This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Transnet workers give wage strike the nod, with last-ditch talks to be continued at CCMA on Thursday News24 Business reports that members of the United National Transport Union (Untu) have voted in favour of a wage strike at Transnet. According to the union, its 26 000 members, including port and rail workers, will embark on a strike if last-ditch wage talks with Transnet at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) fail. Both the union and the state logistics company have been meeting this week with the CCMA in an attempt to agree on wage increases. This after initial wage negotiations and subsequent disputes at the Transnet Bargaining Council fell through. The talks at the CCMA began last week and will conclude on 15 May. Untu spokesperson Antenkosi Plaatjies indicated: “In a display of the full force and power of collective bargaining, the majority of ballots cast by our members is in favour of taking to the streets to demand a wage increment that reflects the deepening economic crisis facing Transnet employees and job security, in the form of a non-retrenchment clause, which is the heart of the impasse. The clear and uncompromising message is that Untu members are willing to down tools.” She added that members had voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of a strike, but the union was still committed to talks at the CCMA and to resolving the ongoing dipsute. The union is expected to deliver a 48-hour strike notice to Transnet if the CCMA talks fail. Transnet responded: “Despite the vote in favour of an industrial action, we remain committed to resolving the wage dispute. Transnet’s immediate priority, should Untu continue with a strike, is to ensure business continuity and the safety of our employees and assets.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Na'ilah Ebrahim at News24 Business (subscription or trial registration required). Read too, Untu makes one last attempt to reach a wage deal with Transnet before major strike, at The Citizen UNEMPLOYMENT / JOB CREATION SA’s unemployment rate jumped to 32.9% in first quarter Bloomberg reports that SA’s unemployment rate rose more than expected in the first quarter of 2025 as the construction and trade sectors shed jobs. The jobless rate increased to 32.9% in the three months through March, compared with 31.9% in the prior quarter, according to data released by Statistics SA on Tuesday. With 8.2 million people unemployed, SA has one of the highest jobless rates globally, undermining government efforts to boost revenue, curb debt, and deliver on promises of faster growth and job creation. The economy expanded 0.6% last year, but manufacturing data for the first quarter indicate that the sector contracted in the period. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will present his latest plan to boost growth in his third iteration of the 2025 budget next Wednesday, after two previous versions were rejected by members of the coalition government because of proposals to increase value-added tax. He is expected to reprioritise spending to fund a R75 billion revenue shortfall. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Katlego Mtshali & S'thembile Cele at Moneyweb Global business services is a SA job sector that is actually growing The Citizen reports that notwithstanding the bad news about unemployment on Tuesday, there is good news about one sector that is contributing to jobs growth, namely the global business services sector. It boomed in 2024, creating thousands of jobs for local youths. According to the latest Business Process Enabling SA (BPESA) Global Business Services (GBS) Sector Job Creation Report, from January to December last year, the sector added 20,518 new international jobs. Youth jobs accounted for 92% of new hires in the third quarter and 90% for the full year of 2024. Reshni Singh, CEO of BPESA, noted that the global business services sector continued to surge, delivering significant job growth and boosting the country’s export revenue. “A key driver of this growth is impact sourcing, an initiative that actively recruits individuals from marginalised communities, offering life-changing employment to young South Africans from low-income backgrounds. These inclusive hires made up an impressive 42.8% of new jobs created for the quarter, helping individuals to secure stable careers while proudly representing South Africa’s talent on the global stage,” Singh pointed out. She went on to indicate: “Beyond job creation, the sector is prioritising skills development, with 26,876 workers trained between October and December 2024. BPESA is spearheading initiatives to reskill and upskill employees through career awareness programmes, leadership bootcamps and work-seeker support services, ensuring South African workers remain globally competitive.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen Government plans to boost SA’s tourism sector employment to 2.5 million by 2029 IOL Business reports that according to Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, the tourism sector could see a major boost in jobs, with a new government plan aiming to raise employment from 1.8 million to 2.5 million by 2029. Speaking at the official opening of the Africa Tourism Indaba 2025 at the Durban ICC on Tuesday, De Lille said there was a need for a breakthrough in achieving much higher growth in the tourism sector. According to Statistics SA, the tourism industry remains a key contributor to the economy, accounting for 3.3% of the country’s GDP. In 2024, arrivals reached 8.92 million, showing growth. However, despite these improvements, the sector has not yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, despite the introduction of an e-visa system which was launched several years ago to make it easier for tourists to visit SA. "The tourism economy of tomorrow is African, it is diverse, it is youthful, it is green, and it is digital, but we know that we cannot rest. We need to break through to a much higher growth in the tourism sector," De Lille said. She added: "We need a plan that we can implement immediately, which is why the Department of Tourism is finalising our five-year tourism growth partnership plan for the next five years." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mthobisi Nozulela at IOL Business Other internet posting(s) in this news category
JUST TRANSITION TIPS launches Just Transition Labour Centre to research, voice the needs of the working class Mining Weekly reports that Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), which is an independent, nonprofit economic research institution, has launched a Just Transition Labour Centre to help develop the technical expertise required as a result of SA’s transition to greater climate resiliency. The centre is being supported by the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), the Federation Unions of SA (Fedusa), the National Council of Trade Unions (Nactu) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu). According to Just Transition Labour Centre manager Matthew Grant, it is not obvious to anyone how to get through a just energy transition and that government, business and labour all have different ideas of what is “just”. Hence, the centre has been set up to support the general working class to have their voice heard and provide guidance to government and companies on the way forward. TIPS has appointed two dedicated researchers who will consult with federations, unions and workers, to provide research on the reskilling that will be required for new jobs as projects take shape. Additionally, TIPS has tasked a service provider to conduct research on the coal value chain, to best determine the needs of communities and take these demands to government. Grant emphasised that the just transition should protect jobs, create decent work and ensure social protection. TIPS will regularly discuss its research findings and forge alliances with other just transition centres globally. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly STAFFING DA wants immediate intervention over doctor shortage at Gqeberha’s Livingstone Hospital SABC News reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the Director-General of Health to immediately intervene in the doctor shortage issue at Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. According to the DA, since Monday the surgery department at the hospital has been shut for all outpatients. The party claimed that this followed the Eastern Cape Department of Health’s continued refusal to fill vacant doctor posts or provide adequate resources to frontline facilities. “This closure has massive implications for patients who depend on the state to provide them with medical services, the DA will continue to fight for critical doctor vacancies to be filled so that adequate healthcare services can resume. Failing that there has to be intervention at national level to stabilise healthcare services in this province,” DA Shadow MEC for health, Jane Powley indicated. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at SABC News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
SKILLS FUND PROBE SIU launches wide-ranging probe into National Skills Fund The Citizen reports that Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Nobuhle Pamela Nkabane has confirmed that there will be a sweeping investigation into the National Skills Fund (NSF). A presidential proclamation has authorised the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe the entity’s affairs. According to the department’s statement on Tuesday, the investigation empowers the SIU to look into allegations of “serious maladministration, improper or unlawful conduct by officials or employees of the NSF, and the possible mismanagement of funds allocated to the NSF”. The investigation will focus on procurement and contracting for the implementation of skills development programmes, training projects and the appointment of implementation agents for the projects listed in the proclamation. The proclamation details these projects, which span the period from 1 January 2013 to 28 March 2025. The probe will also cover the conduct of service providers, suppliers, and other stakeholders involved. Nkabane confirmed that a meeting between the SIU and NSF had already taken place. She added that she believed the investigation “will set the NSF on a new trajectory as it repositions itself as a catalytic change agent in our communities and the country at large”. Nkabane reaffirmed the NSF’s commitment to addressing SA’s skills gap and supporting the youth through targeted training initiatives. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Oratile Mashilo at The Citizen MINING SLPs Mining companies are breaking their Social and Labour Plan promises, but the state is doing nothing about it A three-year study by Mining Affected Communities in Action (MACUA) has found that 11 mining companies have failed to meet the promises they made to their communities. The report, titled “Looted Promises: the Crumbs Economy of Mining and the Myth of the Just Transition”, also finds that Parliament’s mining portfolio committee and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) have failed to hold mining companies accountable. Mining companies are obliged to submit Social and Labour Plans (SLPs) to the DMPR as part of their applications for mining rights. SLPs are valid for five years, in which they need to be implemented. The report studied the five-year SLPs submitted by 11 companies in Mpumalanga, North West, Free State, Northern Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal for the period up to 2024. In their plans, the 11 companies promised to spend R376.25-million on community projects, including roads and schools. But when MACUA visited the communities, it found that only R92-million in projects had been spent. Projects worth R284-million had not been completed. MACUA noted that collectively the companies had generated profits of R72-billion over the five-year SLP period, yet less than 1% of profit had been spent on SLP projects. Only six of the 11 companies had made their SLPs publicly available, and only two had provided SLPs in a locally spoken language. “This is not underperformance. It is developmental theft,” said MACUA in the report. MACUA has consistently reported its social audit findings to the DMPR, but the department has failed to initiate any investigations or impose penalties on mining companies. Read this report by Magnificent Mndebele, media and communications manager at MACUA-WAMUA Advice Office, at GroundUp. Read too, Macua says R284 million in social development funds missing from SA mining sites, at IOL Business Other internet posting(s) in this news category
FARMWORKERS MARCH March by women farmworkers in Cape Town for better labour inspections and an expedited UIF process GroundUp reports that some 200 women marched to the offices of the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) in Cape Town on Tuesday calling for better practices among labour inspectors when they visited farms and for stronger penalties to be issued to employers who broke labour laws. The marchers, led by the Women on Farms Project (WFP), also demanded that the DEL increase staff and improve access for farmworkers to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). Denile Samuel, WFP’s Labour Rights Programme Coordinator, said they were aware of several labour rights violations in the Cape Winelands, but their letters to the DEL have continuously been ignored. She said labour inspectors took “months and even years” to respond to their letters. She also claimed that when inspectors did visit farms, they only spoke to the farmers and not the affected workers. Outside the DEL’s offices, protesters handed over a memorandum demanding a meeting with Minister Nomakhosazana Meth. Among other issues, the protestors demanded that labour inspectors should directly engage with affected farm workers and an expedited UIF process for farm workers. David Esau, the DOL’s Western Cape Chief Inspector, spoke to some of the affected farm workers. He indicated that the department would be increasing staff to alleviate some of the issues with Project 20,000, an internship programme that would recruit 20,000 intern inspectors over 2025 and 2026. He said that over 1,700 of these inspectors would come to the Western Cape. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ashraf Hendricks at GroundUp NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE BHF to launch two more legal challenges against NHI Act BL Premium reports that one of SA’s key medical scheme industry associations is preparing to launch two further legal attacks on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act. The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has already taken aim at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to assent to the legislation, which he signed into law a year ago. It now plans to launch a Constitutional Court challenge to the public participation process undertaken by the government in developing the NHI Act and will separately challenge the constitutionality of its provisions in the High Court. The BHF’s members, which include the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), represent about half of SA’s medical scheme market. The BHF would make the case that government ignored valid concerns raised over the NHI bill and that the public hearings were “meaningless and flawed”, Werksmans director Helen Michael told delegates to the annual BHF conference in Cape Town on Wednesday. “Our preparations for this challenge are nearing completion and we expect to file papers shortly,” she advised. The case will include a report from FTI consulting MD Paula Armstrong that shows the NHI is “completely unaffordable”. Michael did not provide details of the second matter saying only that the BHF had obtained a report from Wits school of governance professor Alex van den Heever that showed that the Act would not achieve its aim of universal health coverage. The Act, which has yet to be brought into effect, sets in motion the ANC’s plan for universal health coverage and aims to provide all eligible patients with care that is free at the point of delivery. One of its most controversial proposals is contained in section 33, which prohibits medical schemes from covering benefits offered by NHI. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Redirecting medical scheme contributions of civil servants to NHI fund will require ‘careful management’ BL Premium reports that delegates to the annual Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) conference heard on Tuesday that redirecting the medical scheme contributions of public servants to the National Health Insurance (NHI) fund will need careful management as it will require changing their conditions of service. Any changes flighted by the government to the generous medical scheme benefits provided to civil servants are expected to run into stiff opposition, as they are a prominent feature in wage negotiations. The latest three-year wage agreement, for example, includes an increase to the medical scheme subsidy of medical price inflation plus 0.5%. The NHI process proposes shifting the employee contributions and employer subsidies for members of Polmed, Parmed and the Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems) into the NHI Fund, which will purchase health services for patients. Clinton Health Access Initiative adviser Vishal Brijlal pointed out that the support of key public sector unions, which have been vocal in their support of NHI, could assist the process of implementing the new system. SA’s biggest trade union federation, Cosatu, which is a member of the tripartite alliance and a staunch supporter of NHI, includes unions for teachers, nurses and the police. Polmed is restricted to members of the SA Police Service and their dependents, Parmed is reserved for MPs and judges, and Gems is available to state employees such as teachers, doctors and nurses. The state provides generous subsidies in respect of these funds. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) EMPLOYMENT EQUITY QUOTAS Labour department will defend employment equity law right up to top court, MPs told BL Premium reports that a Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) official told MPs on Wednesday that the department would defend the constitutionality of the Employment Equity Amendment Act right up to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) if it lost the case in the lower courts. The Act and its regulations impose employment equity targets for 18 economic sectors that have to be reached by the end of five years. The DA has argued in its Western Cape High Court challenge that the rigid targets amount to quotas, which are prohibited by the constitution, and it wants the Act to be declared unlawful and invalid. It is the DA’s argument that the law and its regulations fail to take into account the specific labour market dynamics faced by individual employers. But DEL Minister Nomakhosazana Meth insists they are necessary to achieve equality in the workplace. She maintains the employment equity targets are flexible and not rigid quotas and the law is fully constitutional. Acting DEL deputy director Thembinkosi Mkalipi told employment and labour committee MPs he was sure the DA would also take the matter to the ConCourt if it lost in the lower courts. “That is where the case will end up on both sides. We will fight to the end,” Mkalipi said, adding that the DEL was confident it had a good case. Sakeliga and the National Employers’ Association of SA (Neasa) have also vowed to legally challenge the Act. The DEL’s director for employment equity, Ntsoaki Mamashela, provided the employment equity data for 2024. This showed that white males still dominated the upper echelons of management while blacks were dominant in the lower semiskilled and unskilled categories. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) OTHER REPORTS OF INTEREST
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