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.
Morning roundup of labour news on Friday, 4 November 2022
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In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Trial against two former Collins Chabane Municipality officials implicated in VBS saga delayed
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The Citizen reports that the trial against two former high-ranking officials of Collins Chabane Local Municipality implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal has been postponed to next week.
Tongaat Hulett business rescuers affirm that rights of employees will remain protected
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BL Premium reports that the Tongaat Hulett business-rescue practitioners (BRPs) affirmed on Thursday that in line with the Labour Relations Act (LRA), the rights of employees of the group would remain protected during the business rescue process.
Independent body to determine ministers' perks and benefits, Ramaphosa tells MPs
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TimesLive reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa told MPs on Thursday that work was under way to have an independent body help determine cabinet ministers' perks and benefits such as free electricity and water.
Transnet to reprioritise operating budget to allow for extra wage increases
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BL Premium reports that Transnet group CEO Portia Derby says the rail and ports utility will have to reprioritise its operating budget to allow for the extra increases they awarded to striking workers a few weeks ago.
Bodies of two more suspected illegal miners found in Krugersdorp mine, bringing death toll to 21
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News24 reports that the mayor of Mogale City, Tyrone Gray, believes that more bodies of suspected illegal miners could be trapped underground at a mineshaft in Krugersdorp, on the West Rand.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 3 November 2022
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In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Old visa applications stuck in centralised pipeline will be processed by SA missions
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BL Premium reports that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will allow officials at SA missions abroad to process visa applications received between 12 January and the end of August.
Tongaat Hulett business rescue team says it will make good on payments due to thousands of cane growers
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BL Premium reports that according to the SA Farmers Development Association (Safda), the business rescue practitioners tasked with resuscitating debt-laden Tongaat Hulett have vowed to make the outstanding R400m payment to thousands of cane growers for September cane deliveries.
Police discover bodies of 19 alleged illegal miners at mine in Krugersdorp
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The Citizen reports that police in Gauteng have confirmed the discovery of 19 bodies of alleged illegal miners at one of the active mines in the Krugersdorp area, on Wednesday.
Two traffic officers kidnapped in Vrede, released in Walkerville
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TimesLive reports that robbers travelling in three vehicles disarmed and kidnapped two traffic officers in Vrede in the Free State on Wednesday morning.
Court clarifies that work beyond retirement age doesn’t mean contract can’t be terminated later on grounds of age
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In a letter to the editor, Michael Bagraim, DA shadow deputy employment and labour minister and well-known labour lawyer, writes as follows below.
Growth of 5% is the minimum SA needs to reduce unemployment, says Reserve Bank deputy governor
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Bloomberg News reports that according to SA Reserve Bank deputy governor Rashad Cassim, SA’s economy needs to expand consistently at 5% for years to create jobs and lower an unemployment rate that is among the world’s highest.
Sibanye-Stillwater retrenchments are 'punishment' for strike, claims NUM
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Fin24 reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has labelled Sibanye-Stillwater's plans to restructure its gold operations, and potentially retrench more than 2,000 workers, as a "form of punishment" for a three-month strike at its operations this year.
Four more public sector unions issued with non-resolution certificates over wage increases
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Fin24 reports that the risk of more public service unions going on strike heightened sharply on Tuesday after four public sector unions at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) were given certificates of non-resolution in the deadlocked public wage negotiations.
Mhlathuze Water pays workers housing allowance, but threat of another illegal strike not eliminated
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IOL reports that despite having made a last-minute back payment over the weekend to disgruntled workers who engaged in an illegal strike, Mhlathuze Water is still on edge over a still unresolved dispute.
Sibanye-Stillwater starts consultations that may lead to 2,000 job cuts at gold operations
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BL Premium reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater has entered into consultations with organised labour and affected stakeholders to restructure parts of its local gold operations which could lead to about 2,000 job losses.
Nearly 15,000 jobs on the line as Tongaat Hulett misses payment to cane growers
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BL Premium reports that according to the SA Canegrowers Association, nearly 15,000 permanent and seasonal farm workers employed by sugar cane growers are at risk of losing their jobs after beleaguered sugar company Tongaat Hulett missed a payment due on Monday.
Public sector wage strike looms after conciliation talks collapsed and strike certificates issued
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BL Premium reports that four more public service unions were issued with strike certificates on Wednesday after marathon talks failed to break the wage deadlock at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC), bringing the country a step closer to debilitating strike action that could cripple government services.
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 2 November 2022
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In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
With union membership in SA climbing to more than four million, Nxesi warns of militant labour, unprotected strikes
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Fin24 reports that according to Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Thulas Nxesi, trade union membership in SA grew from 3.5 million members in 2013/14 to over 4 million in 2020/21.
Five buses torched at Putco's Joburg depot on Sunday night
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News24 reports that five buses were torched at bus company Putco's Nancefield depot in Johannesburg on Sunday night. Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said the buses, belonging to contractors, were set alight by a group of people.
As public sector talks sour further, PSA set to stage ‘stayaway’ on Wednesday
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Fin24 reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) will officially begin its first public service strike in over a decade with a "stayaway" on Wednesday, to be followed by pickets and mass action around the country from next week Thursday.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 1 November 2022
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In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Former Nkomazi municipal manager arrested for allegedly buying R900,000 second-hand Mercedes with municipal funds
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News24 reports that the former municipal manager of the Nkomazi Local Municipality in Malelane, Muzi Daniel Ngwenya, has been granted R10,000 bail following his arrest on fraud allegations surrounding the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz.
Sibanye-Stillwater and AMCU conclude five year platinum wage deal
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Fin24 reports that Sibanye-Stillwater and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) have concluded a five-year wage agreement covering employees at the group’s platinum group metal (PGM) mines.
Public servant unions plan picket protests across the country on Monday
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BL Premium reports that various trade unions representing public servants including nurses, doctors and police officers will hold mass picket demonstrations across the country on Monday as they push for bigger wage hikes.
Roundup on Monday, 31 October 2022 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, 28 October 2022.
Tongaat Hulett says business rescue not 'the end of the road' for its SA sugar business, asks employees to continue as normal
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Fin24 reports that Tongaat Hulett says its board’s decision to put its SA operations into business rescue after a restructuring plan failed to garner support from lenders is not the end of the road for one of KwaZulu-Natal's biggest employers.
Medium-term budget policy statement “lukewarm”, says Cosatu
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BL Premium reports that labour federation Cosatu has described the medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) presented by Finance Minister Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday as “lukewarm” and said it was concerned that it had not been bold enough in addressing the economy, which has been “stagnant for over a decade”.