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.
Roundup on Monday, 23 November 2020 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, 20 November 2020.
IFP calls for urgent debate in Parliament on planned SABC job cuts
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EWN reports that with employees of the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) demanding an end to planned retrenchments, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Saturday said that it had written to National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise requesting her to consider allowing an urgent debate to discuss the crisis.
Numsa in Labour Court bid to get Comair retrenchments scrapped
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Moneyweb reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has accused Comair of colluding with another union, Solidarity, to circumvent the airline’s ongoing retrenchment process.
SABC’s ‘fat cat’ managers and supervisors far outnumber ‘general’ workers
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Saturday Citizen reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC’s) managers and supervisors far outnumber “general” workers and that is one of the reasons that the average salary at the public broadcaster is almost R800,000 a year.
Mining industry responded well to new Covid-19 directives
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Mining Weekly reports that legal firm Webber Wentzel’s annual Mining Roundup seminar heard on Thursday that the mining industry in SA responded well to the new directives to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and to ensure employee health.
Sasol gets slap at AGM from unhappy investors over executive pay policy and ‘golden handshakes’
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BL Premium reports that at the Sasol annual general meeting on Friday, 28% of shareholders voted against the petrochemical group’s remuneration policy.
CWU to meet with SABC on Monday to discuss alternatives to staff lay-offs
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News24 reports that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) is set to meet with representatives of the SA Broadcasting Corporation on (SABC) on Monday, the union advised in a statement on Sunday.
ANC suggests tapping UIF surpluses for Eskom and other developmental causes
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BL Premium reports that the ANC has outlined what it believes should form the basis of a social pact, which would include using the surpluses of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to support Eskom and other developmental causes.
Civil servants continue to be hit with fraudulent insurance policy deductions
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Business Times reports that fraudulent insurance policies are a source of misery for many civil servants in SA and have been for years.
After putting retrenchment notices on hold for seven days, SABC board likely to make final decision on job cuts next week
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BL Premium reports that the board of the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is set to make a final decision next week on its retrenchment plans.
CWU gives SABC an ultimatum to abandon retrenchment plans or face blackout on Friday
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Independent News reports that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has given the board and management of the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) until Thursday evening to abandon its current plans to retrench hundreds of employees or face a blackout on Friday.
Union’s Dale Fish “no longer welcome” at I&J after Gansbaai strike
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GroundUp reports that general secretary of the Independent Commercial Hospitality and Allied Workers’ Union (Ichawu), Dale Fish, has been banned from all I&J workplace sites after a strike by employees of I&J Aquaculture Danger Point in Gansbaai.
Eight Northdale hospital staff suspended after protest in which CEO was marched out of building
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GroundUp reports eight shop stewards at Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg have been suspended following a protest last week by National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) members who vandalised offices and forcefully removed hospital CEO, Edward Manyokole, from the building.
Denel seeks to cut 13% of jobs as it fails to secure government bailout
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Bloomberg reports SA’s insolvent national arms company Denel is seeking to lay-off about 13% of its workers in a bid to survive after the government spurned its plea for a bailout. The manufacturer has told 379 workers in its artillery, ammunition and armoured-car divisions that they could lose their jobs, according to Helgard Cronje of trade union Solidarity.
Cut jobs or collapse, says SABC chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini
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BL Premium reports that according to SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board chair Bongumusa Makhathini, job cuts were unavoidable if the public broadcaster was to avert a collapse similar to national carrier SAA or state-owned arms maker Denel.
More budget cuts will kill us, CCMA warns MPs
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BL Premium reports that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has taken steps to cut costs by suspending the services of 40% of commissioners and closing its doors to walk-ins from the public.
Port Elizabeth health workers sing derogatory song and level insults at Health Minister Zweli Mkhize
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TimesLIVE reports that dozens of health care workers braved the rain to protest outside Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, demanding to meet Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
NGOs lose bid for interdict against FSCA recruitment process, with judge saying that transparency is not a one-size-fits-all concept
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BL Premium reports that civil society organisations have lost their bid to urgently interdict the selection of a new leadership team at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). They had sought to halt recruitment proceedings until the media and public were permitted access.
Annual report reveals the average salary for an SABC staffer was R791,000 per annum for 2019/20
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Independent News reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC’s) annual report shows that the public broadcaster spent more than R2.35 billion paying the salaries of 2,979 employees at an average salary of R791,000 per person during the 2019/20 financial year.
Sasol directors to take 20% pay cut because of bad performance
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Fin24 reports that the fees of Sasol’s directors will be slashed by 20%, the company said on Wednesday, in anticipation of shareholders disapproving a resolution on executive remuneration at the petrochemical group’s upcoming annual general meeting.
SABC retrenchments still on, notwithstanding ‘withdrawal’ of notices on Tuesday afternoon
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Independent News reports that more than 400 jobs are back on the line at the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) after a short-lived victory that saw the public broadcaster’s group executive for news withdraw retrenchment notices late on Tuesday afternoon.
Eighteen bogus doctors nabbed since start of the year, ten of them foreign nationals
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The Star reports that the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) identified 18 bogus doctors since the beginning of the year, had them arrested and shut down their surgeries. Ten were men and eight women.
Numsa’s court application could put Comair rescue at stake, warns Solidarity
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News24 reports that whether Comair's kulula.com and British Airways brands will be able to start operating again as from 1 December might be impacted by an urgent Labour Court application by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) on Thursday.
SABC news staff confront bosses on Tuesday over retrenchments, with some refusing to go on air
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TimesLIVE reports that SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) news employees at Auckland Park embarked on a go-slow on Tuesday, with some allegedly refusing to go on air as a heated meeting erupted over looming retrenchments.
Gauteng commuters stranded on Wednesday as taxi operators protested against non-implementation of sector’s Covid-19 relief fund
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BusinessLive reports that Gauteng commuters were left stranded on Wednesday when the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) blocked major highways and “hijacked” a metro bus to protest against the government’s non-implementation of a R1.14bn Covid-19 relief fund for the sector.
Wescoal starts retrenchment process as low domestic and export demand persist
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Mining Weekly reports that coal miner Wescoal has initiated a Section 189 retrenchment process, which it expects to conclude by mid-December, with staff reductions to be implemented across all operations.
Applications for Ters benefits for period from mid-September to 15 October to open next week
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BusinessLive reports that the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) will next week open and begin processing applications for the extended wage protection scheme for workers.
Over 1,500 City of Joburg employees fraudulently received Covid relief, social grant funds
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EWN reports that the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) Group Forensics and Investigation Services (GFIS) has discovered that over 1,500 employees of the metro fraudulently received special Covid-19 social relief grants and other grants.
Municipalities ‘disgracefully’ afforded no rate discounts to hotel groups despite job cuts
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BL Premium reports that municipalities charged full rates to Tsogo Sun Hotels even as hotels stood closed, with CEO Marcel von Aulock calling the lack of support a disgrace.
Call for justice after release of UCT report on Professor Mayosi’s suicide
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Cape Argus reports that the Black Academic Caucus (BAC) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and a group called Concerned UCT Staff are calling for justice for the late Professor Bongani Mayosi, who committed suicide.