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.
Half of Lonmin's employees still without 'decent accommodation'
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iNet Bridge reports that platinum producer Lonmin has to build accommodation for 11‚500 of its employees‚ but the weak platinum price was working against major housing investment‚ CEO Ben Magara said on Friday.
Strike by Tshwane contract workers on Friday after mayor failed to meet with them
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BusinessLive reports that the absorption of contract workers into the City of Tshwane workforce is causing some trouble for the city’s new administration.
NUM pledges to fight ‘tooth and nail’ against AngloGold retrenchments
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Reuters reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Friday that it would “fight tooth and nail” against plans by AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) to lay off more than 800 workers.
Numsa not going back to ANC, even if ‘unifying leader’ is elected this year
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City Press reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has shot down speculation that the union could bury the hatchet with the ANC and return to the alliance if a “unifying leader” were to be elected to succeed President Jacob Zuma later this year.
Govt hopes for a deal this week in 'social compact' talks with three labour federations
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Terry Bell reports that the government hopes by the end of this coming week to reach an agreement with the three major labour federations on details for a comprehensive social security package.
Public Protector says 7,000 Venda municipal pensions must now be paid out
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SowetanLive reports that swindled apartheid-era Venda municipality employees have yet to get justice because the state fears processing their pension claims would trigger a flurry of demands among former homeland workers.
Jobs of thousands of City of Tshwane contract workers under threat
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The New Age reports that the future of thousands of contract workers working for the Tshwane municipality is at stake with the threat of job losses looming.
Teacher union Natu to take KZN education department to court
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SABC News reports that the National Teachers Union (Natu) intends taking the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Education to the Durban High Court for what it terms its 'unprocedural' process of post creation and distribution of surplus teachers.
AB InBev aims to slash 1,000 manager jobs in SA with voluntary packages
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BusinessLive reports that, ten weeks after its merger with SABMiller, Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev) sent out a voluntary severance offer to more than 1,000 management employees in SA.
Two Johannesburg colleges found to be bogus
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SowetanLive reports that Victory Training College and the Institute of Health and Social Care Studies in Johannesburg have been dubbed bogus operators by the Department of Higher Education (DHET).
Web links to selected labour news reports posted from 20 January to 22 January 2017
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Our links page provides references to South African labour news reports we have come across on the Internet from Friday, 20 January to Sunday, 22 January 2017
Alleged illegal miner found dead after being shot and dumped on N12 near Benoni
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News24 reports that a man believed to be an illegal miner was found dead on the N12 near the Putfontein off-ramp in Benoni on Friday afternoon.
Lace Diamond Mine workers end underground protest
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SABC News reported on Friday that 40 mineworkers who had been staging a sit-in underground at the Lace Diamond Mine outside Kroonstad in the Free State had abandoned their protest action.
No money yet from Lily Mine for families of deceased or survivors
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SowetanLive reports the family of one of the three workers whose bodies remain trapped at Vantage Goldfields’ Lily Mine in Barbeton say they never received the money they were promised last year.
NUM to meet with AngloGold on Monday over possible retrenchments
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ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Friday said that it would meet with AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) to deliberate on the gold producer’s possible decision to lay off more than 800 workers at its SA operations.
Roundup of labour news on Friday, 20 January 2017
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In our Friday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Thursday, 19 January 2017.
Unions unite over mine safety as mine fatalities decrease marginally
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Business Report writes that the Minerals Resources Minister said on Thursday the number of miners killed in mines last year fell 5% to a record low of 73 from 77 the prior year. At the same time trade unions called for an end to rivalry among themselves so that they could work together to eradicate deaths and injuries.
Doctors fume over health minister’s claims about vacant posts
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TimesLive reports that doctors are furious with Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi for blaming them for being without jobs and saying doctors “can't claim to be unemployed”.
Mining fatalities still unacceptably high, says Solidarity
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ANA reports that trade union Solidarity on Thursday said that the number of mining fatalities recorded in 2016 had shown no significant improvement compared with those of 2015.
City of Tshwane workers lodge compliant over alleged racial slurs by acting director
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News24 reports that City of Tshwane workers have lodged a formal complaint against the acting energy director claiming he called them ka**rs and baboons, the ANC in Tshwane said on Thursday.
Zwane assures gold producers that DMR is not at war with them over safety stoppages
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BusinessLive reports that Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said on Thursday that the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) was not "at war" with Sibanye Gold or AngloGold Ashanti, despite the differences that have been aired in court and comments.
Investment the cure for SA's unemployment, says Fedusa
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ANA writes that all sectors in South Africa needed to pull in the same direction if the country was to attract investment which could break the back of unemployment.
CGE tells SA universities: Employ women or face sanctions
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Rebecca Davis reports that for the past two years, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has been meeting with South African institutes of higher learning to hear what they are doing in terms of gender transformation.
Trainee doctors rush to marry ‘to avoid rural postings’
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TimesLive reports that according to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, final year medical students marry in November to ensure they are not sent to far-flung posts in rural areas or other provinces.
AngloGold in talks with stakeholders, unions to tackle challenges, with job cuts a last resort
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Mining Weekly reports that gold producer AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) on Thursday said that, while it was in talks with certain stakeholders, including unions and authorities to address challenges facing its local operations, “job cuts will always be a last resort”.
Limpopo game lodge worker dies after lion attack
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TimesLive reports that a Limpopo game lodge worker has died after he was attacked by lions that escaped from a neighbouring reserve.
Roundup of labour news on Thursday, 19 January 2017
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In our Thursday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Wednesday, 18 January 2017.
City of Tshwane energy and electricity acting director embroiled in racism storm
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Huffington Post reports that the acting director of energy and electricity in the City of Tshwane has been accused of calling black people baboons and refusing for them to speak their mother tongue.
MEC warns: No pay, no perks for failing KZN councillors
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The Mercury reports that KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube warned councillors during their induction on Tuesday of the punitive measures they would face should they fail to support the government’s “Back to Basics” campaign.
Solidarity achieves ‘huge’ settlement for SAPS member in affirmative action case
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Maroela Media reports that Solidarity on Wednesday achieved a “huge” settlement on behalf of one of its members in the SA Police Service (SAPS) following him having been overlooked for promotion repeatedly as a result of affirmative action.