Today's Labour News
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.
Government and unions working together on plan for new airline to replace SAA
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Bloomberg reports that the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and trade unions are working together on a business model for a new national carrier that will replace the embattled SA Airways (SAA).
Police national headquarters in Pretoria temporarily shut down due to positive Covid-19 case in HR department
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The Citizen reports that the SA Police Service’s national headquarters in Pretoria has been closed down temporarily after a member tested positive for Covid-19.
Racism allegations rock 'financially strained’ Pretoria Society of Advocates
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The Star reports that racism allegations have rocked the “financially strained”, 120-year-old Pretoria Society of Advocates (PSA), which faces accusations that mooted liquidation plans are aimed at ridding it of black practitioners.
Education portfolio committee to probe fitness of Sefako Makgatho University vice-chancellor over sexual harassment claims
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News24 reports that Parliament's Higher Education Portfolio Committee is to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the fitness of newly appointed vice-chancellor of Sefako Makgatho University, Professor Peter Mbati, who got the job despite allegations of sexual harassment hanging over his head.
Defence Minister says 'very few' soldiers infected with Covid-19
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News24 reports that according to Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, "very few" SA National Defence Force (SANDF) members have been infected with Covid-19, but she has declined to indicate how many.
Body of missing miner found underground in North West mine
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News24 reports that Harmony Gold confirmed on Wednesday that the body of a missing miner had been found underground at its Moab Khotsong mine near Orkney in the North West.
Patient admissions at Livingstone and Provincial hospitals in PE affected by linen shortages due to go-slow
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HeraldLIVE reports that a dispute between union members and management at the Livingstone and Provincial hospitals in Port Elizabeth has now trickled down to patients, with some having been turned away over the past few days.
DA calls for tourism sector to be immediately opened up to prevent devastation
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BusinessLive reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for the immediate easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on the tourism sector and for inter-provincial road travel to be allowed to prevent the decimation of the industry.
MultiChoice commits R50m to creating 500 jobs for the youth
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BusinessLive reports that on Wednesday MultiChoice advised that it has invested R50m to create 500 new jobs for young people.
Horizon for unbundling of Eskom into three entities shifted by at least two years
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BL Premium reports that power utility Eskom has pushed out the time frame for its unbundling by at least two years and no longer has a firm target date for the full legal establishment of the three subsidiaries the process will create.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 3 June 2020
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 3 June 2020.
Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party wants mines shut after increase in number of infected mineworkers
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The Star reports that the Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (SRWP) has raised concerns over the increased number of mineworkers who have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.
Taxi strike leaves desperate Mamelodi commuters high and dry
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SowetanLIVE reports that thousands of Mamelodi commuters are increasingly getting desperate for transport to work and back home amid a dispute which has seen taximen down tools.
Sadtu and Cosatu in Western Cape vow to lay criminal charges should staff, pupils get infected at schools
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News24 reports that the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) and Cosatu in the Western Cape vowed on Tuesday to keep education MEC Debbie Schäfer and the provincial head of education "personally accountable for any flouting of health and safety regulation in this province".
JMPD officer in serious condition following shootout in Turffontein on Tuesday evening
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News24 reports that a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer is in a serious, but stable, condition following a shootout in Turffontein on Tuesday evening.
SA Express staff in desperate plea to government for payment of outstanding salaries and severance packages
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Business Report writes that desperate SA Express workers on Tuesday pleaded with the government to pay them their three months of outstanding salaries and severance packages before the airline’s provisional liquidation was made final next week.
UIF working to dramatically increase its capacity to pay out conventional as well as Ters claims
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Financial Mail reports that after a rocky start, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is working hard to dramatically increase its capacity to pay out conventional unemployment benefits as well as temporary employer/employee relief scheme (Ters) claims.
SGB member at Pretoria high school tests positive for Covid-19 after inspecting school readiness
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TimesLIVE reports that amid preparations for the return of grade 12 pupils, a member of the school governing body (SGB) of Hillview High School in Pretoria might have unknowingly brought the coronavirus onto the school premises.
Mogale City workers still on go-slow, while council approves R100m overdraft to cover its financial shortfall
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Krugersdorp News reports that workers in Mogale City Local Municipality’s employ are still on a go-slow as seemingly negotiations between the municipality’s management and the workers’ unions have not proved fruitful.
East London medical doctor bust three times for sick note racket released on R3,000 bail
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News24 Wire reports that an East London medical doctor, who was arrested on Thursday for allegedly selling a sick note to an undercover Hawks agent, was released on R3,000 bail by the East London Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
North West school closed after principal tested positive for Covid-19
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TimesLIVE reports that a 56-year-old North West school principal tested positive for Covid-19 after feeling ill this week.
Retrenchment proceedings at Comair ongoing, with a slimmed down fleet envisaged in rescue plan
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BusinessLive reports that the business rescue practitioners (BRPs) for Comair, which operates Kulula.com and British Airways flights in SA, said on Tuesday that they were in talks with funders and that the company was unlikely to resume operations before November.
Public Service Commission clears acting CEO of Government Printing Works of corruption
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BusinessLive reports that the Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday said it found no evidence to support allegations of corruption against the acting CEO of the Government Printing Works (GPW), Alinah Fosi.
Unions call for Tygerberg Hospital to be shut down ‘to prevent a catastrophe’
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BusinessLive reports that more than 150 health care workers have tested positive for Covid-19 at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, according to the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa).
Pretoria High Court finds lockdown regulations invalid and unconstitutional, gives minister two weeks to comply
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BusinessLive reports that the government has been given just over two weeks to overhaul lockdown regulations put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus after the North Gauteng High Court found them to be unconstitutional and invalid.
Covid-19 relief fund payments should be a lot quicker this time around, Nxesi assures
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EWN reports that Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Thulas Nxesi on Tuesday advised that the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) was making steady progress on its promise to earnestly start capturing and processing many Covid-19 relief benefits applications.
Sanef report reveals that hundreds of SA journalists lost their jobs due to Covid-19 lockdown
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EWN reports that hundreds of journalists have been retrenched or temporarily laid-off as companies buckle under the pressure brought on by the national lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Police watchdog to investigate sex worker’s death in custody in Mowbray police station in April
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Cape Times reports that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) is investigating the death of a sex worker while in police custody at Mowbray police station in April.
Drakenstein Municipality has lost R800m in income and has shed 2,200 jobs due to lockdown
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Cape Argus reports that the Drakenstein Municipality has lost more than R800 million in income and 2,200 jobs as a result of the national Covid-19 lockdown.
Labour department concerned that only 55% of businesses are Covid-19 compliant
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EWN reports that the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) on Tuesday said that it was concerned that only 55% of SA businesses were complying with the health and safety regulations that aimed to keep workers safe from the Covid-19 virus.