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.
Coal trucking companies want amicable solutions to avoid job losses
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eNCA reports that more than 50 independent truck companies have slammed the government's independent power producer programme.
Joburg mayor Mashaba assures Jozi@Work employees 'no jobs will be lost'
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EWN reports that Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba says he doesn’t understand why Jozi@Work employees are still angry with him as he has given the assurance that jobs won’t be shed.
R1.3bn Atlantis fabrics manufacturing facility to create 200 jobs
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Engineering News reports that a R1.3-billion fabrics manufacturing facility is to be built in Atlantis, in the Western Cape, creating 200 jobs. Czech company, PEGAS Nonwovens, will build the plant and will train Atlantis residents in the Czech Republic.
Metro cops to protect Pikitup workers after Jozi@Work protests
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The Star reports that the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and Pikitup will work together to ensure the safety of some 600 Pikitup workers. This follows the trashing of parts of Hillbrow and the inner city on Tuesday night by Jozi@Work members.
Cosatu supports coal truck drivers' strike over contracting of IPP’s
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ANA reports that Cosatu said on Wednesday that government should come up with a plan to ensure no jobs were lost in the coal sector while power utility Eskom prepared to go into partnerships with independent power producers (IPP).
Rock falls hamper rescue of boy from disused Boksburg mine shaft
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News24 reports that heavy rock falls have delayed efforts to rescue five-year-old Richard Thole from a disused mine shaft in the Jerusalem informal settlement, Boksburg.
Off-duty cop shot during armed robbery in Silverton
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The Citizen reports that three armed robbers fled with a police pistol after they shot and wounded an off-duty officer during a robbery in Silverton on Tuesday afternoon.
Solidarity and Bemawu join forces against Motsoeneng over legal costs
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News24 reports that trade unions Solidarity and the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (Bemawu) have consolidated their court cases to get Hlaudi Motsoeneng to pay the legal costs incurred defending the so-called SABC 8, whom they both represented.
Minister Zwane’s Lily Mine promises were a populist stunt, says NUM Youth
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ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers Youth Structure (NUM-YS) on Tuesday said it was concerned by Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane’s “continuous failure” to assist workers at Lily Mine.
NUM fights retrenchments at Diro Manganese Mine
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SABC News reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) marched to the Diro Manganese Mine outside Postmasburg in the Northern Cape on Tuesday to protest against retrenchments at the mine.
Teacher-interns to assist at eight rural KZN state schools
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TimesLive reports that historic Durban school‚ Inanda Seminary‚ has teamed up with the Zenex Foundation to launch a pilot teacher-interns project in eight rural primary schools.
Durban cop killed on way to work and left in a ditch
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TimesLive reports that the body of a policeman who had been shot repeatedly in the head was discovered in a roadside ditch in Folweni‚ south of Durban‚ on Tuesday morning.
Illegal miners offers ‘expert’ advice how to retrieve young boy from shaft
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The Citizen reports that illegal miners have said they would step in to recover the five-year-old boy who fell down a disused Boksburg mine shaft on Saturday, if they were given the chance.
Child Welfare staff paid in food parcels
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TimesLive reports that Child Welfare SA has confirmed that staff - including social workers - from its Johannesburg branch cannot afford to travel to work.
Jozi@Work protest halts opening of Alexandra clinic
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ANA reports that Mayor of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba had to cancel the opening of the R22 million River Park clinic in Alexandra after a group held a protest and blocked roads around the precinct on Tuesday.
Pretoria traffic chaos caused by coal truck drivers protesting over IPP’s
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ANA reports that disgruntled coal truck drivers on Wednesday morning caused havoc in Pretoria by blocking roads on their way to the Union Buildings, where they intended to hand over a memorandum.
Fired Prasa boss refuses to relinquish his post
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BusinessLive reports that Collins Letsoalo‚ the disgraced acting CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) is going nowhere. Letsoalo told The Times there was “no need (for him) to consider moving" and added that only Transport Minister Dipou Peters‚ who seconded him to the position‚ could remove him.
Web links to selected labour news reports posted on 28 February 2017
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Our links page provides references to South African labour news reports we have come across on the Internet on Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Protest action by truck drivers brings Pretoria highways to standstill on Wednesday
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IOL News reports that traffic is at a standstill on the N1 and N14 highways heading north in Pretoria on Wednesday morning due to protest action reportedly by truck drivers.
Western Cape furniture workers closer to being paid provident surplus funds
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Groundup reports that thousands of former workers in the Western Cape furniture industry are an inch closer to getting paid their long awaited money from the industry’s provident fund, through the Western Cape Surplus Apportionment Scheme.
DTI's industrial finance of R20bn 'reaps 27,000 direct new jobs'
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TMG Digital/BusinessLive reports that the Department of Trade and Industry approved more than R20-billion in industrial finance this year‚ creating 27,000 direct new jobs and about 108,000 new indirect jobs.
UCT’s Max Price calls for graduate tax to help fund poor students
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BusinessLive reports that University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor Max Price said on Monday that the state should consider a graduate tax to tackle the funding challenges faced by most students at tertiary institutions.
After police arrest 63, Spar denies wittingly employing undocumented migrants
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BusinessLive reports that retailer Spar has denied wittingly hiring undocumented migrants as alleged by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), which is driving a crackdown.
Rescue mission continues for boy trapped in disused Boksburg mine shaft
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EWN reports that rescue teams were expected back on the scene on Tuesday morning where a five-year-old boy fell into a disused mine shaft in Boksburg. The little boy has been trapped since Saturday.
Solidarity’s Labour Market Index shows a slight improvement in conditions
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The Solidarity-ETM Labour Market Index (LMI) for the fourth quarter of 2016 was released on Monday. The LMI is a measure of job and wage security in the SA labour market where 50,0 is the break-even level of rising and falling security.
NUM pays R1.25m to Cape Town firm for damage caused during 2015 dispute
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Sunday Times reports that writes that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has learnt the hard way that replacing dialogue with violence during labour disputes can be costly.
Index shows that average real disposable salaries continue to decline
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Fin24 reports that according to the latest BankservAfrica Disposable Salary Index (BDSI) data for January 2017, average real disposable salaries continue to decline.
Prasa boots out acting CEO Collins Letsoalo after pay rise scandal
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TimesLive reports that defiant Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) acting CEO Collins Letsoalo was axed on Monday night in the wake of disclosures of his 350% salary increase. He was seconded to Prasa by the Department of Transport last year.
Family of man killed in 'warthog hunting accident' left destitute, says DA
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News24 reports that Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Desiree van der Walt says the aftermath of the killing of farmworker Jan Railo, who was shot and killed during a hunting accident, is a "sad case".
Ekurhuleni firefighter killed as drunk driver hits ambulance
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CNS reports that that the City of Ekurhuleni is mourning after one of its firefighters and emergency care practitioners died in a fatal motor vehicle accident on Saturday on Tonk Meter Road between Duduza and Kwa-Thema.