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.
Sibanye and Amcu show no signs of backing down in protracted gold wage strike
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BL Premium writes that it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has scored a tragic own goal with its three-month strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines.
Ramaphosa says job cuts won’t be imposed on Eskom
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BL Premium reports that despite being overstaffed with as many as 27,500 employees, the government does not want retrenchments to be imposed on Eskom as part of the efforts to turn the bankrupt power utility around.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 14 February 2019
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Thursday, 14 February 2019.
NUM tells Ramaphosa to disband Eskom board to save the power utility
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SowetanLive reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday that the government should retain the current structure of Eskom and simply change its management to rescue the company from total collapse.
Hiring of foreign engineers to investigate Eskom crisis slammed
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ANA reports that the Infrastructure Research Development Centre (IRDC) said on Thursday it opposed the government's decision to bring in external engineers to investigate the crisis at state utility Eskom's power stations.
Sibanye-Stillwater launches process that could see more than 6,600 job cuts at its gold mines
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BusinessLive reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater has launched a formal process to restructure a number of its unprofitable gold mines, with the potential loss of up to 6,670 jobs.
San Souci teacher faces disciplinary hearing on Thursday over slapping of pupil
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Cape Times reports that the Sans Souci Girls High School teacher seen in a video smacking a pupil after an altercation was due to appear for a formal disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.
Pay workers at Gupta’s Gloria mine or else Mpumalanga will be rendered ungovernable, Cosatu warns
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Sowetan reports that Cosatu’s Mpumalanga provincial chairperson, Live Monini, told marchers on Wednesday that the union federation was ready to render the province ungovernable if employees of the Gupta-linked Gloria mine were not paid their salaries.
Gupta’s ailing Shiva Uranium resumes staff retrenchments
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The Star reports that another Gupta-owned company, Shiva Uranium, has resumed retrenching its workforce amid attempts to rescue the ailing mining firm.
Cosatu hopes signing of Competition Amendment Bill will open up the economy and lower prices
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BusinessLive reports that labour federation Cosatu on Wednesday welcomed the imminent signing into law of the Competition Amendment Bill, saying it would, among other things, promote investment and lead to a reduction in prices in the SA economy.
Fawu enters the fray to oppose takeover of Clover by Israeli-led consortium
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BusinessLive reports that the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) on Wednesday threw its weight behind a pro-Palestinian lobby group fighting an Israeli-led consortium's proposed bid to buy Clover.
Dis-Chem’s Christmas sales hit by ongoing wage strike
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BusinessLive reports that Dis-Chem’s Christmas sales were hurt by a strike, the pharmacy chain warned in a trading update on Thursday morning.
Cyril’s target of 270,000 new jobs annually ‘inadequate’, up to 400,000 needed
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The Citizen reports that according to a labour expert, close to 400,000 jobs must be created per year, with both the government and the private sector playing active roles in the process, or the country will face many more strikes.
Court orders security company to pay R2.3m to provident fund but ex-employees still don’t know how they will get their money
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GroundUp reports that the Western Cape High Court has granted an order compelling the owner of a Sea Point security company to pay outstanding provident fund contributions of at least R2.3m.
SA’s unemployment moderated in the 2018 fourth quarter, but that’s no cause for celebration
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Financial Mail reports that SA’s sky-high unemployment rate moderated to 27.1% between the two final quarters of 2018, thanks mainly to a surge in formal sector employment over the festive season.
Widespread Cosatu protests on Wednesday targeted job security and Eskom unbundling
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BusinessLive reports that thousands of Cosatu-affiliated workers demonstrated in eight cities across the country on Wednesday, disrupting schooling and bringing traffic to a standstill.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 13 February 2019
- Details
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 13 February 2019.
Solidarity to take legal action against BLF over Hoërskool Driehoek comments
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ANA reports that Solidarity said on Wednesday it would be paying charges with the police and at the Equality Court against members of the Black First Land First (BLF) movement on behalf of several of the parents of the victims of the recent Hoërskool Driehoek disaster.
Two Welkom miners shot dead on Wednesday on way to work
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EWN reports that police have confirmed that two mineworkers have been shot dead in Welkom, Free State.
Western Cape records lowest unemployment rate in the country in 2018 fourth quarter
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ANA reports that Statistics SA’s quarterly labour force survey data for the fourth quarter of 2018, released on Tuesday, showed that the Western Cape created 29,000 new jobs over the past year and 26,000 between October and December last year.
Unemployed stop work at Bospoort Dam purification project in Rustenburg, demand work
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ANA reports that unemployed persons in Ikageng near Rustenburg have vowed to stop work at the Bospoort Dam purification plant until such time as they are hired.
Intern doctors in Gauteng finally get January salaries, averting legal action by Sama
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Sowetan reports that a last-minute payment of more than 200 intern doctors on Monday averted a legal showdown with the Gauteng department of health.
PSA vindicated by judgment that prematurely terminated community service dentists in Limpopo must be re-employed
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ANA reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) has welcomed the judgment by the Limpopo High Court ordering the Limpopo department of health to re-employ seven dentists.
Jobs outlook dampened by Eskom’s power cuts
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Business Report writes that on Tuesday Eskom extended its massive power cuts, leaving industry stuttering as the power utility cut 3,000MW from the grid.
SAPS promoting hundreds based on ‘political affiliation’, Institute of Security Studies claims
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The Citizen reports that according to the Institute of Security Studies (ISS), the police were secretly promoting hundreds of unqualified and inexperienced officers into management positions based on their political affiliation.
Sibanye-Stillwater considers closing unprofitable shafts at gold mines
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Bloomberg reports that Sibanye Gold is considering shutting unprofitable shafts and cutting jobs at its South African gold mines amid a three-month-old wage strike that’s curbing output.
Nurses expected to down tools on Wednesday in support of Cosatu national strike
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TimesLIVE reports that nurses affiliated to the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) are expected to down tools on Wednesday in support of the Cosatu-led industrial action against job losses.
Board in drive to transform “dinosaur” South African estate agency sector
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Engineering News reports that according to Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB) transformation committee chairperson Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw, estate agents in the property sector have long been bound by “dinosaur” legislation and the profession has remained untransformed since 1994.
It’s not the end of the road for indefatigable Tom Moyane, legal team says after ConCourt ruling
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EWN reports that the attorney representing former SA Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Tom Moyane says they have noted the Constitutional Court’s (ConCourt’s) rejection of his application to appeal a judgement confirming his dismissal, but it was not the end of the road just yet.
Viral footage of brazen robbery in Hillbrow shows two security officers killed in their vehicle
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News24 reports that police are looking for five suspects after two security guards were shot and killed in their vehicle on Monday night.