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.
Public Servants Association questions PIC stability after the exodus of several board members
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Business Report writes that the Public Servants Association (PSA) is extremely concerned about the Public Investment Corporation’s (PIC’s) stability amid recent media reports on the exodus of several of its board members.
Mandatory audit firm rotation should happen every five years, says Cosatu
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Moneyweb reports that according to Cosatu, reducing the mandatory audit firm rotation period from 10 years to five and entrenching it into law will be a critical tool in safeguarding against corruption in the public and private sector.
Families of Lily Mine victims speak of endless police harassment, death threats
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The Citizen reports that families of the deceased miners whose bodies are still trapped underground at Lily Mine have braved severe harassment in the last 650 days of camping outside the shaft as they hopelessly wait for their relatives to be retrieved.
Growing criticism with executive pay in SA, but shareholders don’t always indicate what’s at fault
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BL Premium writes that Astral Foods, SA’s biggest poultry producer, was right to question shareholders for them inexplicably voting down the company’s 2021 remuneration policy, as the new policy corrected gripes they had a year before.
Successful union campaign in Western Cape means that hospital cleaners will be among the first to receive Covid-19 vaccine
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Cape Argus reports that hospital cleaners will be among the first health-care workers to get inoculated when the Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out, partly as a result of a union campaign.
Compulsory vaccination in the workplace unlawful, says Solidarity
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Trade union Solidarity has made available a comprehensive legal opinion obtained from external legal counsel which shows that any unilateral decision to make vaccination compulsory in the workplace would be unlawful.
Cricket SA slaps Kugandrie Govender with second suspension after her return to work on Monday following CCMA reinstatement
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BusinessLive reports that Kugandrie Govender reported for duty on Monday after the CCMA lifted her suspension as Cricket SA’s (CSA’s) acting CEO‚ but her return to the office lasted just a few hours before she was sent packing again.
Court application by Numsa and Sacca over SAA wages dismissed by Labour Court
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BL Premium reports that the two biggest unions at SA Airways (SAA) are seeking legal advice after their urgent application over wages was thrown out of court this week.
About 500,000 doses of J&J vaccine available soon to SA health workers in ‘implementation study’
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TimesLIVE reports that according to Johnson & Johnson (J&J) co-principal investigator Prof Linda-Bekker, scientists have about 500,000 doses of the J&J Covid-19 vaccine ready to offer health-care workers countrywide in an “implementation study.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Monday, 8 February 2021
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Monday, 8 February 2021.
Prasa taken to Labour Court by three sacked executives
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GroundUp reports that three fired executives of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) have gone to the Labour Court to contest their dismissals.
Provident fund annuitisation kicks in from 1 March 2021
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Moneyweb reports that the Taxation Law Amendment Act of 2020 was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 20 January 2021.
Samwu’s auction of assets of Kopanong municipality to recover unpaid pension contributions halted
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Moneyweb reports that last week the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) was ordered to halt the auctioning of assets belonging to the Kopanong municipality.
Minister and health expert affirm that healthcare workers will not be Covid-19 vaccine guinea pigs
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TimesLIVE reports that healthcare workers would not be used as guinea pigs when SA rolls out its Covid-19 vaccination programme.
Former boss of Free State sports body to challenge dismissal in CCMA arbitration case
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BusinessLive reports that a battle for control of the Free State Sports Confederation (FSSC) is poised to play out in the arbitration hearing of fired CEO Jerry Segwaba scheduled to begin on Monday at the CCMA.
Essential services worker fired for not working during level 5 lockdown reinstated by CCMA
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GroundUp reports that a laboratory analyst fired for putting her family’s safety first and refusing to work during the Covid-19 level five lockdown has been reinstated.
Eastern Cape reverses decision to terminate employment of 600 post-community service nurses
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GroundUp reports that the Eastern Cape government has reversed a decision by its provincial department of health (DOH) to terminate the employment of 625 post-community service nurses.
Animal feed plant in Cookhouse shut down by wage dispute, striking workers dismissed
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GroundUp reports that about 25 workers at the Humansdorp Kooperasie in Cookhouse, Eastern Cape, have been dismissed after downing tools for over a week.
Commuter usage dramatically down, so Gautrain drops plan to buy second-hand trains, with Gautrain 2 expansion plan also on hold
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Business Insider SA reports that the Gautrain no longer believes it will soon need more trains to stop overcrowding during peak times.
Trade union attaches Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality assets over outstanding pay of R8.8m
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Moneyweb reports that the Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of SA (Demawusa) recently attached assets belonging to the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality over an outstanding R8.8 million in pay owed to 36 workers.
Golden Arrow taken to SA Human Rights Commission over robberies on busses
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Cape Argus reports that the Ukubavimba Foundation, a social justice and socio-economic development organisation, has lodged an official complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission (Sahrc) against Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs).
SIU report reveals 1,774 service providers under investigation for PPE corruption spree
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Sunday Independent reports that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has uncovered a six months looting bonanza between January and July last year that cost the state R13 billion.
Minerals Council survey shows 21% of miners in SA have Covid-19 antibodies
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Mining Weekly reports that the Minerals Council SA (MCSA) last year announced plans to undertake a series of surveys to better understand the progression of Covid-19 in local mining operations and it has recently received the results of the first phase of seroprevalence surveys.
In empowerment boost, Coca-Cola SA triples employee stake in the business, enables employee representation on board
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BL Premium reports that Coca-Cola Beverages SA (CCBSA) on Friday announced that it would transfer an additional 10% of shares to its employees, in a move to enhance its black economic empowerment (BEE) status and meet its revised merger conditions.
CEO of Road Traffic Infringement Agency placed on precautionary suspension
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BL Premium reports that the CEO of the agency responsible for adjudicating and enforcing road traffic fines has been placed under suspension on full pay pending a forensic investigation into allegations of serious maladministration highlighted in a report by the auditor-general.
Nursing union Denosa says SIU report on PPE corruption shows health workers were ‘never the priority to protect’
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News24 reports that the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) says a report by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that R13.3 billion of personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement is subject to investigation makes it clear that healthcare workers were "never the priority to protect".
Tourism Equity Fund suspended as Minister agrees to talks with Solidarity, AfriForum
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Engineering News reports that trade union Solidarity and civil rights organisation AfriForum have welcomed the decision by Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane to suspend the Tourism Equity Fund’s (TEF's) activities until discussions have taken place with the organisations.
Setback for SA’s rollout of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
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BL Premium reports that the SA government is scrambling to reorient its Covid-19 vaccination plans after new evidence emerged on Sunday that AstraZeneca’s vaccine does not protect people against mild to moderate disease caused by the new variant detected in SA late last year.
Roundup on Monday, 8 February 2021 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, 5 February 2021.
'Fake' advocate handed 10-year sentence in Bloemfontein court
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News24 reports that a ‘fake’ Free State advocate has been convicted of fraud for impersonating a defence attorney.