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.
Black healthcare workers want heads to roll at Government Employees Medical Scheme over attempt to block racism report
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Fin24 reports that last Tuesday the Council for Medical Scheme's Section 59 Investigation Panel released its interim report into allegations of racial discrimination by medical schemes against black, coloured and Indian healthcare practitioners.
Roundup on Monday, 25 January 2021 of weekend labour reports
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In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 22 January 2021.
Solidarity challenges Angie Motshekga’s authority to keep private schools closed
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News24 Wire reports that Solidarity has sent a lawyer’s letter to the Department of Basic Education, questioning its directive on the delayed opening of private schools.
Witness recounts Netcare helicopter crash in which ‘brave, selfless heroes’ died
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Saturday Star reports that a woman who heard the downed Netcare 911 helicopter explode in a farm field has asked God to erase the terrible images of the remnants of the crash from her mind.
Dlamini-Zuma faces court challenge by Solidarity and AfriForum over SA’s vaccine plan
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BusinessTech reports that trade union Solidarity and civil society organisation AfriForum are preparing court papers against Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma over the government’s implementation plan for Covid-19 vaccines.
Business and labour slam UIF’s ‘U-turn’ on Ters
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BL Premium reports that business and labour have accused the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) of backtracking in talks over extending Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) wage protection to cover the current lockdown.
Cell C vows to let 'law take its course' over former IT manager arrested in R64m fraud case
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Fin24 reports that mobile operator Cell C says it will allow the law to take its course in the punishment of a former executive who was arrested on Friday for alleged fraud and corruption involving a tender scam worth approximately R64 million.
Unions say massive CCMA budget cut will hurt workers
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GroundUp writes that workers are going to suffer the most from the overwhelming caseloads at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over the next few years, especially now that part-time commissioners are no longer being used to resolve disputes.
SAB lays off 550 temporary workers as national restriction on liquor sales bites
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Business Times reports that more than 500 staff of SA Breweries (SAB) received their last pay cheque on Friday after the company suspended their employment due to the national ban on the sale of alcohol.
Port Elizabeth admin clerk gets seven years behind bars for ‘cooking the books’ in R470,000 fraud
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TimesLIVE reports that the specialised commercial crimes court in Port Elizabeth gave an admin clerk a seven-year prison sentence on Friday for stealing hundreds of thousands of rand from her previous employer, Chris Bury Appliances.
Unions dealt a major blow as labour court rules yet again in favour of SABC over retrenchments
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BL Premium reports that unions were dealt a major blow on Friday when the Labour Court in Braamfontein dismissed an application for leave to appeal an earlier ruling that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) retrenchment process was lawful.
Lily mine not for sale, says Vantage Goldfields as it plans restart of operations
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Mining Weekly reports that Vantage Goldfields, the owner of the shut Lily gold mine, has countered claims made by Herman Mashaba, president of political organisation ActionSA, that the mine has received two bids by third parties that intend to acquire and reopen the mine.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 21 January 2021
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Thursday, 21 January 2021.
NUM blames Eskom CEO for load shedding, urges government to change leadership at the power utility
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Bloomberg reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has blamed “poor leadership” at state-owned power utility Eskom for ongoing nationwide power cuts.
Solidarity and AfriForum take Dlamini-Zuma to court over Covid-19 vaccines
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The Citizen reports that trade union Solidarity and lobby group AfriForum on Thursday said they were proceeding with the preparation of court papers against Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma over government’s implementation plan for Covid-19 vaccines.
Labour department acts against Eastern Cape factory after worker's hand severed
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GroundUp reports that the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) has taken action against a food company in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape where a worker’s hand was severed last week by a machine
Cosatu blasts ANC over SABC retrenchments
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The Star reports that labour federation Cosatu has blasted its alliance partner the ANC, accusing it of having failed SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) workers and those employed in other struggling state-owned companies.
Chris Griffith appointed CEO designate of Gold Fields
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Mining Weekly reports that Gold Fields has appointed Chris Griffith CEO designate. Griffith will succeed Nick Holland with effect from 1 April.
Numsa and Macsteel resolve ‘impasse’ over retrenched workers, employees back at work
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The Citizen reports that steel manufacturing company Macsteel has confirmed that employees returned to work on Thursday, following a protest launched by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) earlier in the week.
Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu dies from Covid-19 complications
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The Citizen reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu has passed on from Covid-19 related complications.
Striking SABC employees want board expelled for failing to save jobs
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SowetanLive reports that striking SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) employees have called for the immediate dissolution of the public broadcaster’s board, which they accused of failing to lead and save jobs.
Survey shows teachers spend most of the school day asking pupils to adhere to Covid-19 protocols
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News24 reports that a survey has found that teachers spend a large part of their school day pleading with pupils to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.
Nehawu calls on universities not to abuse workers by calling them back to unsafe campuses
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Cape Argus reports that the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has noted a proposal from the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation that universities must develop their own safety plans relating to the return of workers to work.
Government Employees Medical Scheme faces possible PSA legal action for increasing members’ contribution fees
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Independent News reports that public servants are threatening to take legal action against the Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems) for increasing its membership contributions by 4.25%.
Unions slam Ramaphosa over ban on booze sales
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BL Premium reports that labour has called on the government to intervene after unions claimed that SA Breweries (SAB) has begun engaging with them on a possible ‘section 189’ retrenchment process.
State-owned PetroSA plans to cut more than a third of its 1,424 jobs
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BL Premium reports that state-owned PetroSA plans to slash more than a third of its workforce.
Broke Amathole District Municipality will now pay staff salaries after government intervenes
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News24 reports that the broke Amathole District Municipality (ADM) will now pay its employees their salaries as the internal circular, in which workers were informed that they will not receive salaries for February, April, May and June, has been withdrawn.
Former Amplats boss, Chris Griffith, favourite to take over as CEO of Gold Fields when Nick Holland retires
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Miningmx reports that according to market speculation, Chris Griffith, the former CEO of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), is being lined up to take over at Gold Fields. Griffith declined to comment.
Bus company Putco wants to axe more than 300 employees
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SowetanLive reports that commuter bus company Putco intends laying off more than 300 employees due to a decline in revenue and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Heineken SA to cut 70 jobs due to alcohol sales ban
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BL Premium reports that Heineken SA, owner of beer brands Amstel and Windhoek, has become the first major company to cut jobs as a result of SA’s third alcohol sales ban, which has stopped trade since late December.