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.
Action needed to help mineworkers affected by state capture, says Gwede Mantashe
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe has called for urgent action to resolve the problems facing victims of state capture, particularly at the Optimum and Koornfontein coal mines.
Bitter infighting rocks Fawu following suspension of general secretary
- Details
Independent News reports that the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) has been shaken by infighting following the suspension of its general secretary, Katishi Masemola, over the writing off of R19.2million in one of the union’s investment companies.
Cape Town train arsonist suspect to undergo 30 days of psychiatric assessment
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that the alleged train arsonist who made a confession in court last week appeared quietly in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Nursing Council and health and higher education departments must align to resolve nursing training crisis, says Solidarity
- Details
ANA reports that trade union Solidarity’s Occupational Guild for Nursing on Thursday said it was vitally important that the Department of Health, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the SA Nursing Council (SANC) all get aligned with each other to resolve the current training crisis.
Guards set to down tools over missing provident fund money
- Details
SowetanLive reports that Reshebile Aviation and Protection Services is scrambling to keep 400 security guards from downing tools after the company failed to pay their provident funds following a determination made by the Pension Fund Adjudicator (PFA).
Traffic officers want RTMC to grant them same pay as new appointees
- Details
SowetanLive reports that eighteen traffic officers have hauled their employer to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) for unfair discrimination after it hired new officers and paid them higher salaries.
Outcry over racial divide in pay at Mulbarton Primary School
- Details
The Star writes that alleged racism in Gauteng schools has reared its ugly head again with accusations that white and Indian staff at Joburg's Mulbarton Primary School were paid up to twice as much as their black colleagues, regardless of qualifications or experience.
Sibanye-Stillwater ordered to temporarily shut platinum mine after miners trapped
- Details
Bloomberg reports that Sibanye-Stillwater has been ordered to shut down the shaft at its Rustenburg platinum mine where 1,800 workers were trapped for as long as 10 hours on Tuesday due to an accident with an underground transport system.
Lack of skilled artisans hurting job creation and economic growth
- Details
The Citizen writes that while SA’s unemployment rate of 27.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018 reflected a figure of 6.14 million jobless people, lack of skilled artisans has been singled out by experts as a major barrier to job creation and economic growth.
SA women have benefitted more than men in post-apartheid job market
- Details
Bloomberg reports that South African women have benefited more than men from changes in the labour market and education opportunities since the end of apartheid.
Business blames intransigence of unions on Eskom salaries and unbundling for weak economy
- Details
BusinessLive reports that as SA’s growth outlook threatens to stutter once again in 2019, business has called labour to task for its alleged role in holding the economy back.
Waste-pickers march on Thursday against Pikitup and City of Johannesburg
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that frustrated waste-collectors were scheduled to march against Pikitup and the City of Johannesburg on Thursday to demand clarity on their futures.
On Thursday morning, eThekwini municipal workers again shut down Durban CBD
- Details
Daily News reports that municipal workers in several key functions shut down parts of the Durban city centre on Thursday as their anger over salary hikes given to Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) veterans showed no signs of abating.
Amcu 'positive' after meeting with labour department over threat of deregistration
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) indicated on Tuesday that it was positive after its meeting with the registrar of labour relations where they "made it clear" that they were in "total compliance" with the union’s constitution.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 2 May 2019
- Details
In our morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared since
Tuesday, 30 April 2019.
National minimum wage not a living wage, but a milestone towards it, Mabuza tells May Day rally
- Details
News24 reports that speaking at a May Day rally held in Mbombela on Wednesday, Deputy President David Mabuza said the ANC believed the national minimum wage (NMW) was not a living wage but a significant milestone towards it.
Cosatu’s Zingiswa Losi calls for action against mining firms who violate safety standards
- Details
EWN reports that Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Zingiswa Losi has appealed to the government to revoke licenses of mining companies that are not safety compliant.
Mantashe officially hands over 50% shareholding of Arnot mine to former Exxaro employees
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe on Wednesday officially handed over a 50% shareholding held by mining company Exxaro in the Arnot coal mine, in Middleburg, Mpumalanga, to former Arnot Coal employees.
Ramaphosa thanks Cosatu for national minimum wage, vows to fight for effective implementation
- Details
News24 reports that speaking on Wednesday in Durban, where the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) hosted its national Workers Day rally, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa thanked the labour federation for its hand in the formulation of a national minimum wage.
Transnet lets contract of acting CEO Tau Morwe lapse, acting CFO Mohammed Mahomedy to take over
- Details
BusinessLive reports that Transnet has decided not to extend the contract of acting CEO Tau Morwe, the state-owned logistics company announced on Wednesday.
Joburg mayor welcomes over 900 security guards as insourcing programme expands
- Details
News24 reports that City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba and a number of his mayoral committee members celebrated Workers Day by welcoming 939 security guards into the council's ranks.
SABC appoints IT specialist Dr Craig van Rooyen as acting COO to replace fired Chris Maroleng
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that Craig van Rooyen, a technology operations specialist with previous experience at Telkom and Vodacom, has been appointed as the new acting chief operations officer (COO) at the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
Mining must both prepare for the 4th Industrial Revolution and also transform, says Mantashe
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has warned that the SA mining industry must carry out skills development to prepare itself and its employees for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Sibanye-Stillwater says miners never trapped at platinum shaft, kept underground for safety
- Details
EWN reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater insists that 1,800 miners who were reportedly stuck underground were never trapped but only kept in a shaft for safety reasons.
Cyril Ramaphosa woos workers at May Day rally
- Details
BusinessLive reports that with a week to go before the country’s 8 May general election, President Cyril Ramaphosa took advantage of Cosatu’s main May Day rally in KwaZulu-Natal to woo voters.
No forced retrenchments at South32’s Hillside smelter
- Details
BusinessLive reports that retrenchments at South32’s Hillside smelter will be avoided as an estimated 400 employees have opted for voluntary separation and early retirement packages.
Angry eThekwini workers trash Durban CBD on Tuesday over MK vets salary increases
- Details
Daily News reports that staff employed by Durban Solid Waste (DSW) overturned bins and strew litter on the streets of Durban as they made their way to the city hall on Tuesday morning.
Sibanye-Stillwater safely returns 1,800 platinum miners to the surface
- Details
BusinessLive reports that Sibanye-Stillwater indicated on Wednesday that it had safely returned 1,800 miners to surface at its Thembelani platinum mine after the shaft was closed due to an accident.
NUM calls for reskilling of Eskom workers to equip them for clean-energy jobs
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called for greater attention to be given to the reskilling of Eskom workers “so that they can be absorbed” into clean-energy technology work opportunities.
Employee of Harmony Gold killed in fall-of-ground incident at Doornkop mine
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that Harmony Gold indicated on Tuesday that a fall-of-ground incident at its Doornkop mine, near Johannesburg, had claimed the life of an employee.