allegedly involved in such activities. The matter was investigated and concluded by the department’s anti-corruption unit and is with employee relations internally for disciplinary processes.” A decision from the National Prosecuting Authority on whether it will take the matter to court is awaited. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brandon Nel at TimesLIVE
Two-pot withdrawals to expose employers who don’t pay over pension contributions to administrators SowetanLive reports that as ‘two-pot’ claims mounted in the first week of the new retirement savings system, the Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) sounded the alarm on companies that did not pay over employee contributions to administrators. Pension fund administrators have reported a surge of requests for withdrawals from workers, with some fund managers reporting unprecedented numbers that have affected their systems. The two-pot system allows workers to withdraw once a year from their provident and pension funds. However, over the years companies have come under fire for shortchanging their employees by deducting pension contributions from their salaries and not handing those deducted amounts over to administrators. Security firms, retailers, municipalities, a church and a renowned fashion designer were among the more than 3,000 employers exposed by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority for not paying pension funds last year. Some have failed to do so for 21 years. PFA Muvhango Lukhaimane indicated: “Normally, workers would find out their pension fund balances during retirement, resignation or retrenchment. With the two-pot system they can access their pension once yearly at any time. This will expose employers who have not been paying the pension to the administrators. That process will be brought forward and we encourage workers to check their pension balances and come to us if they find discrepancies.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lindile Sifile at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Durban University of Technology vice-chancellor fights in court against his suspension TimesLIVE reports that Prof Thandwa Mthembu, vice-chancellor and principal of the Durban University of Technology (DUT) has applied for an order in the Durban High Court to interdict the university’s executive council from suspending him. The decision by the executive council to suspend Mthembu was communicated to him last Thursday. It is in relation to Project DUT 355, the university’s project to construct its new engineering building and lecture halls at Indumiso Campus and the construction of a student centre, multipurpose halls and a parking garage at Steve Biko Campus. A forensic investigation was instituted last year to look into the delays in the implementation of the project. The forensic report recommended that Mthembu be suspended and disciplined. However, the university obtained three legal opinions which stated that the findings and recommendations were irrational, unjustifiable and illegal. Despite these opinions, a suspension letter was sent to Mthembu on 5 September. The council said the suspension was to allow the university to investigate possible charges of, among other things, gross negligence, substandard work performance, dereliction of duties, possible misappropriation of funds and causing the institution financial losses relating to the project. Mthembu, in an urgent application filed on Monday, is also seeking an order interdicting the executive committee from instituting disciplinary action against him. The application will be heard on 18 September. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE
Hawks swoop on Wonderfontein weighbridge master for overloading extortion TimesLIVE reports that a Mpumalanga weighbridge master is set to appear in court after the Hawks arrested him for corruption. The 48-year-old man was apprehended at Wonderfontein weighbridge at about 7am on Saturday. Hawks spokesperson Capt Dineo Sekgotodi said the suspect allegedly demanded R6,000 from a truck driver and threatened him with arrest for overloading if he did not comply. Sekgotodi said the driver phoned the truck owner and explained what had happened. He went on to report: “The truck owner asked to talk to the scale master and afterwards he transferred R5,000 into the driver's FNB account and told him to show the scale master the transfer. The weighbridge official ordered the driver to go to withdraw the money at the Puma garage. He could only withdraw R3,000.00. He had R1,000 in his possession and it was also demanded. The driver took a photograph of the money and handed the R4,000 to the scale master. He was further instructed to transfer R2,500.00 through EFT.” The incident was reported to the Hawks' serious commercial crime team in Middelburg. A team went to the weighbridge and the scale master was interviewed and searched. An amount of R6,490.00 was recovered. The suspect was arrested, charged and detained, pending his first court appearance. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anda Mankayi at TimesLIVE
Metrobus in Joburg goes cashless from 1 October TimesLIVE reports that Johannesburg’s Metrobus service will transition to a cashless system on 1 October. All fares will have to be paid digitally by purchasing a tag, and cash payments will no longer be accepted for any services, according to Metrobus executive manager of corporate strategy and business support, Tshepho Nathan. The old cards expire on 30 November. “As Metrobus continues its push towards a digital future, the changes represent a significant advancement in providing a modern and user-friendly transit experience. The cashless environment is designed to enhance safety and efficiency by eliminating cash handling, protecting bus operators and commuters from the risks associated with carrying and processing cash, including theft, loss and hygiene concerns,” Nathan explained. The transition will lower the cost of purchasing Metrobus smart tags, making them more affordable and accessible for commuters. New cards will be available for purchase from 27 September at R35 for new passengers. The date also marks the discontinuation of the old cards and the last day for loading old cards held by passengers. The first 10,000 current passengers will receive a new registered card free of charge, with registration requiring an active mobile number for a one time pin. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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