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.
Outa joins court challenges to energy state of disaster
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BL Premium reports that legal opposition against the government’s decision to implement a national state of disaster over the energy crisis is mounting, with the latest coming from lobby group Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), which is heading to court for an interdict.
Electricity minister will have just one job, namely addressing the load-shedding crisis
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BL Premium reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted on Thursday that the appointment of a minister of electricity with a specific mandate to deal with load-shedding was the best way to tackle the power crisis. He was replying in parliament to the debate on the state of the nation address he delivered last week.
Unlicensed ‘drunk driver’ who killed a metro cop in 2020 sentenced to 10 years
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TimesLive reports that a drunk driver who killed a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer in February 2020 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Cosatu, SACP slam Ramaphosa’s plan to appoint an electricity minister without consulting them
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The Citizen reports that the ANC’s alliance partners have criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint a minister of electricity in the presidency without consulting them first.
Ramaphosa announces task team to look at pension issues of employees of former TBVC states
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IOL reports that after decades of frustrations, thousands of civil servants from the former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei (TBVC) states, who have voiced concerns over their “miscalculated pension” payouts, will have their issues looked into.
Government intensifying efforts to implement NHI, Ramaphosa tells MPs
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EWN reports that government is said to be intensifying efforts geared at implementing South Africa's national health insurance (NHI) scheme.
Grouping of public service unions refuses to take part in 2023/24 wage negotiations, but PSA willing to engage
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TimesLive reports that eight public service unions (other reports indicate nine unions) said on Thursday that their negotiators would not participate in any Public Sector Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) wage meetings until the 2022/23 dispute was resolved.
MISA employee accused of corruption in Digital Vibes case says department didn’t 'stress' about side hustles
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News24 reports that according to Lizeka Tonjeni, who is on trial in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria for allegedly accepting a R160,000 bribe, there was no culture of making formal financial disclosures at the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA).
City Power warns that illegal mining could (literally) collapse West Rand electricity infrastructure
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SowetanLive reports that at least two City Power substations on the West Rand are at risk of caving into the ground because of the illegal mining activities that have left the ground hollow.
Time for more transparency on executive pay in South Africa
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Dr Salomé Teuteberg of the Transforming Corporate Governance programme at the Labour Research Service in Cape Town writes that an amendment to the Companies Act – when it is finally passed into law – should provide welcome information on differences between the highest and the lowest paid employees in companies in SA, which is one of the most unequal countries in the world.
Tshwane mayoral staff say EFF storming their offices won't keep them away from work
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EWN reports that City of Tshwane mayoral staff vowed they would be back at their desks on Friday morning and would not be intimidated by what they called the Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF)'s political stunts.
Public sector unions renew strike threat over last year’s wage increase
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Fin24 reports that nine public sector trade unions indicated on Thursday that they would be embarking on an "indefinite strike" to force the government to raise last year's wage increase.
Morning roundup of labour news on Friday, 17 February 2023
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In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Twenty-one suspected illegal miners appear in Stilfontein court for bail application
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IOL reports that the case against 21 suspected illegal miners who are accused of a host of charges including conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of unlawful fireams, was postponed to 27 February at the Stilfontein Magistrate’s Court.
One year on, SA still doesn’t offer remote working visa
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Moneyweb reports that it’s been a year since President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his 2022 state of the nation address (Sona) that a comprehensive review of the work visa system was “currently underway”.
Unions say Transnet can’t just take back wrongfully paid double salaries over two months
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The Citizen reports that in January Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) employees discovered that they had been paid double salaries, but now the employer is demanding that they pay back the cash as soon as possible.
Bank branch manager accused of ‘shouting’ at staff must be reinstated, five years after she was fired
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IOL reports that the Labour Appeal Court (LAC) has ruled that a Standard Bank branch manager who was accused of shouting at staff should be reinstated, five years after she was fired.
Transnet Freight Rail employee arrested for illegal sale of freight containers for R40,000 each
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Engineering News reports that state-owned Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has commended the swift efforts of internal TFR investigators and law enforcement authorities in the arrest of an employee linked to the illegal sale of freight containers owned by Transnet.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 16 February 2023
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In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
SANDF members paid after last-minute decision taken to keep computer servers operating despite faulty air conditioning
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Sunday Times Daily reports that to avert a salary payment crisis within the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), last-minute decisions kept vital computer servers functioning despite their air conditioning systems not working.
High Court grants order placing SA Post Office’s MediPos under curatorship
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Sunday Times Business Times reports that the Council for Medical Schemes has secured an order from the North Gauteng High Court for the curatorship of MediPos, the medical aid provider for SA Post Office (SAPO) employees.
Consumer inflation slows to 6.9% in January, but food prices hit new high
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BL Premium reports that consumer inflation slowed for the third consecutive month in January to 6.9% from December’s 7.2%. This was its lowest level since May, but the reading was still well above the SA Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) 3-6% target range.
Natascha Viljoen announces shock resignation as Amplats CEO
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Miningmx reports that Natascha Viljoen is to step down in the next 12 months as CEO of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) in order to take up a position at US gold miner Newmont Corporation.
Deputy director in office of KZN premier accused of presenting false qualifications for R1m per year job
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IOL reports that a deputy director in the Office of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Premier has been arrested by the Hawks and charged with fraud for allegedly presenting bogus qualifications to land his job.
SA Tourism acting CFO fails to indicate why he shouldn’t be suspended, board drops probe into who blew whistle on Spurs deal
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TimesLive reports that acting SA Tourism (SAT) CFO Johan van der Walt has apparently not responded to a notice of intended suspension served on him last week.
Gwede Mantashe denies belittling new ‘project manager’ electricity minister
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BL Premium reports that Mineral Resources & Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe says his description of the new minister of electricity as a “project manager” does not mean the appointee will have a reduced role and authority.
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 15 February 2023
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In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Motorists must prepare for steep petrol price hike in March
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The Citizen reports that after comparatively small fuel price increases in February, motorists are in for a more substantial rise in March.
Up to 15% of Telkom’s workforce to be sacrificed in scramble for cash
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BL Premium reports that Telkom launched a frenzied scramble for cash on Tuesday, unveiling plans to slash as many as 1,770 jobs and to sell its device credit book.
In looming SANDF payday crisis, soldiers may not get their salaries on time due to faulty air conditioning systems
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Sunday Times Daily reports that faulty air conditioning systems, vital for the cooling of critical military computer servers, have jeopardised the payment of more than 70,000 SA National Defence Force (SANDF) members’ salaries.