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.
Unions fear job cuts as load-shedding cripples the economy
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Business Times writes that unions are preparing for the worst as businesses warn that the worsening load-shedding crisis could force them to cut shifts, forego wage hikes and even slash jobs.
Trade union Uasa worried about gold sector job losses
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Mining Weekly reports that trade union Uasa says it is continuing its battle against job losses at gold producer Pan African Resources’ Barberton Mines following the company’s notice of possible retrenchments and restructuring late last year.
Johannesburg Road Agency CEO Tshepo Mahanuke suspended amid ongoing fake qualification claims
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News24 reports that Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) Chief Executive Officer Tshepo Mahanuke has been suspended following questions about the credibility of his qualifications.
City of Cape Town instituted disciplinary action against 326 staff members in current year
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Weekend Argus reports that the City of Cape Town instituted disciplinary action against no less than 326 of its staff members during the current financial year.
Confusion over load-shedding outlook after De Ruyter shoots down Eskom chair’s idea of permanent stage 2 or 3 for next two years
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BL Premium reports that Eskom’s board chair and the utility’s CEO have given conflicting statements about the outlook for rolling electricity outages.
Health department process to compensate miners who contracted TB or silicosis starts in KZN
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TimesLive reports that the Department of Health (DOH) will from Monday start with the screening, verification, medical examination and payment of benefits to eligible former mineworkers who contracted tuberculosis (TB) or silicosis in March 1965 and December 2019.
Northern Cape farm owners urged to give workers regular breaks amid deadly heatwave
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EWN reports that Northern Cape provincial leaders have urged farm owners to give workers regular breaks. Farmers are also expected to provide sunscreen lotions and protective gear, such as hats and lightweight loose clothing, to their workers.
DA and ANC face off in court on Monday over constitutionality of cadre deployment
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News24 reports that in what could be a landmark court case, the Democratic Alliance (DA) will face off against the ANC in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday, where the DA will be asking the court to declare the governing party's policy of cadre deployment illegal and unconstitutional.
UCT vice-chancellor says university working tirelessly to avert wage strike by academic staff
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News24 reports that the University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, says the institution will do everything it can to avert a strike by academic staff after wage negotiations deadlocked.
Roundup on Monday, 23 January 2023 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, 20 January 2023.
University of Fort Hare employee found tied up and gagged in his flat after his absence from work was noticed
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The Citizen reports that the apparent intimidation of some University of Fort Hare staffers seems to be continuing unabated. A university employee was on Wednesday found in his flat with his hands tied and mouth gagged.
Post Office wants to cut salaries, working hours in bid to slash staff costs
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Fin24 reports that the SA Post Office (SAPO) is considering strategies to reduce its "unsustainable" staff bill, which currently accounts for 68% of its expenditure.
No rush to roll out NHI as government first needs R200bn to fix hospitals, says Phaahla
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News24 reports that the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) plan won't be rushed as the government needs an estimated R200 billion to fix dilapidated hospitals – money which won't be available in the short or medium term.
Pretoria streets expected to be affected by march on Friday against electricity tariff hike
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IOL reports that a number of streets in the Pretoria CBD will be temporarily cordoned off on Friday as members of the civil rights movement #NotInMyName will be marching against load shedding and increased electricity tariffs.
Morning roundup of labour news on Friday, 20 January 2023
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In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
PIC strongly refutes Government Employee Pension Fund insolvency claims
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Moneyweb reports that the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has refuted claims circulating on social media that the Government Employee Pension Fund (GEPF) is facing insolvency risks as a result of an alleged £158 billion (R3.3 trillion) legal claim against its portfolio of assets.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 19 January 2023
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In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Unions in motor sector furious about Nxesi’s ‘delay’ in gazetting wage hike deal
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BL Premium reports that unions in the motor industry are frustrated over Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) Minister Thulas Nxesi’s “delay” in gazetting a collective wage agreement signed by parties.
Staff held at gunpoint while Joburg TV station ransacked on Monday night
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News24 reports that the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) has condemned a robbery at a newly launched broadcast station in Houghton, Johannesburg.
Security guard killed, another wounded in hijacking in King Shaka International Airport on Tuesday evening
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News24 reports that a security guard was shot and killed during a hijacking in the King Shaka International Airport precinct on Tuesday evening.
Governor Kganyago says Reserve Bank lacks tools to create jobs, as ANC wants mandate change
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Bloomberg News reports that according to SA Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago, persistently high unemployment in SA is a structural problem that the central bank does not have the tools to address and it should be dealt with by changing the nation’s education policy.
Consumer inflation cools slightly to 7.2% in December, but food prices remain red hot
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Fin24 reports that annual consumer price inflation cooled to 7.2% in December, down from 7.4% in November and 7.6% in October, Statistics SA reported on Wednesday.
Legal action to stop load shedding a ‘futile exercise’, say experts
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The Citizen writes that while there is wide enthusiasm and hope pinned on pending legal action to force Eskom and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to end load shedding, legal experts aren’t hopeful, saying it is likely to be a practically futile exercise.
This is how National Energy Crisis Committee plans to get more power to the people
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Bloomberg reports that the National Energy Crisis Committee, a body run by the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa, expects record power outages to ease as measures — including a new law to fast-track plant development — take effect.
Ramaphosa says Eskom must be cautious in implementing tariff increases
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BL Premium reports that according to the Presidency, President Cyril Ramaphosa believes Eskom has to be cautious and considerate in applying the recently-approved electricity tariff increase as South Africans are already under severe financial pressure.
Load shedding: ‘We are in big trouble with food prices’, economist warns
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The Citizen reports that Prof Jannie Rossouw of the Wits Business School is extremely worried about the impact of the current bout of load shedding on food prices.
Second senior finance official at defence department leaves under cloud
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BL Premium reports that a top finance official in the Department of Defence has quietly resigned, becoming the second senior bureaucrat to leave the ministry in recent months as it grapples with a shrinking budget and heightened scrutiny by the auditor-general of its bookkeeping practices.
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 18 January 2023
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In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Police killer sentenced to life imprisonment for 2019 murder of KZN detective
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IOL reports that the Mtubatuba High Court has sentenced 24-year-old Phumowakhe Ndwandwe to life imprisonment for the murder of Detective Sergeant Sakhile Nsibande, who was fatally shot in the line of duty in 2019.
Legal action taken against Ramaphosa over inaction on energy law and planning
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BL Premium reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a legal challenge over his failure to implement legislation directing energy planning.