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.
Saying there's work to be done, Eskom CEO won't be stepping aside during racism probe
- Details
Fin24 reports that Eskom CEO André de Ruyter, who is facing allegations of racism, says he won't step aside while a probe against him is being conducted.
Healthcare workers made up 60% of Discovery Life's R1.5bn Covid-19-related claims
- Details
Fin24 reports that Discovery's life insurance business, Discovery Life, has paid out a total of R1.5 billion in Covid-19-related claims to date and has flagged that its healthcare worker clients were disproportionately affected.
Cosatu 'not interested' in Mbalula, Sisulu twar, says it is symptomatic of lack of discipline in ANC
- Details
Independent Media reports that labour federation Cosatu has expressed disinterest in a Twitter battle (twar) involving Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
British American Tobacco SA enters into consultations with employees over job cuts
- Details
Business Report writes that British American Tobacco SA (Batsa) has entered into consultations with employees to retrench workers after the company’s sales revenues haemorrhaged following a five-month ban on cigarette sales.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Monday, 15 March 2021
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Monday, 15 March 2021.
Four police officers arrested and charged for Mthokozisi Ntumba's killing last week
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that four police officers were arrested on Monday in connection with the death of Mthokozisi Ntumba, who was shot dead on the sidelines of student protests in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, last week.
Nehawu won’t be campaigning for the ANC in local government elections due to lack of funds
- Details
The Citizen reports that on Monday the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) said its members would not be campaigning for the ANC in the upcoming local government elections.
SA pharmaceutical factory on track to produce J&J vaccine
- Details
Business Insider SA reports that SA pharmaceutical company Aspen is on track to deliver the first batch of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines from its Gqeberha factory before June this year, the company confirmed this week.
Pair rob retail giant CTM of R26m over six years through 916 fictitious invoices
- Details
Mail & Guardian reports that two women, one of whom had roped her spouse in, were the leaders of a scam to defraud ceramic tile and bathroom retail giant CTM of more than R26.1-million through 916 fictitious invoices from January 2011 to November 2016.
MTN’s generous executive pay continues, with former CEO’s package for 2020 just shy of R74m
- Details
Moneyweb writes that Rob Shuter’s four-year stint as MTN Group CEO turned out to be a fairly grim period – for him as well as the company and its shareholders.
NAC board to probe employment stimulus programme overpayments
- Details
SowetanLive reports that the Board of the National Arts Council (NAC) has instituted an investigation into discrepancies in the approval of Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) funding applications for artists.
Concern over healthcare workers facing burnout amid Covid-19 fight
- Details
Cape Argus reports that according to City of Cape Town spokesperson Priya Reddy, Covid-19 burnout among the City’s healthcare workers is greatly widespread and made worse by the fear of infection.
Consensus across parties over introduction of basic income grant
- Details
BL Premium reports that even though government is in the grip of a fiscal crisis, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu is calling for the urgent introduction of a basic income grant to replace the Covid-19 social relief of distress grant when the latter expires at the end of April.
Survey shows more South Africans want to get vaccinated against Covid-19
- Details
BL Premium reports that according to the latest Ipsos-World Economic Forum (WEF) survey, South Africans are increasingly showing an interest in getting vaccinated against Covid-19.
SA’s economic recovery depends on how fast it can roll-out Covid-19 vaccinations
- Details
Mail & Guardian reports that although global economic growth is slowly picking up and vaccinations are being rolled out, research shows that for emerging markets employment recovery will take longer to get back to pre-pandemic levels.
Collins Chabane municipal manager in court for alleged corruption in relation to VBS Bank saga
- Details
News24 reports that Charlotte Ngobeni, a Collins Chabane municipal manager, appeared briefly in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court on Friday, on charges of corruption and contravention of the Municipal Financial Management Act.
Suspended public servants on full pay costing government billions, minister reveals
- Details
News24 reports that government is spending billions of rands on salaries for suspended officials in national and provincial departments.
New consignment of Johnson & Johnson vaccines arrived in SA on Saturday and more batches on the way this week
- Details
News24 reports that SA received another batch of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines on Saturday and three more vaccine batches were expected in the next few days, SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) CEO Glenda Gray said on Sunday.
Government cannot justify overstaffed Eskom, Mabuza tells MPs
- Details
BL Premium reports that Deputy President David Mabuza said in parliament on Thursday that the government could not continue to justify the number of people employed at Eskom given the amount of electricity the beleaguered utility was producing.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 11 March 2021
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Thursday, 11 March 2021.
Two directors-general tell ConCourt public service unions' appeal over wage increase has no chance of success
- Details
Fin24 reports that National Treasury director-general Dondo Mogajane and director-general of the Department of Public Service and Administration Yoliswa Makhasi filed affidavits before the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) on Thursday against a bid by unions to compel government to honour a 2018 public service wage agreement.
Numsa’s Irvin Jim says it’s a disgrace cops are still killing unarmed protesters like under Apartheid
- Details
Pretoria News reports that Irvin Jim, general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), says it’s a disgrace that more than twenty years after the ANC government has been in power, the police are still killing unarmed protesters as they did under the darkest days of Apartheid.
Denosa calls for appointment of permanent CEOs at Gauteng hospitals
- Details
Pretoria News reports that according to the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Gauteng, it has repeatedly called for the appointment of chief executives to run the struggling government hospitals in the province.
Over 5,000 Eastern Cape community healthcare workers will be without jobs at the end of this month
- Details
GroundUp reports that the contracts of more than 5,000 Community Healthcare Workers (CHW) in the Eastern Cape will be terminated at the end of March.
Unfair dismissal case of 22 SACE staff has come before the CCMA nine times since 2019
- Details
BusinessLive reports that a protracted battle is playing itself out between 22 dismissed employees and their employer at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
Exxaro Resources achieves four-year fatality-free milestone
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that black-empowered resources company Exxaro Resources has achieved four years without any fatalities across its mining operations.
Top court told public sector unions ‘blew’ their chance at a wage compromise as funds have since been used to fight Covid
- Details
BL Premium reports that the Constitutional Court has been told that public sector unions rejected the state’s attempts at a compromise over wage demands and have missed the boat as resources have since been diverted to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
Axed executives ask Labour Court to compel Prasa to uphold order to reinstate them
- Details
News24 reports that three executives axed by the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) have approached the Labour Court in a bid to compel the agency to uphold a recent court order to reinstate them.
Numsa claims PetroSA 'refusing' to divulge crucial information on major job cuts
- Details
Bloomberg reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to force state oil company PetroSA to provide more information on proposals that may result in 40% of its employees losing their jobs.
Two top Nelson Mandela Foundation executives cleared of wrongdoing alleged by whistle-blowers
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that an independent investigation, conducted after complaints by whistle-blowers, has cleared Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Sello Hatang and COO Limpho Monyamane of any wrongdoing.