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.
Claim that SA’s employment tax incentive is a success story refuted
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Seán Mfundza Muller, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg, writes that the youth employment tax incentive, which came into effect in 2014, was supposed to help in addressing the problem that SA has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
IPID: Eleven cops fired in 2020/21 for 'high impact' crimes like rape and corruption
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News24 reports that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has revealed that 11 SA Police Service (SAPS) officers have been dismissed from service for cases relating to rape, corruption and death due to police action.
Morning roundup of labour news on Friday, 1 October 2021
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In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Northam’s countercyclical growth strategy created 8,000 jobs since 2015, with over 2,000 this year
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Mining Weekly reports that the record operational and financial performance of Northam Platinum in the 12 months to 30 June was accompanied by the creation of 2,335 new sustainable jobs.
'We remain sceptical about vaccine certificates', says Cosatu
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TimesLIVE reports that Cosatu has called for health authorities to take Covid-19 vaccination to townships, informal areas, taxi ranks, churches, farms and villages as part of scaling up the programme to the required 70% of the adult population by the end of this year.
Woolworths to hike store employees’ minimum wages by 24% to R41 per hour by 2023
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Fin24 reports that Woolworths wants to increase the hourly minimum wage paid to its store employees by almost 24% in the next two years.
Numsa gives notice of commencement on 5 October of wage strike in the metals and engineering sector
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Engineering News reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has officially served a notice of strike action in the metals and engineering industries sector.
Move to lockdown level 1 gives hard-hit industries some relief
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BusinessLive reports that as SA emerges from its third wave of coronavirus infections, cabinet has agreed to further ease lockdown restrictions and move the country from adjusted alert level 2 to level 1.
Man claims he was mocked about bleeding eye injury at factory accused of having violating labour laws
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News24 reports that a witness who testified against seven Chinese nationals accused of human trafficking and violating labour laws was accused by the defence on Thursday of being told what to say in court.
Senior Eastern Cape education official, her husband and brother in court for R4m PPE fraud
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News24 reports that the Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation) arrested a senior Eastern Cape education official after she was reported to the police by her sister for allegedly defrauding the department of R4 million.
Six more health officials put on precautionary suspension over Digital Vibes scandal
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BL Premium reports that health minister Joe Phaahla announced on Thursday morning that six health department officials implicated in the Special Investigation Unit’s (SIU’s) investigation into the Digital Vibes scandal were to be placed on precautionary suspension.
Thousands of jobs vacant in SA's IT sector, survey finds
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Fin24 reports that thousands of jobs must be filled in South Africa's IT sector, according to a new skills survey. The 2021 ICT Skills Survey assessed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown on working conditions and skills supply and demand in SA.
Minister Ebrahim Patel says shareholders, not the government, will set executive pay
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BL Premium reports that trade, industry & competition minister Ebrahim Patel said on Wednesday that the government was not seeking to prescribe the salary structures of executives in public companies.
Rival unions unite in dispute with Sibanye-Stillwater over wage increases
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Bloomberg reports that SA’s long-divided mining unions are forging a united front against the industry’s largest employer with a dispute over wage negotiations with Sibanye-Stillwater.
Principal of Soweto school accused of ’sex for jobs’ chased away by community
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The Star reports that the principal of Soweto’s Adelaide Tambo School for learners with special needs has been chased away from the school after he was accused of exchanging jobs for sex.
Momentum Metropolitan Health signs BEE deal with Nehawu and Popcru
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BL Premium reports that the Momentum Metropolitan Health Group has announced a BBBEE deal that brings in the investment arms of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) and the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) as shareholders in the business.
Health department starts disciplinary process against staff named in report on Digital Vibes scandal
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BL Premium reports that the Department of Health (DOH) has initiated disciplinary proceedings against officials implicated in the hard-hitting report by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into the Digital Vibes corruption scandal, in which R150m was funnelled to an obscure communications company run by close associates of former health minister Zweli Mkhize.
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 29 September 2021
- Details
In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Public Servants Association welcomes appointment of Thobakgale as acting DCS national commissioner
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EWN reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) has welcomed the appointment of Makgothi Thobakgale as the acting National Commissioner for the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). Justice Minister Ronald Lamola announced Thobakgale's appointment on Monday.
Solidarity announces 'settlement' in Post Office medical aid contributions case
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Fin24 reports that trade union Solidarity indicated on Tuesday that it had reached a "settlement" with the SA Post Office (SAPO) and MEDiPOS in an ongoing storm over medical aid contributions and that this settlement had been ratified as a court order by the Labour Court in Johannesburg.
Sizwe, Hosmed get green light to merge, creating SA’s eighth largest open medical scheme
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Personal Finance reports that the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) has approved the merger of Hosmed Medical Scheme and Sizwe Medical Fund, to form what will be known as Sizwe Hosmed Medical Scheme.
More than 80,000 formal jobs lost in the second quarter of 2021
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Fin24 reports that the latest Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) survey released by Statistics SA on Tuesday showed that the number of people employed in the formal, non-agricultural sector fell by 86,000 from the first to the second quarter to around 9.57 million.
Pietermaritzburg traffic officers shut down City Hall on Tuesday over grievances
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The Witness reports that Msunduzi traffic officers shut down the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on Tuesday demanding that the municipal management should respond to their grievances.
Stellenbosch University considering mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for staff and students
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News24 reports that Stellenbosch University (SU) has confirmed it will be looking into mandatory vaccination for students ahead of the 2022 academic year.
Employers in metals and engineering sector to lock out workers if Numsa embarks on wage strike on 5 October
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BL Premium reports that employers in the metals and engineering industries are bracing for the worst as the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has indicated that it will strike from 5 October for better pay in the sector.
Naspers weighs mandatory Covid-19 jabs for SA staff
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Bloomberg News reports that Naspers is considering making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for SA staff after the country’s largest medical scheme administrator took the step earlier in September.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 28 September 2021
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In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
Report on Covid-19 relief fund for artists reveals National Arts Council overshot budget by more than double
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News24 reports that a forensic report has revealed that the National Arts Council (NAC), which was tasked with allocating nearly R300 million in Covid-19 relief funds to artists, overshot its budget and approved more than double the amount that had been allocated.
GEMS reveals eye-popping scams, including pharmacy syndicates and crooked dieticians
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Fin24 reports that according to the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), which is SA's biggest medical scheme for public servants, the country is losing R22 billion a year to fraud, waste and abuse in the healthcare industry.
Jobs in SA’s film industry cut by 60% during lockdown, with little government relief
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Business Insider SA reports that SA’s film and video industry has been devasted by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, while relief measures offered by government have been inadequate to stave off major job losses.