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.
Roundup on Monday, 30 July 2018 of weekend labour reports
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In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 27 July 2018.
Curtain call for Cosatu’s Sdumo Dlamini in September
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City Press reports that Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini will hang up his fighting gloves after 10 years in the ring, paving the way for the possible election for the first time of a woman as his successor.
Cape Town rail transport 'situation' the worst in the country, Nzimande laments
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News24 reports that Transport Minister Blade Nzimande said on Friday that Cape Town’s rail transport "situation" was the worst in the country.
Big job cuts on the way for Eskom, with extent to be revealed in September
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Sunday Times reports that Eskom chairman Jabu Mabuza said last week that it was unsustainable for the power utility to have to borrow money in order to repay the money it already owed funders and that it was working on a plan to restructure itself.
More officials arrested for fraud in Ekurhuleni licensing department clean-up
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News24 reports that in a blitz to clean up fraud and corruption at Ekurhuleni licensing departments, four more officials were arrested in Germiston on Friday, bringing the arrest tally to 13 in the last two weeks.
SA’s wind industry calls for standard metrics for measuring employment in energy sector
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Engineering News reports that the SA wind industry has called for a standardised metric to determine employment in the energy sector.
Hefty executive bonuses costly for Eskom
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The Sunday Independent reports that Eskom suffered huge losses and incurred irregular expenditure of billions of rand at the same time the power utility paid former bosses Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko millions of rand in salaries and bonuses.
Untu announces Gautrain strike from Monday morning, contingency plan released
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Timeslive reports that wage negotiations between the United National Transport Union (Untu) and Bombela, the Gautrain operating company, deadlocked over the weekend.
Transport minister meets with MEC as more commuter trains blaze in Cape Town
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BusinessLive reports that Transport Minister Blade Nzimande "cleared his schedule" to visit Cape Town on Friday after the latest in a series of commuter train fires.
‘Artisans don’t do less important jobs, and SA needs more of them’
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BusinessLIve reports that the sentiment expressed by Gauteng infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo‚ speaking alongside Deputy Minister of Higher Education Buti Manamela on Thursday, was that SA needed more artisans.
Unions and parties seek to steer PIC probe, while Solidarity takes court action to get information
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BusinessLive reports that several trade union and political groups launched bids on Thursday to influence the investigation into the affairs of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) that Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene announced on Wednesday.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 26 July 2018
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Thursday, 26 July 2018.
ConCourt ruling on Thursday a blow to labour brokers
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IOL News reports that labour unions are celebrating a Constitutional Court (ConCourt) judgment on Thursday that ruled in their favour regarding the status of labour brokers in employment contracts.
Public sector unions welcome Nene’s announcement of probe into PIC
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The Star reports that public sector unions have welcomed the institution by Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene of an independent investigation into the affairs of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).
644 workers rescued on after fire on Wednesday at Gold One’s Modder East mine
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Mining Weekly reports that an early morning rescue operation on Wednesday saw 644 miners, who were underground when a fire broke out at Gold One’s Modder East operations, brought to the surface.
No bonuses, no deal, says Numsa as Eskom wage negotiations remain unresolved
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EWN reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says its members view Eskom’s decision to not pay bonuses as a declaration of war and a deal breaker in the ongoing wage negotiations.
Limpopo mine accused of reneging on promise to assist with funerals of miners who died in fire
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Sowetan reports that relatives of workers who perished in a Limpopo copper mine last week have accused the company of leaving them in debt, after it did not pay for funeral costs as it had apparently promised.
Taxi driver who knocked down and punched JMPD cop on attempted murder charge
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The Star reports that the taxi driver arrested for allegedly knocking down a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) traffic officer and assaulting her now faces a more serious charge.
Launch of government’s new recruitment scheme for unemployed graduates gets mixed reactions
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BusinessLive reports that a new government recruitment scheme, launched on Wednesday, was met with mixed reactions from the unemployed graduates supposed to benefit from it.
Minerals Council grilled at wage talks over gold mining statistics, low wage increase offers
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Mining Weekly reports that the third round of gold mining sector wage negotiations took place on Wednesday, at which the Minerals Council SA (MCSA) was peppered with questions by unions seeking to gain clarity about feedback on their demands.
Mass retrenchments needed at Eskom, says DA’s Michael Bagraim
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In a short letter to the editor, MP Michael Bagraim, who is the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) labour spokesman, writes bluntly that Eskom should embark on mass retrenchments.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 25 July 2018
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 25 July 2018.
EFF supporters march on East London businesses 'exploiting workers'
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SowetanLive reports that a number of leading businesses in East London were forced to shut their doors on Tuesday when EFF supporters marched to their premises protesting against alleged exploitation of workers by these companies.
KZN south coast residents without water again as protesters demand jobs
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Timeslive reports that the water supply on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) south coast was held hostage on Wednesday by a group of protesters in the Harding community.
Deputy police minister supports the decriminalisation of sex work
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SABC News reports that responding to questions from sex workers at the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkhongi said he supported calls for the decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa.
Monday’s Gautrain strike up in the air as talks stall
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The Citizen reports that the United National Transport Union (Untu) is hopeful about resolving a wage deadlock with the Bombela Operating Company, which runs the Gautrain, despite a last-minute cancellation of a meeting scheduled for Thursday.
‘There has to be a better, less expensive way to resolve labour disputes without resort to strikes’
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Theto Mahlakoana analyses the Department of Labour’s recently released 2017 Industrial Action report and concludes that the report shows once more that there are no winners when workers head for the picket line, but the biggest loser is labour.
Minerals Council to launch national campaign of Safety and Health Days in Mining
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Mining Weekly reports that in light of the growing number of fatalities in SA mines, the Minerals Council SA (formerly called the Chamber of Mines) plans to launch a national campaign of Safety and Health Days in Mining, in mid-August.
Recruitment group Workforce bets on the training sector with acquisition of Dyna
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BusinessLive reports that recruitment group Workforce Holdings has acquired the Dyna Group for nearly R80m in cash as it looks to increase its exposure to training services.
Trade unions to respond on Wednesday to wage offers in gold mining sector
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ANA reports that trade unions were expected to formally respond to wage offers tabled by gold producers when the third round of negotiations resumed on Wednesday.