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.
Eastern Cape slashes number of ambulances on road by almost half due to staff shortages
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News24 reports that staff shortages have forced the Eastern Cape Department of Health to almost halve the number of state ambulances on the road.
New Eskom CEO extends lifestyle audits to lower level staff
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City Press reports that Eskom’s new CEO, Andre de Ruyter, has extended lifestyle audits to lower level staff, in a renewed push to clean up graft and wastage.
Transport union Untu urges that the Railway Safety Regulator board be dissolved
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SowetanLive reports that a call has been made for transport minister Fikile Mbalula to dissolve the current board of the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) following a train collision that claimed the life of a passenger on the West Rand.
Job cuts of about 390 as Tongaat Hulett shuts Darnall sugar mill
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BL Premium reports that agri-processing company Tongaat Hulett could retrench about 390 employees at its SA sugar milling and refining operations.
Government to top-slice 1% off national budget for ambitious initiative to address crisis of youth unemployment
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BusinessLive reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an ambitious programme to address youth employment in his state of the nation address (Sona) in parliament on Thursday night.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 13 February 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, 13 February 2020.
Saftu, Amcu and others launch ‘rise up’ campaign as SoNA and national budget approach
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Engineering News reports that the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) said in a statement on Wednesday that SA found itself looking over a precipice as the economic malaise currently being experienced all but placed the nation at a point of no return.
Security guard shot in head in cash-in-transit (CIT) heist near Spruitview, Ekurhuleni
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EWN reports that on Thursday morning a security guard on Thursday morning was critically wounded after he was shot during a cash-in-transit (CIT) heist on the N3 highway in Spruitview, Ekurhuleni.
PIC confirms neither it nor GEPF has received proposals about using pensions to aid Eskom
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Engineering News reports that the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) on Thursday confirmed that neither it nor any of its clients, including the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), had been consulted about using the GEPF’s financial resources to help alleviate some of state-owned power utility Eskom’s debt.
Cape Town’s rail enforcement unit chalks up 238 arrests in first year, but fails to make a dent in arson attacks
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TimesLIVE reports that Cape Town’s rail enforcement unit arrested 238 people in its first year.
Three out of four deputy NPA chief positions still vacant
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BusinessLive reports that three of the most powerful positions in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have been vacant for months, with President Cyril Ramaphosa yet to appoint any new deputy national director of public prosecutions (NDPP).
Acting Post Office CEO suspended over whistle-blower’s allegations of conflicts of interest and irregular extensions of contracts
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BusinessLive reports that the SA Post Office (Sapo) has provided the reasons for the suspension of its acting group CEO, Lindiwe Kwele, saying it had received a whistle-blower’s report containing serious allegations including conflicts of interest and irregular extensions of contracts.
Eskom starts offering managers voluntary severance packages
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Bloomberg reports that debt-stricken power utility Eskom has begun a process of offering voluntary severance packages to managers. The board has allocated a budget of R400 million to the plan, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.
Fawu to refer SAB to Competition Commission over job cuts that 'contravene' AB InBev merger conditions
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BL Premium reports that the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) intends to file a complaint with the Competition Commission on Thursday to block plans of South African Breweries (SAB) to retrench hundreds of workers.
Higher chicken prices and jobs bloodbath will follow trade protection, association warns
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BL Premium reports that an organisation representing local meat importers and exporters warned on Wednesday that hiking tariffs on poultry imports from the US and Brazil would lead to further job losses in SA and an increase in chicken prices.
Cosatu calls for alternatives to its proposal on solving Eskom’s debt
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BL Premium reports that on Wednesday, union federation Cosatu called on workers and South Africans in general to submit proposals for solving the Eskom debt problem.
Educor, owner of Damelin and other colleges, to axe nearly half its workforce
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BL Premium reports that Educor, the owner of Damelin, City Varsity and Intec colleges, is planning to cut 752 people from its workforce, which would amount to almost half its permanent staff.
One killed, several injured after a passenger and a goods train collide in Roodepoort
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TimesLIVE reports that one person was killed and several others were injured when two trains collided near the Horizon View train station in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, on Wednesday evening.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 12 February 2020
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 12 February 2020.
Numsa threatens another strike if plans to cut jobs at SAA are not halted
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EWN reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says it could go on another strike at South African Airways (SAA) if retrenchments are not stopped.
Solidarity blames 'racial mathematics' for unemployment, poor economy
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ANA reports that trade union Solidarity said on Tuesday that the latest labour market figures were the result of the SA government's "fixation with racial mathematics when it comes to representivity”.
Nurses at Durban's Life Entabeni Hospital go on strike over backpay on salary increase
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Daily News reports that nurses at Life Entabeni Hospital in Durban embarked on a strike on Tuesday after failing to reach common ground with Life Healthcare regarding backpay.
Solidarity threatens litigation to stop pension fund bailout for Eskom
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BusinessLive reports that trade union Solidarity has threatened litigation should the government implement a controversial proposal to use pension fund money to bail out cash-strapped power utility Eskom.
South Africa's youth unemployment rate rises above 40%
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Business Report writes that approximately 8.2 million (40.1%) of SA’s 20.4 million young people aged 15 to 34 are not in employment, education or training of any sort.
Mangaung municipality in Free State fires five officials for illegally selling municipal land
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TimesLIVE reports that the Mangaung municipality has dismissed five municipal officials over allegations that they sold municipal land illegally to community members.
Harmony Gold decries violent attacks on gold plants
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Mining Weekly reports that Harmony Gold CEO Peter Steenkamp said on Tuesday that the spate of violent attacks on gold smelting plants were of great concern. There were reportedly 19 attacks on gold facilities last year in which two security personnel were murdered.
Rea Vaya buses back on roads in Soweto after police fired rubber bullets on Tuesday to disperse protesters
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TimesLIVE reports that police had to resort to firing rubber bullets to prevent protesting crowds from barricading several roads with burning tyres in Soweto on Tuesday.
Exxaro launches Arnot OpCo, with 50% ownership of the mine by former employees
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Mining Weekly reports that diversified miner Exxaro Resources on Tuesday officially launched Arnot OpCo, the consortium through which the Arnot coal mine in Middleburg, Mpumalanga, will be owned and managed.
Gold mining silicosis settlement agreement now effective following opt-out period
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Mining Weekly reports that the historic silicosis settlement reached between the Occupational Lung Disease Working Group and the Legal Resources Centre has become effective.
Cosatu puts brakes on its Eskom rescue plan as disquiet grows about using pension money for bailout
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BL Premium reports that trade union federation Cosatu has put the brakes on talks on a social compact to save Eskom as disquiet grows in organised labour about the implications of using pension fund money to pay down Eskom’s debt.