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.
State gets more time to investigate case against 13 eThekwini metro strikers arrested for public violence
- Details
EWN reports that the state indicated in court on Friday that it needed more time to investigate the case against eThekwini municipal workers linked to an unprotected strike in March 2024.
Sibanye-Stillwater reports lowest serious injury rate in its history for the first quarter
- Details
Mining Weekly reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater has reported its lowest group serious injury frequency rate (SIFR) in its history for the first quarter, ended 31 March.
No serious injuries as passenger train and goods train collide on Friday in KZN
- Details
The Citizen reports that on Friday, a passenger train and a goods train collided in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), causing the derailment of three carriages.
Death toll in George building collapse rises to 14 after 2 more bodies recovered on Friday afternoon
- Details
News24 reports that the death toll in the George building collapse rose to 14 after two more bodies were recovered on Friday afternoon.
Popcru welcomes danger pay hike for Special Task Force (STF) members, but has reservations
- Details
News24 reports that on Thursday, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) welcomed the increase in danger pay allowances for Special Task Force (STF) members of the SA Police Service (SAPS), but the union added that it still had reservations.
E-hailing driver accused of stabbing Cape Town two women arrested
- Details
SowetanLive reports that police have arrested a Bolt driver who allegedly stabbed two women in Table View, Cape Town, at the weekend following a dispute over their destination.
Pretoria teacher claims dismissal after 20 years’ service was due to pro-Israel views
- Details
Cape Times reports that a now former teacher at the Laudium Secondary School in Pretoria, who claimed he was dismissed after nearly two decades at the school because of his pro-Israel sentiments, turned to the Labour Court in Johannesburg as he felt that he was given the boot unfairly.
George building collapse: Hope is fading fast, but rescuers refuse to give up
- Details
News24 reports that seventy-two hours after a structural collapse, the survival rate for those trapped under the rubble drops to around 33%. After that, in the space of just one day, the survival rate of those who have been trapped for four days is 19%.
Elite police forces secure a 250% danger pay hike
- Details
News24 reports that the SA Police Service (SAPS) has increased danger pay allowances for Special Task Force (STF) members from R6,000 to R21,000, before deductions, marking a 250% increase.
Morning roundup of labour news on Friday, 10 May 2024
- Details
In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related reports.
Prayer session held at Sassa’s Mkhondo office after staff traumatised by ‘rituals’
- Details
The Citizen reports that the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) offices in eMkhondo (formerly Piet-Retief), Mpumalanga, have been reopened after being closed for just over two weeks.
Thulas Nxesi emphasises workers’ rights over nationality in George building collapse
- Details
Mail & Guardian reports that rescue workers are continuing to work around the clock in an attempt to rescue survivors at a mangled apartment building in George, Western Cape, after eight workers died in the collapse earlier this week.
New rules for labour courts published in government gazette
- Details
BusinessTech reports that new Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court rules, including changes to holiday-time and restraint of trade litigation, have been published in the Government Gazette.
Suspended Msunduzi municipal manager to seek urgent high court interdict order to return to work
- Details
The Witness reports that suspended Msunduzi manager Lulamile Mapholoba is heading to the High Court seeking an urgent interdict so as the return to work after the mayor told him to remain at home until there was an outcome in the disciplinary hearing against him.
Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) suspends acting vice-chancellor and another senior official
- Details
Daily News reports that the uMlazi-based Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) has placed two senior officials on precautionary suspension pending the outcome of an investigation.
Gruelling weekend in store for rescue crews at collapsed building site in George
- Details
Cape Argus reports that rescue crews working to locate construction workers trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in George are in for a long and challenging weekend.
More nurses needed for NHI Bill to be effectively implemented, says Life Healthcare group
- Details
EWN reports that as the world gears up to commemorate International Nurses' Day on Sunday, the Life HealthCare Hospital group said that the hotly contested NHI Bill needed more nurses within the healthcare sector in order to be implemented without a hitch.
Police facing skills exodus to private sector, says Popcru
- Details
The Citizen reports that according to the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), the police are facing a dire skills shortage within their Special Task Force and National Intervention Units.
Contract worker dies after sudden pipe burst causes trench collapse in Salt Rock
- Details
The North Coast Courier reports that an employee working for a company contracted by Siza Water to repair water pipes on the corner of Osborne Drive and Hulett Road in Salt Rock, died tragically on Wednesday afternoon when a water pipe suddenly burst, causing the trench he was working in to collapse.
Msunduzi mayor defends ‘suspending’ municipal manager via WhatsApp
- Details
The Mercury reports that Msunduzi Municipality mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla has defended the decision to notify the municipal manager, Lulamile Mapholoba, via WhatsApp that he had been suspended.
North West Parks Board employee arrested for theft of 51 rhino horns
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that the Hawks have arrested a North West Parks and Tourism Board employee for his alleged involvement in the theft of 51 rhino horns.
Steel and engineering wage offer for artisans not acceptable to Solidarity
- Details
Maroela Media reports that Solidarity issued a press statement on Wednesday indicating that the wage offer for skilled artisans made earlier by employers in the steel and engineering sector left the trade union with no choice but to reject it.
Mashatile VIP unit assault case: Victim thought he was going to be hijacked
- Details
News24 reports that the man who was accosted by several presidential protection officers on the N1 highway recounted how he thought he was about to be hijacked when he saw a vehicle travelling alongside him, with the occupants pointing firearms at him.
George building collapse death toll rises to eight
- Details
EWN reports that Western Cape officials on Wednesday night confirmed that the death toll in the deadly building collapse in George has now risen to eight.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 9 May 2024
- Details
In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related reports.
Shell’s exit from SA unlikely to lead to mass job cuts and closure of its petrol stations
- Details
BusinessTech reports that Liquid Fuels Wholesalers Association of SA’s CEO, Peter Morgan, says Shell’s exit from SA is unlikely to lead to mass job cuts and the closure of its petrol stations.
No job is worth a life, says Nxesi, as search for workers at collapsed George building continues
- Details
TimesLIVE reports that Department of Employment and Labour (DET) Minister Thulas Nxesi says the collapse of a multistorey building under construction in George, with 75 workers on site, serves as a reminder of the critical importance of prioritising safety in the workplace.
NHI will take many years to implement, says Treasury
- Details
BL Premium reports that a senior Treasury official told the Board of Healthcare Funders’ (BHF’s) annual conference on Wednesday that the government’s plans for National Health Insurance (NHI) were likely to take many years to implement as there was limited scope to fund it with higher taxes.
Seifsa CEO Lucio Trentini says steel and engineering wage deal in the pipeline
- Details
BL Premium reports that the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) is confident a multi-term wage deal will be reached at Wednesday’s talks between the parties.
eThekwini water and sanitation department employee shot dead on municipal premises
- Details
News24 reports that another eThekwini municipality water and sanitation department employee has been shot dead. The official, who has not yet been identified, was shot on Tuesday night outside municipal offices in Springfield, Durban.