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.
Lottery’s chief operations officer suspended for the third time for suspected corruption
- Details
GroundUp reports that embattled National Lotteries Commission chief operations officer Phillemon Letwaba has been suspended for the third time and will now face another disciplinary inquiry.
Acting minister of public service & administration expects pace of lifestyle audits of public servants to accelerate
- Details
BL Premium reports that acting Department of Public Service & Administration (DPSA) Minister Thulas Nxesi indicated last week that the lifestyle audits of public servants have been taking place slowly as the capacity to carry them out has had o be built up first.
GEPF warns of a temporary liquidity crisis if public servants resign en masse to cash out their pension funds
- Details
Business Times reports that the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) has warned of a temporary liquidity crisis if public servants resign en masse to cash out their pension funds.
Saftu to stage nation-wide strike on 24 August over rising cost of living
- Details
Fin24 reports that a national strike across the country in protest against the rising cost of living, load shedding, "privatisation" of state-owned entities and other economic challenges will take place on 24 August.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 9 August 2022
- Details
In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 5 August 2022.
Study shows that with sharp rise in cost of living, domestic workers are feeling it most
- Details
The Citizen reports that according to a survey by SweepSouth on pay and working conditions for domestic workers, at least 79% of domestic workers are sole breadwinners, with 64% being single mothers.
DMRE reports overall improvement in mining health, safety record for year to date
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that the number of mining fatalities, injuries and diseases has decreased for the year to date as compared with the same period last year.
Solidarity sends list of 300 power experts to Pravin Gordhan, Eskom
- Details
Engineering News reports that Solidarity sent a list of skilled power experts to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Eskom CEO André de Ruyter on Thursday.
Cosatu protesters heckle and turn away City of Cape Town official, demand that mayor should address them
- Details
News24 reports that the chief of staff of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis was heckled and turned away by fed-up Cosatu members, who took to the city's streets on Thursday to protest against violent crime and high fuel prices plaguing the working class.
SANDF to shed over 3,000 members in the next three years
- Details
The Citizen reports that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) will shed in excess of 3,000 members over the next three years in order to stay within its budget allocation.
Investec budgets up to R2m for personal security costs in SA of each executive
- Details
BL Premium reports that Investec will pay up to £100,000 (R2.02m) to cover the personal security costs of each of its executive directors in SA due to concerns about the country’s rising crime levels.
Forty-four experts to be appointed to design details of NHI scheme from January 2023
- Details
Financial Mail reports that forty-four technical positions for the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme have been approved by the minister of public service & administration, and the National Treasury has given permission for R30m of this financial year’s NHI budget to be used for salaries for the new posts.
Bus subsidies need to be increased, says Putco as it pauses fare hike while waiting for government’s response
- Details
SowetanLive reports that bus company Putco wants the government to increase its subsidy, saying the rising fuel costs have made it difficult to continue operating.
Union claims government is stalling as public sector wage talks hit another delay
- Details
Fin24 reports that public sector wage talks have hit another speed bump, with the Public Servants Association (PSA) accusing government of using delay tactics to frustrate the process.
Morning roundup of labour news on Friday, 5 August 2022
- Details
In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Go-slow by eThekwini municipal workers over overtime budget cut delays waste collection, cleaning services in Durban
- Details
News24 reports that Durban waste collection has been affected by an eThekwini municipal worker go-slow that staff are staging to protest against an overtime budget cut.
Cosatu ready for battle over immediate access of workers to their retirement funds
- Details
BL Premium reports that a major battle is in the offing between Cosatu and the retirement industry over worker access to retirement savings, with the labour federation rejecting as inadequate the limited access in the draft legislation published by the National Treasury last week on the envisaged two-pot system.
Numsa headed for wage strike in the motor retail and components sector over higher wages
- Details
BusinessLive reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says that, while it is still committed to break a wage deadlock in the motor sector, it is readying members ahead of what is “seemingly going to be a national strike” after parties could not find each other after two days of talks.
Cosatu Western Cape says its protest in Cape Town on Thursday will go ahead
- Details
EWN reports that the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the Western Cape says its planned protest will go ahead on Thursday, despite Premier Alan Winde saying that the union's march was misguided.
Public Protector launches new ‘own-initiative’ probe into 'health and safety hazards' at Phoenix mortuary
- Details
News24 reports that the Public Protector SA (PPSA) has launched a new "own-initiative systemic investigation" into conditions at the Phoenix mortuary in Durban.
Numsa Western Cape calls for invalidation of decisions taken at union’s 11th congress
- Details
EWN reports that according to the Western Cape region of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), union bosses were reaping what they had sown.
Eskom in the clutches of internal and external criminals, with senior managers having to use bodyguards in public spaces
- Details
TimesLive reports that Eskom is experiencing such high crime levels that the lives of senior managers and their family members are threatened and they have to use bodyguards in public spaces.
Intercape bus driver shot and critically wounded in Cape Town
- Details
Weekend Argus reports that a driver from long-distance coach company Intercape was shot and critically wounded outside the company’s depot in Airport Industria, Cape Town, on Sunday evening.
SARS opens more branches, all of its customs offices as unions wait to discuss wages on Wednesday
- Details
Fin24 reports that as a nationwide strike continues, the SA Revenue Service (SARS) announced on Tuesday that it had been able to open all 23 of its customs offices and reduce the number of closed SARS branches to 17.
PSA concerned as Finance Minister takes lead in public sector wage talks
- Details
Fin24 reports that much to the chagrin of at least one union, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is set to play a more prominent in the ongoing public service wage negotiations as the government looks to make savings on its biggest spending item.
Numsa says it is ‘uniting membership’ after internal ructions
- Details
BL Premium reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), the country’s biggest, and arguably the wealthiest union, says it is now focusing on uniting its membership after a faction successfully applied for a court order stopping the recent national elective congress from going ahead until the union complied with its own constitution.
One dead as police exchange gunfire with zama zamas in Krugersdorp on Tuesday
- Details
TimesLive reports that police and alleged “zama zamas” (illegal miners) exchanged gunfire on Tuesday after a raid at a disused mine off the R28 in Luipaardsvlei, Krugersdorp.
Ten years on, not all Marikana widows have received their promised houses
- Details
Mail & Guardian reports that as the 10 year anniversary of the massacre that claimed the lives of 44 mineworkers, police officers and security guards in Marikana in August 2012 draws near, some widows of the tragedy are still waiting for houses promised to them in the aftermath.
Absa’s third-quarter economic outlook foresees food inflation peaking in November
- Details
Engineering News reports that Absa Corporate and Investment Banking in its 'South Africa Third Quarter 2022 Quarterly Perspectives', says it expects food inflation to rise from 8.6% to a peak of 11.5% in November, before falling back to 4.8% by the end of 2023.
Amid crunch talks, Numsa says it wants to avoid strike action in the retail motor sector
- Details
BL Premium reports that operations at car dealerships, fuel stations, auto-spare assembly centres and panel-beating workshops could grind to a screeching halt across the country if no wage agreement is reached between the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and employers in the retail motor sector.