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.
Nehawu to kick off nationwide protests on Friday
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Diamond Fields Advertiser reports that the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has vowed to bring the healthcare system and the country to halt during its struggle to protect frontline workers from contracting Covid-19.
CEE says preference for whites and Indians in private sector top jobs must be tackled
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BusinessLive reports that the latest annual report by the body tasked with advising the Employment and Labour Minister on equity targets has found that legislation needs to be enacted to slow the “apparent pervasive and persistent preference” for whites and Indians in senior and top positions in the private sector.
Bridgestone plans closure of Port Elizabeth plant, issues retrenchment notices to 250 employees
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Moneyweb reports that Bridgestone has proposed the closure of its 84-year-old manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth and on Thursday issued Section 189 retrenchment notices to around 250 employees at the facility.
Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout resigns to take up position with overseas airline
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BL Premium reports that the CEO of SAA’s low-cost airline Mango resigned on Wednesday, delivering another blow to SA’s state-owned airline sector.
High-level Nedlac working group on Covid-19 economic recovery plan to begin meeting next week
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Mining Weekly reports that the first formal meeting of the small multi-stakeholder working group set up to finalise SA’s Covid-19 economic recovery plan is expected to take place next week.
Public enterprises minister wants to strengthen his legal power to remove SOE boards
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BL Premium reports that the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), the custodian of SA’s state-owned companies (SOEs), wants to increase the power of the minister over parastatal boards by giving him the authority to dissolve them and step in when things go wrong.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 19 August 2020
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 19 August 2020.
‘Basic Condition of Employment Act needs a revamp for working remotely’
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In a letter to Business Day, Michael Bagraim, DA shadow employment and labour minister, thanks Solidarity’s Gideon Du Plessis for pointing out some of the pros and cons of working remotely and goes on to opine that it is about time SA looks at atypical employment.
Benefits can outweigh drawbacks in new remote workplace reality, says Gideon du Plessis
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In an opinion piece, Gideon du Plessis, general secretary of Solidary, writes that the Covid-19 pandemic has modernised thinking about the workplace because the notion that “work” is something one does and not a place one goes is a major mind shift that is setting in.
Will SA’s executives expect their bonuses, despite Covid-19’s effects?
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Warren Thompson writes that 2020 is proving to be a litmus test for a number of governance issues at SA corporates, but it will be to see how executive pay at companies most exposed to the general state of the economy adapts to profitability post Covid-19.
Western Cape’s Red Dot Taxi Service gets a big thumbs up from healthcare workers
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Cape Argus reports that the Red Dot Taxi Service, an initiative between the Transport and Public Works Department and the taxi industry, has provided more than 47,000 trips for healthcare workers, driving over 730,00km and servicing 25 health facilities across the Western Cape.
Western Cape paramedics attacked in hoax call to Gugulethu
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Cape Argus reports that the Western Cape department of health has condemned an attack on two paramedics who were responding to a call in Gugulethu this past weekend.
Payroll survey launched by association to gain insight into payroll deductions environment
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Engineering News reports that the SA Payroll Association (Sapa) is conducting a survey to obtain insights into SA’s payroll deductions landscape.
SA gold producers commemorate Women's Month and call for an end to gender-based violence and discrimination
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Mining Weekly reports that gold producers AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold and Sibanye-Stillwater are commemorating Women’s Month in recognition of the important role women play in the mining industry and SA society, and are calling for an end to gender-based violence and discrimination.
Some 240 public and private healthcare workers have died from coronavirus, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize laments
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The Star reports that about 240 healthcare workers from both state hospitals and private facilities have perished from the coronavirus disease as they battled in the front line to save thousands of patients.
They've forgotten him, says sister of cop killed days before the Marikana massacre
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SowetanLive reports that Elizabeth Maubane’s brother, a police officer, was one of 10 people killed in the days leading up to the Marikana massacre, but she feels he has been completely overlooked.
Shake-up of senior staff in Eskom’s generation division, as power cuts resume
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BL Premium reports that as load-shedding returns with a vengeance, Eskom is shaking up its power-generation division by shuffling the positions of no less than 12 senior staff members.
Criminal charges against Impala’s Mark Munroe over alleged lockdown violations withdrawn
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BusinessLive reports that Impala Platinum (Implats) advised on Tuesday that charges against the head of its Rustenburg mining division had been withdrawn.
Long-distance taxi operators want to be permitted to go back to full loads
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BusinessLive reports that the taxi industry is negotiating with government for interprovincial operators to be permitted to carry full passenger loads to help them make up for losses incurred during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Most South Africans rely on debt to make it through the month
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Bloomberg reports that almost 80% of South Africans seek expensive unsecured loans to help them meet their monthly financial obligations, a survey by fintech platform PayCurve shows.
As Nehawu prepares for wage strike, National Health Laboratory Service seeks to have its staff declared essential workers
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BL Premium reports that the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has moved to have its staff declared essential workers in a bid to prevent potentially crippling strikes.
Unions agree to a wage-freeze until June 2021 in the metals and engineering sector
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BusinessLive reports that employers in the metals and engineering sector got a reprieve from unions’ demands for higher wages after entering into an agreement to freeze wages until 2021.
Alcohol ban lifted a little too late for wine industry, which could see over 21,000 job losses across the value chain
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Moneyweb reports that for many President Cyril Ramaphosa’s the easing of stringent Covid-19-induced lockdown regulations has come too late.
No prescribed pension fund assets by the backdoor, ANC assures
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BL Premium reports that the ANC’s proposal to revisit regulation 28 of the Pension Funds Act should be viewed as an alternative to prescribed assets and not as a backdoor measure to bring in rules that would force pension funds to invest in government stock.
Labour federations seek new review of R200bn loan scheme to benefit more businesses and save jobs
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BusinessLive reports that the labour sector has called for another review of the R200bn loan guarantee scheme to allow more companies to benefit from the Covid-19 pandemic relief initiative and so save jobs.
Hawks simultaneously storm seven houses in Khuma, North West, in illegal gold mining bust
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TimesLIVE reports that three suspects have been arrested in Khuma, North West, for illegal mining, illegal possession of gold-bearing material, illegal dealing in gold and money laundering.
Nehawu to strike at National Health Laboratories Service to resolve salary dispute
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Engineering News reports that the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) is preparing for a strike at the National Health Laboratories Service (NHLS) to resolve a salary dispute dating back to August last year.
Health care could may be disrupted on Friday when Nehawu members take leave for protest against shortage of staff and PPE
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BusinessLive reports that members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) will apply for a day’s leave across the country on Friday to protest against the shortage of staff and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Two Limpopo GPs die of coronavirus, marking first deaths among province's health workers
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TimesLIVE reports that Limpopo, which has until now had no deaths related to Covid-19 among its medical workers, has reported the deaths of two doctors.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Monday, 17 August 2020
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Monday, 17 August 2020.