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.
Suspended SARS commissioner Tom Moyane faces disciplinary charges
- Details
ANA reports that suspended SA Revenue Service (SARS) commissioner Tom Moyane will be facing disciplinary charges, President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said on Friday.
Saftu keen to poach Cosatu’s Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich
- Details
Mail & Guardian reports that Tony Ehrenreich, Western Cape secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), has informally met senior leaders of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and could soon join Saftu.
Fedusa calls on Steinhoff CEO to quit over loan
- Details
Bloomberg reports that the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) wants Steinhoff International Holdings NV acting CEO Danie van der Merwe to resign after it emerged he borrowed R26.4m backed by company shares a week before the stock collapsed due to accounting irregularities.
Man killed after tipper truck rolled over in Knysna
- Details
Knysna Plett Herald reports a man was killed just outside Simola, in Knysna, on Thursday and another person injured when a tipper truck belonging to CX Tippers & Diggers rolled down an embankment.
Durban ICC created 11000 direct and indirect jobs in 2017
- Details
Business Report writes that in the past financial year, the Durban International Conference Centre has contributed to the employment of more than 11,000 workers directly and indirectly.
Solidarity has major concerns about mine safety in wake of Sibanye-Stillwater deaths
- Details
News24 reports that trade union Solidarity expressed "grave concern" on Saturday over safety in South African mines following the recent deaths at Sibanye-Stillwater's Masakhane shaft in Driefontein.
New offer put on bargaining table in attempt to end national bus drivers’ strike
- Details
EWN reports that the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) has confirmed that a new wage offer has been put on the bargaining table in an attempt to end the national strike in the road passenger sector.
Death toll at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Masakhane mine climbs to seven as rescue operations wrap up
- Details
News24 reports that the death toll of miners killed at Sibanye-Stillwater's Masakhane mine, after employees got trapped underground on Friday due to seismic activity, has risen to seven.
North West protesters say they will burn doctors at provincial hospitals who treat patients
- Details
BusinessLive reports that on Friday protesters again blocked access to provincial hospitals in the North West, threatening to burn doctors who tried to access their workplaces to treat patients.
Unions decide to escalate national bus strike into mass action and protests
- Details
The Citizen reports that the ongoing national bus strike will soon evolve into mass action as meetings on wage increases with employer associations have again ended in deadlocked.
Five miners dead, two still underground at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Driefontein mine
- Details
News 24 reports that the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has indicated that the death at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Driefontein operations following seismic events has risen to five.
Unions in bus sector threaten nationwide mass action against companies
- Details
ANA reports that unions in the bus sector said on Friday they would soon embark on mass action across the country, accusing employers of refusing to engage meaningfully in wage talks to end a strike now in its third week.
Death toll rises to four at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Masakhane mine
- Details
Reuters reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater indicated on Friday that ten of 13 miners trapped underground at its Driefontein operations have been rescued, but four of the ten had died from their injuries.
Bumper pay increases for Standard Bank executives
- Details
Business Report writes that Standard Bank chief executive Sim Tshabalala’s total remuneration rose 9% to R48.50-million for the year to end of December, compared to the R44.58m he received in 2016.
Most silicosis claimants living in poverty, says lawyer
- Details
Fin24 reports that a lawyer representing gold mineworkers who contracted pulmonary diseases while working underground said it would be difficult to quantify the exact number of possible claimants to be covered in the R5bn settlement reached on Thursday.
Fight goes on as lawyers target coal for compensation for occupational diseases
- Details
Miningmx reports that the lawyers who won a R5bn settlement for tens of thousands of former gold-mine workers with lung diseases have set their sights on coal companies.
ILO rejects WEF report ranking SA’s labour relations as the world’s worst
- Details
BusinessLive reports that the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) Pretoria office has rejected a World Economic Forum (WEF) report that ranks SA as the worst-performing country when it comes to labour-employer relations.
Sanef concerned about increasing attacks on journalists
- Details
SABC News reports that the SA National Editors Forum (Sanef) joined journalists around the globe in celebrating World Press Freedom Day on Thursday. The day is held to celebrate press freedom, evaluate its status and recommit to defending attacks on journalists.
Trade union Hospersa slams KZN health department, wants MEC to resign
- Details
ANA reports that the Health & Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) on Wednesday criticised the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) department of health for the dismal health standards in the province’s public health facilities.
Anger in SA at Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs and local job losses
- Details
BusinessLive writes that South Africans have reacted angrily to the imposition of blanket US import tariffs on steel and aluminium exports, which will become effective from 1 June 2018. It is estimated at least 7,500 workers in these industries will lose their jobs.
Pan African to close Evander 8 underground mine with loss of 1,700 jobs
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that gold mining group Pan African Resources (PAR) has confirmed the closure of its Evander 8 underground mine, in Mpumalanga, which will result in the retrenchment of 1,700 employees by the end of this month.
Gold miners with silicosis or tuberculosis to get up to R500,000 in class-action settlement
- Details
BusinessLive reports that gold miners in SA with silicosis or tuberculosis, or their dependents, will secure payments of between R70,000 and R500,000 from a trust fund set up by seven mining companies and lawyers for ill workers to settle the country’s largest class-action law suit.
One miner killed, four rescued and eight still underground at Sibanye-Stillwater mine
- Details
Reuters reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater said on Thursday evening that five of 13 miners trapped underground in a shaft at its Driefontein operations had rescued, but one of the five had died.
Negotiations to end national bus strike collapse again
- Details
eNCA reports that commuters will continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing national bus strike after talks on Thursday between unions representing bus drivers and employers once again broke down.
US steel and aluminium tariffs to cost SA exporters R3bn, says Seifsa
- Details
Fin24 reports that the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) indicated on Wednesday that the decision by the US government not to exempt South African steel products from import duties would cost local exporters an estimated R3bn.
North West protesters chase doctors, nurses out of Klerksdorp hospital
- Details
News24 reports that a doctor at Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp in the North West says he was infuriated after protesters stormed the hospital on Wednesday morning and forced staff out.
Fresh hope of bus strike settlement as unions, employers agree to meet on Thursday
- Details
News24 reports that, with the national bus strike in its fifteenth day on Wednesday, there was fresh hope of a settlement as unions and employers agreed to meet again to try and break the deadlock.
Unions push for Road Passenger Bargaining Council to convene meeting to resolve bus strike
- Details
Cape Times reports that the unions representing striking workers in the bus industry have requested the general secretary of the Road Passenger Bargaining Council to convene a meeting with employers on Thursday to try to settle the wage dispute.
Rival events on Workers’ Day show unequal support for Cosatu and Saftu
- Details
GroundUp writes that on Tuesday Cosatu held its main Workers’ Day event in Port Elizabeth and, with President Cyril Ramaphosa scheduled to speak, the pressure was on. Though Cosatu pulled out all stops to draw the crowds, it only filled three-quarters of the 10,000-capacity stadium.
Licensing of zama zamas in Northern Cape proves to be controversial
- Details
Afro Voice reports that the government has stepped up efforts to regulate illegal mining by granting licences to over 4,000 zama zamas (illegal miners) in the Northern Cape. But, some stakeholders have warned that criminal syndicates are likely to fight back.