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.
Cosatu calls for 'dysfunctional' Msunduzi municipality to be put under administration
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News24 reports that trade union federation Cosatu warned on Friday that the Msunduzi municipality was on the verge of collapse and acting municipal manager Sizwe Hadebe was the central figure in its disintegration.
KPMG says severance packages for execs doesn’t mean they condone misconduct
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EWN reports that KPMG has said that paying out executives who left the firm in the wake of recent scandals should not be viewed as condoning misconduct.
Khulubuse Zuma tells Solidarity he’s not in UAE but still in SA
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BusinessLive reports that President Jacob Zuma’s nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, who was reported this week to have left SA to live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), confirmed to Solidarity’s Gideon du Plessis telephonically on Thursday that he was still living in SA.
Numsa reaches deal with South32 bringing end to smelter strike
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EWN reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says it has reached an agreement with South32 covering the mining company’s Hillside aluminium smelter in Richards Bay.
‘KPMG International recommended severance packages to top executives’
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EWN reports that, while questions have been raised about why KPMG paid severance packages to its top executives who left the company amid controversy over its Gupta dealings, according to CEO Nhlamu Dlomu this was done following recommendations from the parent company.
Ramaphosa warns Sadtu of PIC capture plot
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The Star reports that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday became the first high-ranking government official to confirm fears of a possible calculated plot to capture the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).
Port Shepstone manager arrested for allegedly bribing, assaulting labour inspectors
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News24 reports that the Department of Labour said this week that the manager of a baby products company in Port Shepstone had been arrested after allegedly assaulting and trying to bribe inspectors.
News24 sends off 70 users' complaints to labour department’s Compensation Fund
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News24 reports that poor service, no communication and years-long delays were some of the complaints of about 70 News24 users who have filed claims with the Department of Labour's national Compensation Fund.
Joburg Metro cop faces jail time of three years or R5,000 fine for R100 bribe
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News24 reports that a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer has been sentenced to three years in prison or a R5,000 fine for accepting a R100 bribe.
Business asked to step up to the challenge at cash-strapped TVET colleges
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BusinessLive reports that the government has conceded that the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges face dire financial difficulties, saying it will soon approach business for help.
Eastern Cape to appoint 3,000 teachers
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SABC News reports that the education department in the Eastern Cape will be employing more than 3,000 teachers and over a 1,000 principals and deputies at schools. This is to end a critical shortage in teaching staff in the province.
Fedusa demands PIC seat, Vavi lays charges against Eskom, Trillian and McKinsey
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BusinessLive reports that trade union federations are stepping up the fight against state capture, demanding seats on the board of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) — where public sector workers’ pension funds are held — and that criminal charges be laid against Trillian and Eskom.
MTN radio mast engineers win back right to keep company cars and petrol cards
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Fin24 reports that twenty radio mast engineers employed by cellphone giant MTN in Durban have won an arbitration court battle that allows them to keep their personal company cars and petrol cards.
Damning letter from Prasa manager describes railway security meltdown in Cape Town
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GroundUp reports on a damning letter from Ernest Hendricks, Western Cape regional security manager for the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), to the Prasa executive in Johannesburg detailing the breakdown of security on Cape Town’s central railway line.
KPMG admits it paid severance packages to scandal-tainted senior executives
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BusinessLive reports that KPMG SA director Gary Pickering acknowledged before MPs that the KPMG executives who left the firm due to the scandal over work done for the Guptas and SARS, were paid severance packages.
SAA tables revised wage offer following notice of strike at SAA Technical
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Engineering News reports that South African Airways (SAA) has placed a revised wage offer on the table following a negotiation deadlock between its maintenance arm SAA Technical (SAAT) and three trade unions.
More to Seta compliance than statutory obligations
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Fin24 writes that companies narrowly viewing the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) governing their industry just through the lens of compliance, may very well be missing out on optimising on the numerous benefits built into their statutory obligations.
FirstRand executives take home R127.7m in incentives in 2017 financial year
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BusinessLive reports that FirstRand executives and former executives of the group pocketed R127.7m as options, shares and bonuses awarded two and three years ago vested during its 2017 financial year.
Unions still uneasy about use of PIC funds for SAA
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The Citizen reports that as government embarks on a fishing expedition to raise funds to bail out SAA, the trade union movement is still uneasy about the use of workers’ pension funds at the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) to further shore up the airline.
Solidarity to pursue Zuma’s nephew to UAE over Aurora plundering
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The Citizen reports that trade union Solidarity has vowed to follow former Aurora director Khulubuse Zuma to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to ensure justice for the thousands of miners who lost their jobs because of reckless management.
Western Cape MEC welcomes 12-year sentence for man who robbed EMS worker
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TimesLive reports that Western Cape community safety MEC Dan Plato has welcomed a "hefty" prison sentence handed down to a man involved in robbing an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) worker.
No steps taken by Khulubuse Zuma to oppose sequestration over Pamodzi-linked debts
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BusinessLive reports that President Jacob Zuma’s nephew Khulubuse Zuma has taken no steps yet to oppose an application for his provisional sequestration for about R1.52bn owed to Pamodzi Gold companies.
Forum for unemployed demands recognition from traditional council in North West
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ANA reports that hundreds of unemployed people near Brits in North West Province gathered at the entrance of Bapo Ba Mogale Palace on Tuesday demanding that the traditional council recognise their forum as representing the unemployed when it came to relationships with mining companies in the area.
Home Affairs DG Apleni’s case against suspension postponed due to 'complexity'
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Pretoria News reports that the urgent application in which suspended Director General of Home Affairs, Mkuseli Apleni, asked the Gauteng North High Court to urgently overturn his suspension, did not go ahead on Tuesday.
Thousands of jobs on the line as more than four million birds culled due to bird flu
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The Citizen reports that with thousands of jobs on the line, the SA Poultry Association (Sapa) is anxious that the industry “may never recover” from the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu currently gripping the country.
Harmony’s Kusasalethu mine back in full production after deadly seismic event
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ANA reports that Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville in Gauteng is back to full production following temporary closure in August as government investigated the cause of a seismic event that killed five workers.
Explosion rocks East London Industrial Development Zone
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News24 reports that eleven factory workers were injured in an explosion at one of the factories at the East London Industrial Development Zone on Tuesday evening. People across East London reportedly heard the loud explosion.
SAPS lays disciplinary charges against striking 10111 workers
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ANA reports that a police spokesman said on Tuesday that they had begun laying disciplinary charges against striking 10111 crime call centre staffers who had failed to return to work as instructed.
Strike looms at SAA Technical (SAAT)
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ANA reports that South African Airways (SAA) warned on Tuesday that its operations might be disrupted after one of its labour unions gave notice of intention to embark on industrial action at its aircraft maintenance unit.
Cosatu threatens protest action at Saturday’s Test between the Boks and All Blacks
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TimesLive reports that Cosatu has threatened protest action at Saturday’s Test match at Newlands between the Springboks and the All Blacks.