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.
With a deep recession on the cards, unemployment could reach 36.5% by end of the year, IDC warns
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TimesLIVE reports that on Wednesday the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) indicated that it anticipated a jobs bloodbath that would result in an unemployment rate of 36.5% by the end of the year.
Labour department Inspections reveal two in five workplaces flout health, safety rules
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TimesLIVE reports that inspections have revealed that many companies and organisations allowed to operate during level 4 of the lockdown are not complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Inanda police station north of Durban temporarily closed after officer tests positive for Covid-19
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TimesLIVE reports that the Inanda police station, north of Durban, was closed on Tuesday after a female sergeant tested positive for Covid-19.
Nedbank survey shows over half of small businesses have temporarily reduced staff through paid or unpaid leave, while 26.8% have cut jobs
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BusinessLive reports that a survey done on behalf of Nedbank shows that almost 65% of small businesses had no turnover during the first five weeks of the national Covid-19 lockdown.
CIPC sees increase in business rescue applications due to Covid-19
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Moneyweb reports that according to Rory Voller of the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), companies across the board have felt the disruption that Covid-19 has had on trading conditions.
Domestic workers want to be declared to be UIF contributors so they can access Covid-19 relief benefits
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BusinessLive reports that domestic workers have called on the government to declare them contributors to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) so that they can access the Covid-19 relief benefits that the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) is disbursing.
Unions deny having agreed to basic education department’s plan to reopen schools
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BusinessLive reports that unions organising in the education sector have denied claims by Department of Basic Education (DBE) Minister Angie Motshekga that a plan regarding the reopening of school has been agreed on by stakeholders.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 13 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
Wednesday, 13 May 2020.
Solidarity wants employers to pressurise government to amend lockdown restrictions
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ANA reports that trade union Solidarity on Wednesday advised that it had sent letters to more than 10,000 players in the SA economy asking each to pressurise government into revising its Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
NUM ‘highly disturbed’ after Anglo’s Mogalakwena mine allegedly kept Covid-19 case secret
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The Citizen reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in Limpopo said it was “highly disturbed and extremely shocked” to learn that the mine which registered the first case of Covid-19 during lockdown kept quiet about the matter.
SA nurses on front line of Covid-19 fight honoured on International Nurses Day
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Cape Argus reports that nurses on the front line of the Covid-19 fight were honoured on Tuesday as part of International Nurses Day. Nehawu commemorated the occasion and held a virtual address for all workers, and for nurses in particular, amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
SACE halts disciplinary proceedings against teachers due to Covid-19 lockdown
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News24 Wire reports that the Covid-19 pandemic has put a halt to the SA Council for Educators’ (SACE’s) disciplinary procedures against teachers.
'Nxesi’s proposal of quotas limiting employment of foreign nationals in some sectors is misguided'
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In its Wednesday editorial, Business Day notes that plans are afoot to introduce quotas for South Africans in certain sectors of the economy where foreign employees dominate.
Economic carnage spurring National Command Council to consider easing lockdown restrictions
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Bloomberg reports that SA’s National Command Council, the body overseeing the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis, is considering easing lockdown rules more rapidly as the economy tanks and poverty levels soar. This is according to three senior officials with knowledge of the talks.
Wife of acting commander of Middelburg police station taken by Covid-19 says he was a dedicated man who lived for his family
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TimesLIVE reports that the acting commander of Middelburg police station in the Eastern Cape, Captain Andrew Leslie, was felled by Covid-19 on Monday evening.
‘Significant’ improvement to functioning UIF’s Ters relief scheme, but some challenges remain
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Moneyweb reports that several issues with the application and processing of the government-initiated Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Ters), but many challenges remain.
DMRE invites comment on Covid-19 guidelines for mining sector
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Mining Weekly reports that on 11 May the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) published for public comment a guideline relating to the compilation of a mandatory code of practice for the mitigation and management of Covid-19 in the mining sector.
SA’s economy is past tipping point, laments Sibanye-Stillwater’s CEO Neal Froneman
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BL Premium reports that according to Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater, an apparent lack of co-ordination at cabinet level and no decisive, urgent leadership on restarting the SA economy were leading to irreparable harm.
Govt. launches R100bn Covid-19 loan guarantee scheme to help SMBs pay operating expendes such as salaries and rent
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BusinessLive reports that the government’s Covid-19 loan guarantee scheme, which is aimed at helping businesses battered by the pandemic fallout, has gone live.
Nehawu calls for the overhaul of the SA Nursing Council, saying it’s a stumbling block to transformation of the profession
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BusinessLive reports that the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has called for the overhaul of the SA Nursing Council (SANC), saying it has become a stumbling block to the transformation of the nursing profession.
CCMA faces a deluge of retrenchment applications, which will likely be just the tip of the iceberg, says Nxesi
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BusinessLive reports that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has been inundated with applications for the retrenchment of workers as the national Covid-19 lockdown takes its toll on businesses.
Many domestic workers not covered by Covid-19 relief measures; unions propose amnesty for all employers not registered with UIF
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GroundUp writes that according to Statistics SA, there are over one million domestic workers in SA, but many will be excluded from the Covid-19 Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters).
SA battling with overcrowded classes, yet nearly 1,400 public schools were shut down over past 10 years
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The Star reports that nearly 1,400 public schools were closed in SA over the past 10 years. The country had 24,453 public schools in 2010, but the number has now declined to 23,076, showing a loss of 1,377 schools in 10 years for a country that is battling serious overcrowding in many schools.
Government and some public sector unions talk about new wage increase offer
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BL Premium reports that talks between the government and public sector trade unions on the dispute over wages recommenced last week with the government putting a new offer on the table.
SAA fails to pay over to Sars income tax deducted from staff salaries
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ANA reports that South African Airways (SAA) has not paid over the income tax the company deducted from its employees to the SA Revenue Service (Sars).
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 12 May 2020
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Tuesday, 12 May 2020.
Former Gautrain IT technician gets 10 years behind bars for using spyware to steal millions
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News24 reports that the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday sentenced a former IT technician, Obakeng Israel Busang, who had been contracted to the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), to an effective 10 years behind bars for the unlawful installation of spyware on GMA laptop and desktop computers.
Lockdown delinquent charged with attempted murder for trying to run over Cape Town traffic cop
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TimesLIVE reports that a 37-year-old Cape Town man refusing to let his freedom of movement be curbed by lockdown regulations has been charged with attempted murder after nearly running over a traffic cop.
Chairperson of Council for Medical Schemes dies of Covid-19 complications
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News24 reports that the chairperson of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), Dr Clarence Mini, has died from Covid-19 complications. This was confirmed by the CMS on Tuesday, with the permission of the family.
Cape Town could shed 90,000 tourism jobs over six months due to Covid-19 crisis
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BusinessLive reports that more than 90,000 jobs in Cape Town’s tourism sector could be wiped out over six months as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be felt.