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.
Prasa places Western Cape regional manager Richard Walker on paid leave
- Details
Fin24 reports that the regional manager for the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) in the Western Cape, Richard Walker, has been placed on paid leave "while the organisation attends to the numerous challenges in the region."
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 11 February 2020
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Tuesday, 11 February 2020.
Film and television industry wary of proposed changes to work status
- Details
BusinessLive reports that persons engaged in the film and television industry are worried that proposed legislation to recognise them as employees and not contractors will make SA less attractive as a film location.
ICT skills shortages threaten South Africa’s 4IR progress
- Details
Engineering News reports that according to the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA), skills shortages will be the single biggest challenge facing the SA information and communication technology (ICT) sector over the next ten years.
State Theatre opens criminal case against employees for theft of millions of rand
- Details
The Star reports that the State Theatre has opened a criminal case with the police against some of its employees after they allegedly defrauded the organisation of millions of rand.
Samwu reeling after 'theft' of R3.5m from Christmas Club funds
- Details
The Star reports that the alleged theft of a R3.5million that was meant for year-end Christmas cheer has rocked the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu).
Parent disappointed at hiring of sex accused teacher
- Details
Cape Times reports that a parent has expressed her disappointment that the Fellowship College in Melkbosstrand allegedly hired a music teacher while he was involved in sexual assault court proceedings relating to several young boys.
Cosatu urges speedy amendment of National Minimum Wage Act to prevent abuse by employers
- Details
BusinessLive reports that union federation Cosatu has appealed to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to urgently adopt proposed amendments to the National Minimum Wage Act to prevent abuse by employers.
Unemployment rate in fourth quarter 2019 flat at 29.1%
- Details
Engineering News reports that SA’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 29.1% in the quarter ended 31 December 2019.
Heavily armed gang rob a cash-in-transit van and shoots driver in the face
- Details
The Star reports that on Monday evening near Kempton Park, a gang of heavily armed men pushed a cash-in-transit (CIT) van off the road, forced it open with explosives and shot the driver before fleeing from the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.
‘City of Cape Town quick to discipline lower-level staff’, says Samwu
- Details
Cape Argus reports that the City of Cape Town has disciplined 380 staff members and dismissed 115 of them for various transgressions in the past financial year.
SAA pilots hope airline will be saved, but if that fails, there's always the Middle East to find a job
- Details
Fin24 reports that Captain Grant Back, chairperson of the SAA Pilots' Association (Saap), said on Monday that if it took job cuts to make South African Airways (SAA) sustainable, the state-owned airline's pilots could find alternative opportunities in a region like the Middle East, where there was a huge demand for pilots.
Unions threaten to take legal action or to down tools to stop 3,000 retrenchments at Telkom
- Details
Business Report writes that the SA Workers Union (Sacu) and the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which are in an alliance, have threaten to either take legal action or down tools against Telkom in a bid to prevent the retrenchment of 3,000 employees.
Numsa and SA Cabin Crew Association file urgent court application to block SAA job cuts
- Details
Fin24 reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) on Tuesday filed a joint urgent application at the Johannesburg Labour Court to stop the business rescue practitioners of South African Airways (SAA) from taking any steps to cuts jobs until they have complied with the provisions of the Labour Relations Act.
Numsa’s wage strike at Hisense Atlantis ends
- Details
Fin24 reports that operations at the Hisense Atlantis consumer electronics and home appliance plant near Cape Town have resumed after management reached an agreement with striking members of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa).
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Monday, 10 February 2020
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Monday, 10 February 2020.
Numsa rejects Telkom's reasoning behind proposal to cut 3,000 jobs
- Details
EWN reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has rejected Telkom's reasons for planning to retrench 3,000 of its employees.
Cosatu wants workers to have R104bn equity stake in Eskom
- Details
Bloomberg reports that labour federation Cosatu said it wanted the R104 billion of Eskom’s debt held by the state pension fund manager to be converted into equity owned by workers.
BNP Paribas calls for caution on Cosatu’s Eskom bailout plan, because ultimately the debt will still rest with the state
- Details
BusinessLive reports that according to global bank BNP Paribas, Cosatu’s debt rescue plan for Eskom, which has already received support from the public enterprises ministry and the president, should be broached with caution as it was likely to amount to little more than an added “contingent liability by stealth” on the state’s finances.
Samwu set to challenge Ekurhuleni’s sacking of 40 waste removal workers who allegedly went on rampage
- Details
SowetanLive reports that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) plans to challenge the City of Ekurhuleni for its decision to fire 40 of its members in the waste removal department.
Health department’s Civitas building in Pretoria is ‘unsafe’ and ‘unhealthy’
- Details
City Press writes that the health department, which claims to be ready to roll out one of the most far-reaching and expensive health initiatives in the history of SA, appears unable to provide a “healthy” working environment for its own personnel.
Jobs Fund has allocated its full disbursement of R9 billion on 153 projects
- Details
Business Report writes that the Jobs Fund, launched by the government in 2011 through a R9 billion disbursement, had allocated the full amount on 153 projects by the end of September last year.
Woman suffers 'almost complete amputation' of leg in tractor accident at Pretoria nursery
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that a critically injured 58-year-old woman had to be airlifted to hospital after her clothing got caught in the propshaft of a tractor she was driving at a nursery in Pretoria.
Crisis-hit Post Office suspends new CEO Lindiwe Kwele after just four months in the job
- Details
BL Premium reports that the SA Post Office (Sapo) has suspended its CEO, Lindiwe Kwele, after just four months into the job. Sapo, which lost more than R1bn in the last financial year, is one of several state-owned entities that has had to rely on government bailouts to stay afloat.
Audio recording at Sace meeting reveals alleged Sadtu plot to crush rival union
- Details
City Press reports that the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) is allegedly using its dominance at the SA Council for Educators (Sace) to crush a smaller rival union formed by its former president, Thobile Ntola.
Samancor denies pending layoffs connected to Amcu lawsuit over alleged fraud and profit-shifting
- Details
Sunday Times Business Times reports that Samancor Chrome is in the crosshairs of labour unions again over the possible retrenchment of more than 3,000 workers, even while as it faces allegations of fraud and profit-shifting.
NHI public hearings set to come to an end soon
- Details
The Sunday Independent reports that the public hearings into the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme are reaching the last leg.
Four arrested for assaulting EMPD officers in Daveyton over request to produce driver’s license
- Details
News24 reports that four men who were filmed allegedly assaulting Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officers in Daveyton on Friday afternoon have been arrested.
Roundup on Monday, 10 February 2020 of weekend labour reports
- Details
In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 7 February 2020.
Municipal union Samwu marches to demand that Tshwane City urgently gets its house in order
- Details
Saturday Citizen reports that Tshwane municipal workers have given Tshwane City until month-end to get its house in order and put an end to the “constant collapse” of council meetings.