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.
Employers turning to private primary healthcare plans in lieu of long-awaited NHI
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BusinessLive reports that some employers are not waiting for the elusive National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme to improve the health of their workers, absenteeism levels and productivity.
Community healthcare workers barricade Joburg roads, demanding permanent employment
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Sunday Independent reports that about 500 community healthcare workers who are contractual employees of the Gauteng Department of Health (DoH) blocked Johannesburg city streets, demanding that the health MEC should address them and accept a memorandum of their demands.
CCTV footage used to nab suspect linked to Cape Town train blaze on Sunday
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News24 reports that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the fire that damaged 12 train carriages at Cape Town station on Sunday.
Correctional services workers’ union has had enough of attacks on warders
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SowetanLive reports that the SA Correctional Services Workers Union (Sacoswu) has called on government to do more in order to stop attacks on prison warders across the country.
Drive to recruit specialists pays off with Limpopo’s first open heart surgery in 23 years
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Sowetan reports that the first open heart surgery to be performed in Limpopo in 23 years signifies that a drive by the provincial health department to hire more specialists is paying off.
Sinister force at work to reverse ANC government’s gains, Nzimande claims after Cape Town train arson
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News24 reports that transport minister Blade Nzimande has blamed the recent burning of two Metrorail trains at Cape Town Station on a relentless force determined to reverse gains that the ANC government has made.
Two SANDF helicopter crash pilots recovering well
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Pretoria News reports that the two SA National Defence Force (SANDF) pilots injured on Thursday in a helicopter crash near the R101, close to the Zwartkop Golf Estate, are making a speedy recovery.
Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold strike is over, but thousands face retrenchment
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The Sunday Independent writes that Sibanye-Stillwater’s SA gold operations, battered by a five-month strike by Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) members, might have to lay off nearly 7,000 workers in a restructuring.
No plan for a ‘just transition’ as coal jobs go extinct in SA
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Mail & Guardian writes that about 60,000 jobs could be lost in the coal sector if SA takes its goal of cutting down on carbon emissions seriously.
Comair’s talks with Numsa on Saturday deadlocked again
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ANA reports that airline Comair indicated over the weekend that its operations were set to continue after talks with the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) again deadlocked on Saturday.
Amplats CEO Chris Griffith “not losing sleep” over wage talks, thinks Amcu is facing existential questions
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Miningmx writes that Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater, might be hoping that a peace pact that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) signed ahead of the return to work of its members at the firm’s gold mines – where a five-month strike was recently ended – will be carried over (at least in spirit) when his company sits down to wage talks in the platinum group metal (PGM) sector from next month.
How Amcu’s Joseph Mathunjwa ‘won’ a lost war over wages
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City Press reports that despite settling on similar terms to rival unions at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (Amcu’s) Joseph Mathunjwa has insisted that their protracted wage strike was more about combating legacy than counting costs.
Kopanong municipality accused of pension theft for failing to pay over R58m to fund
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Sowetan reports that the Free State’s Kopanong local municipality has failed to pay an estimated R58m in pension fund contributions collected from municipal workers over the past six years to the workers’ pension fund.
KZN surgeon remains in limbo, despite reinstatement after suspension
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Sunday Tribune reports that ten months after he was fired from his job, Ngwelezana Hospital’s head of surgery returned to work last week, but there was no place for him.
Train coaches worth R33m destroyed on Sunday in Cape Town station blaze
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TimesLIVE reports that two train sets that were burnt to ashes at Cape Town station on Sunday were worth an estimated R33m.
Former staff of Khanyi Dhlomo’s Ndalo Media shocked that deductions not paid over to pension fund
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SowetanLive reports that more than 70 employees were retrenched in January at Ndalo Media when owner Khanyi Dhlomo decided to shut down the publisher that housed magazines such as Destiny, Destiny Man and Elle.
Durban cop killed while checking up on parked car with flicking hazards
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News24 reports that a Durban police constable was shot dead on Sunday afternoon while approaching a parked vehicle with its hazard lights on.
Electioneering in KZN, Ramaphosa promises to ‘light a torch’ under indolent public servants
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BusinessLive reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday promised to come down hard on government officials who were failing to provide services to communities.
Mantashe, Oliphant welcome end to Sibanye-Stillwater gold strike
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Mining Weekly reports that Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant have welcomed the end of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (Amcu’s) five-month strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations.
Comair gets interdict against Numsa’s Easter strike
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BusinessLive reports that Comair, which operates British Airways (BA) in SA and low-cost carrier Kulula, announced on Thursday that it had won a temporary interdict against a planned strike by some of its ground crew.
Comair takes to the labour court in attempt to halt Numsa's Easter strike
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TimesLIVE reports that Comair said on Wednesday it would be heading to the Labour Court to try to stop certain of its employees from downing tools ahead of the Easter rush.
Public Servants Association calls for urgent action against fraud at Sassa
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ANA reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) said on Wednesday it was concerned that employees at the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) could be scapegoats for unscrupulous activities.
Unions want 'persecution' of president of policing union Mpho Kwinika ended
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Pretoria News reports that the SA Policing Union (Sapu) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) have vowed to keep coming to the doorstep of the Sunnyside police until the ‘politically motivated’ persecution of Sapu president Mpho Kwinika has ended.
NUM members on wage strike at PPC Cement in Pretoria
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ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Wednesday confirmed a protected strike by workers at the cement producing company PPC at Hercules in Pretoria over wage increases.
Protesters from Mpumalanga demonstrate at Eskom headquarters demanding jobs, coal supply contracts
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TimesLIVE reports that a group of protesters from Mpumalanga forced Eskom to close the main entrance to its headquarters in Sunninghill, Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
We will keep customers flying high over Easter weekend despite looming strike, Comair claims
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Fin24 reports that Comair’s Wrenelle Stander said on Wednesday that the airline would have contingency plans in place to prevent a strike by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA from grounding passengers this coming Easter weekend.
Commuters and activists occupy Prasa’s Cape Town offices over poor state of commuter rail system
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GroundUp reports that about 80 people occupied the ground floor of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) Cape Town office on Wednesday demanding that Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande fix the commuter rail system.
Strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines over with Amcu ageeing to same deal other unions signed in November
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BusinessLive reports that Sibanye-Stillwater said on Wednesday that the five-month strike by members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) at its gold mines has ended.
Senior JMPD officials release full details of grievances with police chief Tembe after cancellation of hearing
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Eyewitness News reports that sixty-eight senior Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers who were not given an explanation for the cancellation of a grievance hearing between them and JMPD chief David Tembe, have now resorted to releasing the full details of their allegations.
Police launch manhunt after Mpumalanga colonel assassinated in his driveway
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News24 reports that a police colonel was shot and killed in his driveway in Witbank on Tuesday evening.