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.
Year-old sexual harassment allegations are part of effort to discredit me, says Vavi
- Details
IOL News reports that general secretary of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) Zwelinzima Vavi continues to insist there is a “political agenda” against him. This comes amid fresh sexual harassment allegations against him.
Cosatu demands civil service skills audit to determine costs of corruption and bloated management
- Details
Business Report writes that newly elected Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi has called on the government to conduct a thorough skills audit in the civil service to determine how much corruption and bloated management has cost the economy.
South African’s dilemma is low-skill, low-wage jobs or fewer jobs
- Details
City Press reports that according to the Centre for Development and Enterprise’s (CDE’s) Ann Bernstein, South Africa faces either getting rid of the minimum wage and other policies or facing worsening unemployment.
Cape Town man gets hefty 15-year jail sentence for railway cable theft
- Details
ANA reports that a 33-year-old man will spend 15 years behind bars after being convicted of stealing overhead railway cables near the Heideveld train station in Cape Town.
Wits denies professor’s claims about process inadequacies in sex probe
- Details
The Saturday Star reports that the Gender Equity Office (GEO) at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) has hit back at Professor Ivor Chipkin’s claims that the sexual harassment probe against him did not afford him enough time to respond.
Vavi 'sexual advances' allegation settled as a 'misunderstanding', says Saftu
- Details
News24 reports that the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) said in a statement on Friday that an allegation of unwanted sexual advances which a Numsa employee levelled against its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has been settled as a misunderstanding.
Denel fails to pay senior staff in full in September due to ‘liquidity challenges’
- Details
Reuters reports that state-owned arms manufacturer Denel did not pay senior staff their salaries in full in September, the company confirmed on Friday.
Cosatu warns this week’s Jobs Summit could be 'damp squib'
- Details
Fin24 reports that just days before the National Jobs Summit, Cosatu has cautioned that the event could turn into a talk shop and complained that the government and business have sent junior delegations to preparatory meetings.
Labour department flouting its own health, safety regulations at offices in Durban building
- Details
Sunday Tribune writes that the Department of Labour (DOL) has zero tolerance for companies which do not comply with the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and Regulations, but has been accused of being in contravention of its own rules and failing to comply with legislation.
Metrorail commuter services in KZN to be restored on Monday
- Details
Sunday Tribune reports that Metrorail services in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are expected to be operational from Monday after a shutdown last week.
Vavi warned after sexual harassment complaint by Numsa staff member
- Details
SowetanLive reports that trade union leader Zwelinzima Vavi has allegedly been caught up in a new sex scandal involving an employee, which resulted in him getting a warning.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 27 September 2018
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Thursday, 27 September 2018.
Having hit rock bottom, Cosatu hopes things can only get better, but isn’t preparing for the changing world of work
- Details
In a comprehensive analysis, Amy Musgrave writes that labour federation Cosatu has come out of its 13th national congress emboldened by the idea that things can only get better and at some level this is true.
Employees, communities to get 10% free stake under new mining charter
- Details
Reuters reports that Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe unveiled a new mining charter on Thursday, a crucial step to attracting further investment to a sector laid low by depressed prices, soaring costs and murky policy.
SA's abysmal unemployment numbers will shape next week’s jobs summit
- Details
BusinessLive writes that the significant decline in the number of employed South Africans is set to influence proceedings at next week’s jobs summit significantly.
Amcu, NUM granted certificates of nonresolution in wage talks with Sibanye-Stillwater
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that the CCMA has granted certificates of nonresolution of a dispute to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in respect of gold wage negotiations with Sibanye-Stillwater.
Cape Town firefighters stage picket on Wednesday for fair working conditions
- Details
News24 reports that firefighters at 30 stations across Cape Town held a lunchtime picket on Wednesday over their working conditions, including the lack of danger pay, promotion obstacles and the decreasing rate of pay for 24-hour shifts.
Public sector wage hikes lead to large increase in average take-home pay in August
- Details
Fin24 reports that backdated salary payments in the public sector in August continued to spur the increase in BankservAfrica’s (BSA’s) Take-home Pay Index.
No agreement yet in gold mining wage negotiations
- Details
ANA reports that wage negotiations in the gold mining sector between three gold producers and four trade unions have yet to yield results.
No let-up in SA’s bleeding of jobs
- Details
Business Report writes that SA’s troubled economy continues to bleed jobs, with the battered manufacturing sector letting go of 13,000 workers in the second quarter of the year.
Four prison officials arrested for assisting in foiled escape by Boksburg prisoner
- Details
Timeslive reports that four prison officials have been arrested for helping an inmate from the Boksburg Correctional Centre make an escape‚ the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said on Wednesday.
JMPD officer stable after accidentally shooting herself following high speed chase
- Details
Timeslive reports that a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer is in a stable condition after she accidentally shot herself following a high speed chase after a criminal.
Health employees in Civitas building refusing to go to work, saying they fear for their lives
- Details
BusinessLive reports that while the Department of Health is fighting trade unions in court over the safety of the Civitas building that house its headquarters in Pretoria, its officials admitted to the worrying state of the building months ago.
Police take disciplinary steps against officer over gun on parliamentary precinct used for suicide
- Details
News24 reports that a police officer faces disciplinary proceedings after a parliamentary official committed suicide on the legislature's precinct two weeks ago – an incident which has raised security concerns at the national key point.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 26 September 2018
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 26 September 2018.
Job axe at SABC to fall across the board
- Details
BusinessLive reports that the looming retrenchments at the cash-strapped SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will affect all occupational levels, including senior management, parliament heard on Tuesday.
Proposed Companies Act amendments will see executive pay disclosure
- Details
BusinessLive reports that the pay for prescribed officers of companies — typically executives who are in a position to influence management of the enterprise — will have to be disclosed in the audited annual financial statements if proposed amendments to the Companies Act become law.
If we don’t get financial help, we won’t be able to pay November salaries‚ warns SABC chair
- Details
Timeslive reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) needs urgent financial help otherwise it may not be able to pay salaries in November – a situation which has already hit independent producers.
Mantashe to unpack finalised Mining Charter on Thursday
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe will on Thursday morning brief members of the media on the finalised version of the Mining Charter.
SA lost 69,000 jobs in second quarter of 2018
- Details
Fin24 reports that employment in SA's non-agricultural formal sector dropped by 69,000 between March and June 2018, Statistics SA announced on Wednesday in its latest Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) bulletin.