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 representing Mango employees claim they are being 'blackmailed' by SAA to drop their business rescue application
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Fin24 reports that the unions that have filed an urgent High Court application to have Mango Airlines placed in business rescue claim that its parent company, SA Airways (SAA), is trying to get them to drop the case in return for getting money transferred to pay outstanding salaries.
PSA welcomes closure of 'death trap' Musina Magistrate's Court for health and safety act violations
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News24 reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) has welcomed the closure of the "death trap" Musina Magistrate's Court, which it believed was "in danger of collapsing, owing to structure support failure".
Nearly a quarter of Sibanye-Stillwater’s South African employees now Covid-19 vaccinated
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Mining Weekly reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater has vaccinated just over 8,500 of its South African employees in the last week, bringing the total number of vaccinated employees to 18,500.
Gold Fields vaccinating South Deep mine employees, contractors
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Mining Weekly reports that gold producer Gold Fields’ South Deep mine has received permission from the Department of Health to provide on-site vaccinations to all employees and contractors who wish to be vaccinated during the week of 26 to 31 July.
Covid-19 anti-vaxxers face being hit with increased Discovery Life premiums
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Sunday Times Daily reports that anti-vaxxers who don’t take the Covid-19 jab could “unfortunately” be hit with higher Discovery Life premiums, while those who are vaccinated will benefit from lower premiums.
Police hunt for four suspects involved in two attacks on Tuesday on Mpumalanga cops
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TimesLIVE reports that Mpumalanga police are on the hunt for four men in connection with two hijacking and shooting incidents involving two police officers this week. The incidents happened on Tuesday in Acornhoek and Carolina respectively.
Four ex-Nelson Mandela Bay officials and three others in court for R25.6m fraud and corruption, late former mayor linked to case
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News24 reports that seven people, comprising four former Nelson Mandela Bay metro employees and three company directors, appeared in the Gqeberha Magistrate's Court on Thursday for allegedly contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act, corruption, money laundering, racketeering and fraud.
Uber launches women-only passenger feature for female drivers in SA
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News24 reports that ride-hailing app Uber has launched a women-only feature that will give female drivers the option to select a preference to pick up passengers of the same sex.
Afrobarometer survey shows that four out of 10 ‘very unlikely’ to get vaccinated against coronavirus
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BL Premium reports that survey released on Wednesday by research network Afrobarometer shows that more than 50% of South Africans say they are unlikely to try to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and almost as many believe prayer offers better protection than a jab.
Glencore starts vaccinating South African staff against Covid-19 infections
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Mining Weekly reports that diversified miner Glencore Operations SA has started vaccinating its staff members who are 50 years and older.
Labour director-general says risk assessments on pandemic and vaccinations must be concluded with employees
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Fin24 reports that at a briefing on Wednesday afternoon following meetings that the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) had held with the National Economic Development and Labour Council, DEL director-general Thobile Lamati said if an employer has concluded risk assessments on the pandemic and vaccination with employees, the department could not intervene to stop an employer from disciplining or dismissing employees for refusing to be vaccinated.
Education department denies 'no jab, no job’, says no teacher compelled to get Covid-19 vaccination
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News24 reports that according to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), at no stage has it compelled employees to be vaccinated for Covid-19.
Grants unsustainable, labour regulations must be scrapped, says Solidarity
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Trade union Solidarity has strongly criticised the government’s efforts to find solutions to the economic crisis in which SA currently finds itself.
Labour Minister says UIF directive is in the works to help employees of looted businesses
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Fin24 reports that Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Thulas Nxesi says his department will soon develop and issue a directive for the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to assist employees who have lost their jobs due to the recent unrest that rocked SA.
Five arrested for murder of two North West policemen found dead in burnt-out patrol vehicle
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News24 reports that five suspects were arrested by the Hawks in the early hours of Wednesday in Logageng village in the North West for their alleged involvement in the murder of two Mareetsane police officers.
Protest over unpaid wages leads to stand-off between private security and construction workers in Sandton
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News24 reports that a labour dispute, allegedly over unpaid wages, led to a stand-off between private security and construction workers in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
EFF march to Pretoria old age home over alleged unfair labour practices leads to tense stand-off
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News24 reports that a march to an old age home in Pretoria turned tense on Wednesday following a heated stand-off between residents, an Afrikaner group and the EFF.
Complaint submitted by Solidarity to UN against government’s racial policy
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Trade union Solidarity on Wednesday lodged a complaint against the SA government’s racial policy with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 29 July 2021
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In our morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of recent South African labour-
labour-related reports.
Numsa rejects Seifsa’s wage offer and declares a deadlock
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Engineering News reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has declared a deadlock in wage negotiations with the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa).
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 28 July 2021
- Details
In our morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of recent South African labour-
labour-related reports.
Tension brewing over the recruitment of workers for City of Cape Town EPWP jobs
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Cape Argus reports that tensions are brewing between residents and community structures in Thembokwezi, Khayelitsha, over the recruitment of workers for Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) jobs.
Another R50m paid to artists and athletes in relief funds
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Independent Media reports that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has paid more than R50 million to artists and athletes as part of the third phase of relief funds that totalled about R70m.
Unions should push harder for teachers to get vaccinated against Covid-19
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GroundUp writes that schools reopened on Monday with over 430,000 teachers vaccinated against Covid-19, which was good news. But many tens of thousands of teachers remain unvaccinated.
Saftu says social relief grant of R350 is an insult to the poor
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The Star reports that the return of the R350 grant for the unemployed has left the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) with a bitter taste in the mouth, with the organisation calling the grant an “insult to the poor”.
Companies could legally fire you for not vaccinating, says public health lawyer
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The Citizen writes that SA’s trade union movement could soon find itself at loggerheads with employers over some workers refusing to be vaccinated against Covid.
'Calm and order' on Cape Town public transport restored after taxi route closed
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Cape Argus reports that news of calm and order being restored on all public transport routes in Cape Town since the closure of the B97 route between Paarl and Bellville on Monday has been lauded.
DA to bring PAIA applications to get more information from government about Cubans employed in SA
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News24 reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) wants the government to come clean on its agreements with Cuba to employ its citizens in South Africa, which has cost the government more than R1.4 billion.
ANC pays its staff for June, but says July’s salaries, which were due on Sunday, will be delayed
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TimesLIVE reports that the African National Congress (ANC) has finally paid its employees their June salaries, but has yet to pay what it owes them for July.
Minerals Council and unions reaffirm mining industry’s willingness to boost vaccination rollout
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Mining Weekly reports that the Minerals Council SA and several labour unions have reiterated their support for SA’s national Covid-19 vaccination programme and have urged all industry employees to choose to get vaccinated as soon as they have the opportunity to do so.