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.
Former Eskom chair tells inquiry that Gigaba overruled board’s appointment in 2014 of white acting CEO as it was an election year
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Fin24 reports that former Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba overruled the Eskom board's appointment of an acting CEO in 2014 because the candidate was white and it was a general election year
Gunmen posing as parents rob KZN school and shoot teacher, leaving him in a serious condition
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Daily News reports that armed robbers posing as parents wanting to register a child at Buhlebethu Primary School in Inanda robbed teachers in the staff room and shot another while they were fleeing.
Herman Mashaba to help Lily Mine families fight to retrieve bodies of loved ones
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The Star writers that former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has found the perfect project to pursue as he launches his new political party.
SANDF major heads to Equality Court despite withdrawal of headscarf charge
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Cape Times reports that legal representatives for SA National Defence Force (SANDF) officer Major Fatima Isaacs will be taking her headscarf matter to the Equality Court, despite the case having been withdrawn on Wednesday.
Latest report shows improvement in corruption index, but SA still has serious problems
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Engineering News reports that, despite its score advancing a notch in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), from 43 to 44, South Africa still ranks among countries that are deemed to have a serious corruption problem.
Uasa scores major victory against Implats over leave day credits forcibly deducted during 2014 Amcu strike
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Business Report writes that the United Association of SA (Uasa) scored a major victory when the Labour Court ruled against Impala Platinum (Implats) in respect of an unlawful deduction of workers' leave days during the five-month platinum belt strike in 2014.
Solidarity calls on government to intervene in lay-offs at Samancor Chrome
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Business Report writes that trade union Solidarity has called on the government to step in to avert the possible axing of more than 3,000 employees at Samancor Chrome.
Union federations will resist SOE job cuts
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The Star reports that the government’s plan to restructure state-owned entities (SOEs) could be met with resistance by trade unions.
New Eskom CEO André de Ruyter will have to play it smart with labour
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Financial Mail reports that labour analyst Mamokgethi Molopyane says the new CEO of Eskom, André de Ruyter, is stepping into a minefield and, while organised labour has been subdued in recent months as the operational crisis at the utility escalated, as tough reform looms it is likely to spring into action.
Old Mutual confident legal challenges won’t derail appointment of new CEO, with vacancy soon to be advertised
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BL Premium reports that Old Mutual is confident that any further legal challenges from its ousted CEO Peter Moyo won’t derail its attempts to appoint a new leader and put the eight-month dispute behind it.
Government and the ANC opt to restructure SAA while retaining it as a national carrier
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BL Premium reports that the government, backed by the ANC, has chosen to restructure SAA and retain it as a national airline.
CWU to take fight against Telkom retrenchments to the ANC’s door
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BusinessLive reports that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has lashed out at the ANC, characterising the governing party as a “pig that eats its own children”, for its silence over Telkom’s job cut plans.
Cosatu condemns employers for allegedly forcing workers to report for duty in volatile QwaQwa
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News24 reports that the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the Free State has condemned employers for allegedly forcing their workers to report for duty in the volatile Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality in QwaQwa.
Telkom starts retrenchment consultations with unions
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Engineering News reports that telecommunications group Telkom on Wednesday kicked off a consultation process with organised labour that could see up to 3,000 workers retrenched.
Charges withdrawn against Muslim major in SANDF headscarf case
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News24 reports that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has withdrawn charges against Muslim major Fatima Isaacs who refused to remove her headscarf.
Transnet says there’s no conflict with Gordhan over appointment of new CEO
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BusinessLive reports that the Transnet board says there is no conflict between itself and public enterprise minister Pravin Gordhan in regard to the appointment of a new CEO.
Eskom in crisis but can be fixed, says new CEO André de Ruyter
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BL Premium writes that Eskom’s new CEO André de Ruyter has nailed his colours to the mast of improving the power utility’s operational performance in the short term and expects to present a plan to its board by the end of January.
Consumer inflation ticked up to 4% in December, while average for 2019 was 4.1%
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BusinessLive reports that in line with expectations, the consumer price index (CPI) ticked up to 4% in December, partly due to food and fuel price increases.
Two more attacks on paramedics in Cape Town in past few days
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Cape Times reports that more paramedics have been left traumatised after two more attacks on them while they were helping patients.
Solidarity calls for urgent re-evaluation of economic policies so as to avert job losses
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Business Report writes that trade unions have called on the government to urgently review its economic policies amid a jobs bloodbath that has seen mining and manufacturing companies announce plans to retrench over 5,000 employees.
NUM requests Ramaphosa to intervene as violence escalates at Richards Bay mine
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BusinessLive reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Monday that President Cyril Ramaphosa and minerals & energy minister Gwede Mantashe should directly intervene and defuse ongoing tensions and violence at the beleaguered Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) mine.
SANDF seeking 1,000 new recruits, who will receive a salary during two year training period
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Business Insider SA reports that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is looking for a thousand new recruits to join its ranks in the navy, army or air force.
January salary payments at Necsa hang in the balance
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Fin24 reports that the Nuclear Energy Corporation of SA (Necsa) acknowledged on Monday that its ability to pay salaries to employees at the end of January was at doubt.
As Treasury struggles to raise funds to keep SAA aloft, 19 domestic and international flights cancelled
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Traveller24 reports that with Treasury struggling to raise the necessary funds to keep South African Airways (SAA) aloft, travellers were being advised on Tuesday that as many as 19 SAA flights have been removed from the Airline Global Distribution Systems.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Monday, 20 January 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, 20 January 2020.
SAA says flights operating normally after bailout talks with Treasury stall
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Reuters reports that South African Airways (SAA) said on Monday that its flights to all destinations were operating normally, after talks over the weekend on a bailout plan for the state carrier ended with no solution.
‘State’s treatment of skilled foreigners hard to understand’
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In a letter to the editor of Business Day, Michael Bagraim, MP and Democratic Alliance (DA) deputy shadow employment and labour minister, writes that whenever we read about our most educated citizens leaving the country we lament that the flight of skills will leave the country worse off.
SANParks ranger fired over ‘malicious’ social media posts, not for ‘cover-up’ allegations about drownings
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News24 reports that SA National Parks (SANParks) has denied that it fired an employee for alleging that mismanagement of a dam in the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) had led drownings.
Six years, suspended, for drunk motorist who rammed into roadblock, killing two JMPD officers
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TimesLIVE reports that families and colleagues of police officers who died after a drunk driver rammed into a roadblock are not satisfied with the sentencing handed down at the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Monday.
EFF fails at CCMA to find common ground with former employee
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City Press reports that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has failed at the first hurdle to find conciliation between the EFF and its former employee Frans James.