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.
Union pressure leads to Zwide Clinic in Port Elizabeth closing after a nurse died and 11 staffers tested positive for Covid-19
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GroundUp reports that the Eastern Cape Department of Health has bowed to pressure by unions to shut down Zwide Clinic in Port Elizabeth.
Nearly 100 more prisoners in East London prison test positive for Covid-19
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TimesLIVE reports that nearly 100 inmates have tested positive for Covid-19 in the East London prison, bringing to 321 confirmed cases in the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), among both officials and prisoners.
Cosatu joins calls for government to ease Covid-19 lockdown down to level 3
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BusinessLive reports that Cosatu has called on the government to ease Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, saying the state cannot run the embattled economy on food parcels and relief benefits.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Monday, 11 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
Monday, 11 May 2020.
Trial walk-in sanitation tunnels launched at Bara Taxi Rank in effort to combat Covid-19
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News24 reports that the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport on Monday morning started piloting measures to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 at minibus taxi ranks by using walk-in sanitation tunnels.
JMPD denies reports that officers have to buy their own face masks
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TimesLIVE reports that the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has denied reports that its officers have been forced to buy their own face masks during the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.
With a Labour Court ruling halting retrenchments, SAA is continuing to operate repatriation and cargo flights
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ANA reports that SA Airways (SAA) will be continuing to operate repatriation and cargo flights for the rest of this month and beyond after the Labour Court on Friday ruled in favour of organised labour against planned retrenchments at the state-owned carrier.
Big spike in applications for large-scale retrenchments, says CCMA
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Business Report writes that the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has seen a spike of applications for large-scale retrenchments in terms of Section 189 of the Labour Relations during the national Covid-19 lockdown period.
Public servants’ wage increase battle still ongoing
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Sunday Independent reports that SA’s 1.3 million public servants are using different tactics to force the government to honour the parties 2018 wage deal, which if successful could see their pay increase by billions of rand.
Safa appoints its legal officer as acting CEO to replace Gay Mokoena who was asked by Danny Jordaan to leave
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BusinessLive reports that the SA Football Association (Safa) has appointed Tebogo Motlanthe as its acting CEO. The 39-year-old Motlanthe takes over from Gay Mokoena‚ who was asked to leave the position on 15 April by Safa president Danny Jordaan.
Calls mounting for a special government intervention to help keep the SA aviation industry afloat
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Business Times reports that Comair’s decision last week to go into business rescue sent shockwaves through the aviation industry because it has consistently delivered annual profits.
Plan to develop skills, learnerships for ex-offenders on parole
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Cape Argus reports that the SA Sentenced and Awaiting Trial Prisoners Organisation (Sasapo) has initiated a campaign to address skills development, learnerships and apprenticeships programmes for ex-offenders on parole.
Society of black engineers slams Eskom’s plan to re-hire retired engineers
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Business Report writes that Eskom's plans to consider recruiting a group of retired engineers to boost its capacity to maintain its ageing coal-fired power stations has angered black engineers.
Teacher unions order their members not to return to 'unsafe' schools
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The Star reports that school management teams stayed at home on Monday after the Department of Basic Education failed to deliver on measures to ensure the protection of teachers’ health in time.
Covid-19 lockdown could give private schools a caning
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Business Times reports that AdvTech, one of the biggest private education groups in SA with brands such as CrawfordSchools and Trinityhouse, says it is feeling the effects of the fallout from the Covid-19 lockdown.
Stats SA reinventing itself under lockdown with online surveys, showing how technology will be at centre front beyond Covid-19
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BusinessLive reports that Statistics SA is making use of online surveys during the Covid-19 lockdown in a bid to continue generating the data needed by the government.
Tough business workout ahead for gym owners and fitness professionals
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Business Times reports that gym owners and other fitness professionals, who are likely to be able to operate normally again under level 1 lockdown regulations, have increasingly moved their businesses online to stay afloat.
Roundup on Monday, 11 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, 8 May 2020.
‘We need level 2, fast’, Business for SA tells government
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Business Times reports that SA’s new private-sector umbrella group formed to fight Covid-19 has been in daily talks with the government over reopening the economy and is urging it to move quickly to lockdown level 2.
Plight of workers at famous Joburg restaurant gets worse as wages for March are unpaid
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SowetanLive reports that employees of a famous Italian restaurant in Maboneng are fuming after their employer failed to pay their March salary and is now allegedly ignoring their calls.
Companies accused by Nxesi of withholding UIF payments to employees
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SowetanLive reports that biscuit manufacturer Unibisco is the first company to be exposed as having allegedly failed to disburse money claimed from the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) to its employees.
Oppenheimer family helps to prevent collapse of horse racing industry
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BL Premium reports that SA’s largest horse racing group, Phumelela Gaming & Leisure, is to receive a cash injection from the Oppenheimer family.
SAA business rescue practitioners to appeal judgment stopping retrenchments
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BL Premium reports that the business rescue practitioners (BRPs) of SA Airways (SAA) are to appeal Friday’s judgment in which the Labour Court set aside retrenchment notices issued to employees on the grounds that these were procedurally unfair.
KZN premier warns that Kingsway, St Augustine's hospitals must follow strict conditions upon reopening on Monday
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News24 reports that KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Premier Sihle Zikalala has advised that, following recent temporary closures due to coronavirus cases, the Kingsway and St Augustine's private hospitals would be allowed to reopen under strict conditions.
Limpopo government spokesperson dismissed for 'leaking sensitive personal information' about premier to EFF
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News24 reports that Limpopo government spokesperson Phuti Seloba has been dismissed for "leaking sensitive information" about Premier Stan Mathabatha to an opposition party.
Correctional services department records 15 new cases in prison system
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News24 reports that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has recorded 15 new Covid-19 cases and the total in the prison system, inclusive of inmates and officials, was up to 213 as of Sunday.
SAPS joint operational committee in Tshwane self-isolating after member tests positive for Covid-19
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News24 reports that police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo advised on Saturday that members of the SA Police Service's Joint Operational Committee in Tshwane was in self-isolation after one member tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.
With some hairdressers ‘forced to break the law’, court application for re-opening of industry to be heard on 19 May
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News24 reports that hairdressers, many of whom are small business owners or self-employed, find themselves among the many service providers who have lost their incomes during the national coronavirus lockdown.
Western Cape education department advises principals, school managements to hold back from returning on Monday
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News24 reports that while the phased-in reopening of schools in the midst of Covid-19 remains provisional, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has advised principals and school management teams (SMT) to wait a few more days before returning this week.
Eight suspected zama zamas arrested near Giyani, Limpopo, while processing gold
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News24 reports that eight suspected illegal miners, known as zama zamas, have been arrested in Limpopo, following an investigation by the Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation).