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.
Unisa meets with Nehawu after disgruntled workers disrupt graduation ceremony
- Details
EWN reports that the University of SA (Unisa) advised on Wednesday that a meeting between its management and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) had taken place after disgruntled workers affiliated to the union disrupted a graduation ceremony on Tuesday.
Cricket SA finally names new permanent CEO
- Details
BusinessLive reports that Cricket SA ended its long search for a new CEO by announcing on Wednesday that Pholetsi Moseki, who had been acting in the position, would be the organisation’s new boss.
Petrol price looks set to hit R24 a litre from April
- Details
BL Premium reports that South Africans can expect record fuel price increases in April, which will be yet another blow to already embattled consumers.
Platinum workers eye windfall increases as wage talks near
- Details
Bloomberg reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), which is SA’s biggest platinum mining union, will next week start submitting wage demands to PGM (platinum group metals) producers as workers push for a share of the windfall profits brought by rallying metal prices.
Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold wage strike continues as parties dig in heels
- Details
BL Premium reports that as the industrial action at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operation continues, the two big unions striking for higher wages say they are in it for the long haul.
Saftu seeks to suspend Zwlinzima Vavi over alleged administrative, finance policy breaches
- Details
EWN reports that the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has served its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi with a letter of intention to place him on precautionary suspension.
Facing calls for his exit, Comair CEO pleads with workers to help get flights in air
- Details
EWN reports that as workers blamed Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond for glaring failures that have cost the company its operating licence, the man in charge of the grounded airline operator has insisted that everyone is on the same side.
Registration fee hike effected followed ‘extensive’ consultations with medical and dental professions board, says HPCSA
- Details
The Citizen reports that the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) says the annual registration fee increase that has angered healthcare workers was effected following consultations with the medical and dental professions board.
West Rand Covid hospital donated by AngloGold and refurbished for R500m faces uncertainty as 20 staff members set to leave
- Details
City Press reports that it is not yet clear what will happen to the multimillion-rand hospital in Carletonville on the West Rand as about 20 staff members are set to leave at the end of this month.
'No reason to continue state of disaster', says AfriForum as it heads to court
- Details
News24 reports that civil rights organisation AfriForum, which started legal action last month to nullify the national state of disaster, on Tuesday condemned the government's decision to extend it by a month.
Numsa: Comair board must fire CEO Orsmond to show airline is its priority
- Details
EWN reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said at a picket protest on Tuesday that Comair’s board must demonstrate that it had the airline’s best interests at heart by replacing CEO Glenn Orsmond with someone who would improve the company’s performance.
Huawei agrees to achieve 50% local workforce within three years
- Details
BL Premium reports that Huawei Technologies SA has agreed to ensure that South Africans account for at least half of its local workforce after the government took the Chinese technology firm to court in February for flouting quotas on foreign employees.
Ministers mull suspension of fuel taxes as one route to cheaper petrol
- Details
BL Premium reports that as consumers and businesses brace for even higher petrol prices and the government upgraded its inflation forecast, ministers said they were considering a suspension of the fuel levy to ease the impact of surging oil prices.
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
- Details
In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Four people treated for smoke inhalation during Durban factory blaze
- Details
TimesLive reports that firefighters on Monday extinguishing a blaze at a factory in Durban in which four people suffered smoke inhalation after they helped to try to extinguish the blaze.
Nurses protest over alleged terminated contracts by the Western Cape health department
- Details
Cape Argus reports that a group of post-community service nursing practitioners, supported by the EFF’s Labour Desk, held a picket in front of the Western Cape legislature on Monday over the alleged termination of their contracts by the Department of Health (DOH) due to the issuing of nursing membership certificates by the SA Nursing Council (SANC) having been delayed.
Government extends national state of disaster for another month, with a further extension likely
- Details
BL Premium reports that the government is likely to extend the national state of disaster beyond the one-month extension announced on Tuesday, because the extension may not provide enough time for public consultation on alternative legislation for managing the pandemic.
Gqeberha bus shelters in ruins after contractor who has been paid nearly R25m abandons work
- Details
GroundUp reports that the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has paid nearly R25 million for the construction of bus shelters, but the contractor has abandoned the work and the shelters are in ruins.
As 130 staffers threaten court action, City of Joburg insists reversal of contract conversion is final
- Details
News24 reports that the City of Johannesburg insists that the decision of its council in February to reverse the contract conversion of a group of 130 staffers is final and will not be rescinded.
Agri SA calls on government to suspend fuel levies while Ukraine-Russia crisis persists
- Details
BL Premium reports that an agribusiness lobby group on Monday called on the government to suspend fuel levies while the Ukraine-Russia crisis persists to help contain food prices.
Following disruptive protests, Gauteng signs agreement with driving school operators to create consultative platform
- Details
The Citizen reports that the Gauteng department of roads and transport has signed an agreement with the provincial leg of the National Driving School Association of SA (NDSASA) and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
Numsa to picket outside Comair office to demand removal of CEO Glenn Orsmond
- Details
The Citizen reports that while Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu has expressed concern over the grounding of all Comair flights indefinitely, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has announced that it will stage a picket outside the carrier’s office demanding the removal of CEO Glenn Orsmond.
MPs shocked and concerned with the dilapidated state of Cape Town train stations
- Details
Cape Argus reports that such has been the sheer destruction at some Western Cape railway stations it left a group of parliamentarians, tasked with the oversight of public accounts, in a state of shock.
CCMA upholds yet another “anti-vaxxer” dismissal, but found employer at fault for dismissing the worker via a Whatsapp message, without proper consultation
- Details
GroundUp reports that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has ruled that the dismissal of an “anti-vaxxer” was fair but in the same breath found the employer to be at fault for sending him a “do or leave” Whatsapp message, without proper consultation.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 15 March 2022
- Details
In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Ex-principal struck from teaching register for forcing pupil to search for phone in pit toilet
- Details
News24 reports that Lubeko Mgandela, a former Eastern Cape school principal who instructed a pupil to search for his lost phone among faeces in a pit toilet, has been removed from the register of educators and will never be allowed to work with children again.
Absa predicts a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections could hit SA as early as next month
- Details
Fin24 reports that banking group Absa expects a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections to emerge as soon as next month.
Harmony employee killed in mine-related material car incident at Doornkop mine
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that a Harmony Gold employee was killed in a mine-related material car incident at the Doornkop mine, near Soweto on 11 March.
Solidarity, Uasa members no longer subject to lockout at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines after threat of court action
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that Sibanye-Stillwater says that Solidarity and Uasa have unconditionally accepted the wage offer for employees of its SA gold operations and members of these two trade unions will, therefore, no longer be locked out of the workplace.
State buildings in Pretoria shut down and government officials locked out over rent dispute
- Details
City Press reports that hundreds of police, naval officers and other government officials were locked out of their offices due to a rental dispute between the state and the owner of the buildings they occupy.