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.
Mashaba acts against illegal immigrants working at Joburg Theatre
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TimesLive reports that the executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg‚ Herman Mashaba‚ has received a report on employees working at the Joburg Theatre without proper documentation.
Drought & poor management, not foreign birds, to blame for chicken industry’s plight
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Columnist Bronwyn Nortje writes that South African chicken producers would like you to believe that imports are threatening their business and costing jobs, but this is a classic red herring.
With 73 deaths, SA’s mines claimed fewer lives in 2016
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BusinessLive reports that the number of people killed on South African mines in 2016 fell 5% year-on-year to 73, with large gold and platinum mines the largest contributors, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said on Thursday.
Security guard killed for his gun at Durban construction site
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ANA reports that a security guard was killed and robbed of his gun near Durban’s Sibaya Casino, police said on Wednesday. He was found dead on Tuesday evening when his colleague came to relieve him at a construction site near the casino.
As families of dead Lily miners struggle, Cosatu denounces remembrance event
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The New Age reports that, as the first anniversary of the disaster at Vantage Goldfields’ Lily Mine approaches, families of the dead mine workers are still struggling to make ends meet.
UJ sex pest manager allowed to resign on eve of disciplinary hearing
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The Star reports that a University of Johannesburg (UJ) manager accused of sexually harassing a colleague nonstop for several years was allowed to resign a day before an internal inquiry into his conduct was set to start.
Sadtu preparing for ‘confrontation’ over lay-offs at TVET colleges in KZN
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Daily News reports that unions Sadtu and Nehawu on Tuesday lambasted the retrenchment of contract support staff and lecturers at at technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges in KwaZulu-Natal, as “counter-productive”.
Business Unity SA gets a new CEO
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Business Report writes that Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has a new CEO in the form of Tanya Cohen, who replaces Jerry Vilakazi.
TVET students to stage national college shutdown
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BusinessLive reports that vocational training students have vowed to shut down the country’s 50 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.
Mineworker killed during fall of rock at Impala Platinum on Wednesday
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ANA reports that a mineworker died at one of Impala Platinum’s operations in Rustenburg as a result of a fall of rock on Wednesday morning, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) advised.
Two Tshwane officials ‘held hostage’ by striking municipal meter readers
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The Citizen reports that the revenue management department’s executive director and acting chief financial officer were on Wednesday allegedly briefly held hostage in their Tshwane municipal finance offices by 50 protesting employees.
Roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 18 January 2017
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In our Wednesday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Tuesday, 17 January 2017.
Tanker torched in Delmas at protest over lack of TVET college in area
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The New Age reports that the situation was calm in Botleng township and the neighbouring areas of Delmas on Tuesday following a violent protest on Monday morning.
Cosatu urges government to help municipalities indebted to Eskom
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ANA reports that Cosatu said on Tuesday that national government had a duty to intervene and help municipalities owing billions of rands to Eskom.
Rand Water workers at Sebokeng plant down tools
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SABC News reported on Tuesday that workers at the Rand Water sanitation plant in Sebokeng in the Vaal had stopped working, alleginging that management had shortchanged them.
Safetsa intends to shut down 265 TVET college campuses by Thursday
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The Citizen reports that the SA Further Education and Training Student Association (Safetsa) intends to shut down the 265 campuses of all 50 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges country-wide by Thursday morning.
Cosatu says inequality gap set to widen further at ‘hands of monopoly capital’
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The Citizen reports that, after an Oxfam report revealed that three South Africa’s billionaires have the same wealth as the bottom 50% of the country’s population, Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla expressed the view in an interview that inequality would continue to worsen in SA.
Consumer inflation picked up pace in December to 6.8%
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BusinessLive reports that consumer inflation moved further outside the SA Reserve Bank’s 3%-6% target range in December 2016.
State should pay for paramedics' trauma treatment after attacks, says Hospersa
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ANA reports that the Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) on Tuesday said it wanted the government to pay for the treatment of ambulance staff who have been subjected to attacks on them while responding to calls.
Cosatu welcomes changes to Unemployment Insurance Act
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The Citizen reports that union federation Cosatu has welcomed the signing of the Unemployment Insurance Amendment Act into law, saying it would benefit thousands of jobless workers and mothers going on maternity leave.
Nzimande orders an overhaul of vocational college sector
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BusinessLive reports that Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has directed the SA Qualifications Authority (Saqa) and the quality councils to clean up their act in a bid to overhaul the vocational college sector, which has been beset by myriad problems including policy incoherence.
Duty on EU chicken imports likely to increase to ward off retrenchments
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BusinessLive reports that a hike in the safeguard duty on bone-in chicken imports from the EU appears to be a likely outcome of a high-level meeting between the government, business and labour on Tuesday.
Nationalise SA Reserve Bank, Cosatu tells government
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ANA reports that Cosatu on Tuesday called on government to nationalise the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb).
Crackdown in Joburg on bogus colleges
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The New Age reports that, as unsuspecting students continue to fall prey to bogus colleges, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has embarked on a week-long inspection campaign aimed at enforcing compliance and clamping down on unregistered colleges.
DiamondCorp makes strides in business rescue at Lace diamond mine
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Mining Review reports that DiamondCorp has announced it is looking to raise £1 million as part of a plan to assist with its 74% owned Lace diamond mine that has been placed under business rescue.
ANCYL in North West says stricter vetting of teachers needed to improve performance
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The New Age reports that the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in North West has called upon relevant authorities in the education sector to apply strict vetting systems before employing teachers.
No truth in ‘Vat Alles’ workers losing their jobs, says Tshwane City
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Pretoria News reports that the City of Tshwane says that claims that the Democratic Alliance (DA) administration planned to fire general workers who are part of the ‘Vat Alles’ programme are untrue.
Strike threat by Limpopo teachers over non-delivery of stationery and better conditions
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The New Age reports that teachers affiliated to the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) have threatened to embark on a protest against the provincial education department next week to press for the delivery of stationery and better working conditions.
IMF flags SA’s skills shortage as out of step with economic demands
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BusinessLive reports that SA’s inadequate labour market skills mix has been flagged by the IMF as being out of step with the demands of the country’s economy.
Grade R teachers in KZN get R500 salary boost to prevent walk-out
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Daily News reports that thousands of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Grade R teachers who claimed they were being short-changed by the education department had their salaries bumped up by R500 a month on Sunday night in a last-ditch effort to prevent them walking out of classrooms.