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.
Roundup on Monday, 25 May 2020 of weekend labour reports
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In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 22 May 2020.
Eastern Cape lifts suspension of five nurses who allegedly refused to attend to a Covid-19 patient without PPE
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BusinessLive reports that the Eastern Cape health department has lifted the suspension of five nurses for allegedly refusing to attend to a Covid-19 patient without personal protective equipment (PPE) at Grey Hospital in King William’s Town.
KZN premier confirms that teachers in the province will only report to schools on Thursday
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TimesLIVE reports that teachers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the province with the highest numbers of pupils in the country, will only return to school on Thursday.
Fears on the part of teachers and parents leave Angie Motshekga’s plans to open schools in chaos
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City Press reports that government’s plan to reopen schooling could be in jeopardy because of fears expressed by parents and teachers that schools across the country are not ready for the big step.
AngloGold temporarily shuts Mponeng mine after more than 160 test Covid-19 positive
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BusinessLive reports that AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) temporarily shut the world’s deepest gold mine after 164 employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
President Ramaphosa eases lockdown to open up large swathes of the economy
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BusinessLive reports that SA will further roll back restrictions to contain the Covid-19 pandemic from 1 June in a piecemeal exit from the lockdown that will allow the reopening of vast swathes of the economy.
Gauteng health MEC welcomes Cuban medical experts to fight Covid-19
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News24 reports that on Saturday, Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku welcomed 28 Cuban Medical Brigade doctors to the province, saying he hoped SA could learn from the experiences of the foreign experts.
Lockdown relief scheme payouts to employees tops R14-billion since 16 April
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Mail & Guardian reports that despite the difficulties the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) has faced regarding applications for the Covid-19 relief scheme, it has disbursed more than R14-billion since 16 April.
Mining companies say testing of each and every mine worker for Covid-19 is not feasible
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BL Premium reports that the Minerals Council SA (previously called the Chamber of Mines) said on Friday that testing each and every mine worker for Covid-19 was not feasible for SA’s mining industry.
Two more nurses die of Covid-19 in the Western Cape, bringing total to five
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TimesLIVE reports that two nurses died of Covid-19 complications in the Western Cape on Thursday, bringing the number of nurses in the province who have succumbed to the disease to five.
JMPD staff alleged that exposed officers returned to work while still awaiting Covid-19 test results
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TimesLIVE reports that Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) staff claimed on Friday that colleagues exposed to the coronavirus were not put into quarantine while awaiting test results – potentially endangering the public, police and soldiers at roadblocks.
TransUnion survey shows more job losses reported in first week of May than in similar period in April
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Fin24 reports that according to a survey carried out in the first week of May, more people reported losing their jobs after SA extended its lockdown in May.
Employee at SABC’s Sea Point office in Cape Town tests positive for Covid-19
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News24 reports that an employee at the SA Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC’s) Sea Point office in Cape Town has tested positive for Covid-19.
Eskom in a race against time to unbundle by ‘aggressive’ end-of-2021 deadline
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BL Premium reports that Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has described as “aggressive” the end-of-2021 deadline for completing the unbundling of the vertically integrated power utility.
Trade union Uasa blasts Denel for last-minute unilateral decision to not pay salaries in May, June and July
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Engineering News reports that Uasa announced on 21 May that it was “rejecting” the letter sent out by Denel’s CEO Danie du Toit in which he announced that the company would not be paying its employees for the next three months (May, June and July).
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 21 May 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
Thursday, 21 May 2020.
Twenty-one Eskom employees have caught Covid-19, but load shedding risk now dramatically down because of the lockdown
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The Citizen reports that Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter confirmed on Thursday that 21 of the company’s employees and contractors had tested positive for Covid-19 cases in the Western Cape.
If submitted correctly, UIF-Ters benefit is paid out in 24 hours
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Moneyweb reports that the government-initiated Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) is now paying out a day or two after the lodging of a successful claim. Ters provides emergency relief for employers to claim benefits on behalf of their employees during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Gazetted Covid-19 guideline for mining restates much of what industry has already adopted
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Mining Weekly writes that the newly gazetted guideline to prevent, mitigate and manage the Covid-19 pandemic on mines is largely a restatement of what has already been adopted by the mining industry.
More are losing their jobs due to Covid-19 lockdown, says TransUnion
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BusinessLive reports that according to TransUnion, considered SA’s largest credit bureau, many people are losing their jobs or experiencing a reduction in work hours as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown.
Solidarity members at ArcelorMittal show up for work in protest against lockdown regulations that prevent work
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Solidarity reports that its members showed up for work at ArcelorMittal in Vanderbijlpark on Thursday in protest against the lockdown regulations that have prevented hundreds of thousands of people from working.
Case opened against striking staff members at Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital in Gauteng
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The Citizen reports that the Gauteng Department of Health has expressed its dismay at the actions of a group of staff members at the Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital who briefly disrupted services on Tuesday.
Mpumalanga clinic in Nkomazi temporarily closed after positive Covid-19 test
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Lowvelder reports that the Mpumalanga Department of Health has announced that Driekoppies Clinic in Nkomazi has been temporarily closed.
Gauteng labour officials in isolation after occupational health and safety inspector tested positive for Covid-19
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The Star reports that Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) officials are self-isolating after an occupational health and safety inspector at their provincial office in Gauteng tested positive for Covid-19.
Survey of principals by teacher unions shows schools won't be ready on 1 June
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TimesLIVE reports that a survey by unions representing teachers has found that the country is not ready to resume teaching on 1 June.
Migrants and those without IDs face hunger in South Africa
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Reuters writes that South Africa has marshalled huge resources towards preventing its poor from starving due to the Covid-19 lockdown, but according to aid workers undocumented citizens and stranded migrants face hunger because they slip through the net.
NUM concerned about rising positive Covid-19 cases in mines and how Eskom is treating cases
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Mining Weekly reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is concerned about the rising number of Covid-19-positive cases in the mining industry, especially in Limpopo, and at power utility Eskom's operations.
Two employees at Harmony’s Kalgold mine in North West test positive for Covid-19
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Mining Weekly reports that two employees at Harmony Gold Mining Company’s Kalgold gold mine, in the North West, have tested positive for Covid-19.
Western Cape starts rationing Covid-19 tests to prioritise high-risk groups such as health-care workers
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BusinessLive reports that it emerged on Wednesday that the Western Cape health department is changing its Covid-19 testing strategy, and will now prioritise high-risk groups such as health-care workers and people in old age homes.
Revenue manager at Ntabankulu municipality in Eastern Cape allegedly stole R90,000 from the municipal kitty
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News24 reports that a senior manager in the Ntabankulu Municipality in the Eastern Cape is facing a charge of theft after she allegedly stole R90,000 from the municipal kitty.