In our weekend roundup, see summaries of our
selection of South African labour-related stories
that appeared since Friday, 1 December 2017.
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Fedusa and Hospersa to march to Parliament on 5 December against attacks on EMS workers EWN reports that the Federation of Trade Unions of SA (Fedusa) and the Health & Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) are planning a march to Parliament on Tuesday over escalating levels of violence against Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers. Last year, there were more than 100 attacks on paramedics in the Western Cape and there have been more than 60 this year. Hospersa and Fedusa will march to Parliament under the banner "Workers Lives Matter" and demonstrators will hand over a memorandum of demands asking the government to urgently address concerns around unsafe working conditions. Hospersa says neglecting the demands would further compromise the delivery of emergency health care and other critical services to communities. The trade union last month warned that emergency medical workers could withdraw their services in dangerous areas. A short report is by Lauren Isaacs is at EWN. Read Fedusa’s press statement at SA Labour News. Read Hospersa’s press statement at Hospersa online Parliament condemns attempts to intimidate staff at Auditor-General’s office EWN reports that Parliament’s Standing Committee on the Auditor-General has condemned incidents of threats and intimidation against staff at the Auditor-General’s (AGSA’s) office in the strongest possible terms. These incidents occurred while the staff were executing their duties during recent months, and more specifically during the current audits of municipalities for the 2016-17 financial period. The AG has shared with the committee the specific examples and audit sites where these threats have been prevalent. The Committee said in a statement: “As the Committee that has been charged by Parliament to, amongst other things, oversee and protect the reputation and functioning of the AGSA, we want to express our shock about these incidents. The AGSA has a constitutional mandate to audit the accounts of government without fear, favour or prejudice, and to comment on the strength of government’s financial and performance management. For that matter, the Constitution clearly prohibits any person or organ of state from interfering with the functioning of the Auditor-General or his office.” Read a short report by Rahima Essop at EWN. See too, Auditor-General’s office staff intimidated in recent months, MPs told, at EWN. Read the Standing Committee’s press statement at Parliament online Other internet posting(s) in this news category
NUM reaches wage deal with Kangra Coal, ending week-long strike ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Friday that it had signed a three-year wage agreement with Kangra Coal, thereby ending a week-long strike. In a statement, the union indicated that the two parties had agreed on a R600 wage increase for 2017, and 7% rises for each of the following two years. They also settled on a R1,000 housing allowance for this year, followed by increases of 12% and 14% for 2018 and 2019 respectively. "The strike has come to end. The NUM members are back to work starting with the morning shift today," said Peter Bailey, NUM chief negotiator in the coal sector. Last week NUM signed a three-year wage deal with coal producers Anglo American Coal SA, Exxaro Coal, Glencore, Msobo Coal, Koornfontein Mines and Delmas Coal, avoiding a looming sector-wide strike. A short report is at Mining Weekly. Read the NUM’s press statement in this regard at NUM online Courts unable to solve Mining Charter impasse, says Anglo’s Cutifani BusinessLive reports that Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani says that South African mining companies and the government have to find a negotiated settlement to their impasses over the revised Mining Charter and other disagreements. This is because he believes legal redress through the courts is not the best mechanism to find long-lasting resolutions. Speaking on Wednesday, Cutifani said the sector had lost 100,000 jobs in the past seven years and could lose another 100,000 if there was no change to the way it was regulated and operated. He opined: "We’re fighting the battle in the courts, and whilst I believe that we had to take steps to protect our position, the answer will not come from the courts. All they will do is redefine the points that we disagree on so that we create a new set of arguments. … in the end the solution will be people sitting across the table, negotiating a new future. The courts won’t do it for us.” His comments follow calls from ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize and Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba for the industry, represented by the Chamber of Mines, to talk to them. The Chamber refuses to talk to Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, whom it says is tainted with corruption and acting outside the sector’s best interests. Read this report by Allan Seccombe in full at BusinessLive SA mining industry announces 1.8m fund for health screening of mineworkers ANA reports that the Chamber of Mines of SA (COM) on Friday announced its support for a R1.8 million health screening initiative in the OR Tambo district to mark World Aids Day. The initiative is being carried out in partnership with EOH, Africa’s largest technology service provider, together with the South African Business Coalition on Health and Aids (SABCOHA). The health screening programme will include HIV counselling and testing, TB screening, glucose (sugar) measurement, blood pressure measurement, and height and weight measurement. Communicable diseases are a major problem in the mining sector because of limited ventilation and overcrowding. The initiative was announced by the COM’s vice president Andile Sangqu in his address at the Walter Sisulu University Stadium in Mthatha during SA’s official commemoration of World Aids Day on Friday. The COM committed to the province an amount of R500,000 to be utilised for tracking and tracing ex-mineworkers with unclaimed retirement fund and compensation benefits. These funds will bolster existing initiatives. Read this report in full at The Citizen. Read the COM’s press statement in this regard at SA Labour News Lonmin engaging with stakeholders to minimise job cuts EWN reports that Lonmin says it is engaging with all interested parties on ways to minimise job cuts at its operations. In October, the platinum producer announced plans to cut over 1,000 jobs due to persistently low commodity prices and rising costs. Solidarity’s Gideon du Plessis said the union was engaging with the company and the third round of the consultation process would take place on Monday. Du Plessis added that they would not tolerate any forced retrenchments. With reference to recent press reports, Lonmin's Wendy Tlou said that cutting spending on social and labour projects (SLPs), which include housing and human resource development, was being considered by the company, but it was only one part of a prospective plan. “We identified something like 12 areas that we could look at and one of those that was proposed is that we could look at cutting of costs in the SLPs,” she indicated. This short report by Kgomotso Modise is at EWN Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Unions slam Zuma over pay hikes for public office bearers BusinessLive reports that public sector unions are angered at President Jacob Zuma’s approval of salary increases for public office bearers, including his own and that of the Cabinet. The unions said they would follow Zuma’s lead during their wage negotiations as the government had demonstrated it was capable of sourcing more funds for its employees, even in tough economic conditions. Zuma announced on Thursday he had approved the recommendations of the Independent Commission for Remuneration of Public Office Bearers, which suggested increases of 4%-8% for public officials including MPs, judges and leaders of tribal authorities. Zuma’s salary of more than R2.8m will increase to almost R3m, while Cabinet increases will amount to close to R100,000. Although the president said he had considered the state of the economy when he made the decision, the unions disagreed. Cosatu spokesman Sizwe Pamla said Zuma was merely looking after himself and his Cabinet and unions would be forced to do the same. In the current wage talks, public servants are demanding a 12% hike for the lowest-paid workers, 11% for mid-level and 10% for senior levels. Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive. Read too, Zuma approves pay hikes for public office bearers, at The Citizen. And also, Public office bearers’ pay to increase by between 4% and 8%, at News24. As well as, It’s game on for unions furious at Zuma’s salary hikes for officials, at The Star Transport union UNTU considering final wage offer from Transnet ANA reports that the United National Transport Union (UNTU) is considering a final wage offer made by parastatal Transnet, but has not excluded industrial action should its members reject the offer. Transnet shocked the union on Friday by firstly putting a very low opening offer on the negotiation table at the Transnet bargaining council and by then replacing it with a final wage offer after labour declined to accept, UNTU general secretary Steve Harris said in a statement. Both of the Transnet offers were informed by the fact that rating agency S&P Global downgraded Transnet on 28 November to full junk status. Harris said the company argued that the downgrade changed its financial position drastically from the position on 30 October when the company announced that its profits had soared to R37.1bn. Transnet’s final wage offer amounted to a 6.5% increase for 2018; 7.25% for 2019; 8% for 2020; no retrenchments for the next three years; and no increases in any other allowances, including medical aid and housing allowances. UNTU now has until 15 January to present this offer to its members for a mandate to accept or decline it. If members do not accept the offer, Untu would have to declare a dispute and refer the dispute to conciliation prior to any possible strike action. Read this report in full at Business Report. Read too, UNTU deliberating with members on new Transnet wage offer, at EWN. Read UNTU’s press statement in this regard at SA Labour News
Nehawu North West to roll out service delivery campaign to fight corruption in public service ANA reports that the North West branch of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) said on Friday that it would be rolling out a service delivery campaign to uproot corruption in the public sector. Provincial secretary Patrick Makhafane indicated: “We have noted the unbridled corruption that is taking place in the public service under the disguise of outsourcing, public-private-partnerships and privatisation. In response to this pandemic of corruption the union in the province will embark on a service delivery campaign.” He went on to explain that the campaign would not only seek to uproot corruption, but also to assist the government to deliver services effectively and efficiently. “As part of our service delivery campaign we will also embark on a provincial march against outsourcing, privatisation, and other forms of atypical work in both the public and private sectors,” Makhafane stated. Read this report in full at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Losi spearheads Cosatu’s battle for Cyril, in running for election into ANC top six City Press reports that labour federation Cosatu’s second deputy president, Zingiswa Losi, has downplayed her nomination for election into the ANC’s top six, saying that the time for lone worker voices in the ANC was over. The most important thing was for workers to swell the ranks of the ANC’s highest decision-making body – the national executive committee (NEC) – she said. Losi has been touted for the position of deputy secretary-general on Cyril Ramaphosa’s slate. She emphasised though that she was not the only leader in Cosatu who had been nominated to serve on the ANC’s NEC. Losi also indicated that Cosatu’s central executive committee meeting (CEC) this week decided to establish a four-member task team, which would be part of Ramaphosa’s campaign team. The team is made up of Losi, Cosatu deputy general secretary Solly Phetoe, Sadtu’s Nkosana Dolopi and Nehawu’s Zola Saphetha. The immediate task of this “war room” would be to convene meetings with ANC branch delegates to persuade them to give Ramaphosa their votes at the party’s elective conference later this month. Read this report by S’Thembile Cele in full at News24 Cosatu wants more details about Ramaphosa’s ‘new deal’ economic plan BusinessLive reports that labour federation Cosatu says it will seek clarity from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on his "new deal", an economic plan he unveiled recently as part of his campaign for the ANC presidency. Cosatu, the first formation formally to endorse Ramaphosa for the ANC presidency, said it was not consulted about the proposed economic reforms. The new deal involves restoring investor confidence by reversing SA’s downward trajectory while fighting corruption and reasserting the independence of state institutions. It also involves a plan to create more jobs through public-private partnerships. In a media briefing on Thursday after its central executive committee meeting, Cosatu spokesman Sizwe Pamla said it had become obvious that the challenges crippling the economy were "deep" and the government could no longer formulate policies in a silo. "You can’t unilaterally impose policies without the input of unions," Pamla stated. Cosatu also reiterated its earlier call for a jobs summit to tackle the high unemployment rate. Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Job losses for more than 1,700 clothing workers in past year Business Report writes that closures of South African clothing companies in the past year resulted in job losses for more than 1,700 workers. These were some of the statistics that emerged from the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry’s 15th annual general meeting (AGM), which took place in Salt River on Thursday. Sicelo Nduna, general secretary of the council, presented national totals covering a period of four years starting from 2014 to this year. In 2014 the industry had 839 clothing factories registered with the council. 2015 saw a reduction to 821, in 2016 there was a reduction again to 805 and, as of August 2017, the number stood at 772. Nduna also referred to the productivity and training institute (PTI) established by the council in 2015 and said that, since its inception, the institute had been involved in a number of key projects. “Skills audit workshops and factory visits focusing on identifying scarce and critical skills in managerial and technical roles was conducted. This will feed to industry sector skills planning. A second leg audit covering all bargaining level jobs is in progress and will start in February 2018,” Nduna said. Read this report by Joseph Booysen in full at Business Report. Read too, A stitch in time: Building a fashion empire to address unemployment, at City Press Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Health Department internship placement website adds to frustrations EWN reports that some medical and health sector students seeking internships in 2018 say the Department of Health has once again failed them with poor systems. The department has admitted that communication and the entire online placement process has been poor this year. A website showing placement allocations for community service and medical internships went live on Friday morning. But several frustrated students, still without placements, claimed the website where they were supposed to check for allocations on Friday added to their worries. In some cases it showed students having been placed randomly, with their three choice areas totally ignored, or there was simply no new information showing. In one case, the site indicated that an intern had been allocated a particular facility and gave the option to accept or reject “but the site crashed and when it came back online that option was no longer there.” Read this report by Monique Mortlock at EWN. Read too, Health Department offers reason why some student doctors uncertain of internships, at EWN. And also, Plans to accommodate foreign-trained SA medical graduates, at SA Govt News Agency SABC splurges almost R2m on process of recruiting three top executives Saturday Star reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has spent almost R2 million on the recruitment process in respect of three top executives, and is still counting the cost. And as the hunt for the executives drags on, the public broadcaster faces the risk of having “good and carefully selected candidates” withdrawing their applications. Crucially, the banks have indicated their reluctance to finance the SABC, citing instability because the positions of group CEO (GCEO), chief operations officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO) are being occupied on a temporary basis. This was revealed in correspondences between the SABC board members and in an affidavit responding to Communications Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane’s legal bid appealing the Pretoria High Court’s ruling limiting her powers in the appointment of these executives. The documents paint a picture of a board desperate to fill the three positions to defray costs and stop the SABC sliding further into financial crisis. The board has shortlisted and interviewed candidates for the GCEO and COO positions, and is screening the candidates. It has yet to advertise the CFO position - which could see the SABC incurring further costs. Read this report in full at Saturday Star Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Pressure on Discovery’s executive pay policy after AGM vote BusinessLive reports that investors holding nearly a quarter of the shares represented at Discovery’s AGM voted against its remuneration policy, apparently because it is impossible to understand and therefore difficult to assess its fairness. About 75% of Discovery’s share capital was represented at the meeting, with 23.35% voting against approval of remuneration policy. Shareholder votes on pay are not binding in SA, but the King IV Code on corporate governance and the JSE’s listings requirements oblige companies to engage with dissenting shareholders where 25% of voting rights have countered pay policies. Companies have to then report on the engagement. Transparent remuneration policies are increasingly important to shareholders seeking to ensure alignment between the performance of top management and their pay packages. Discovery finance chief Deon Viljoen said they were pleased the advisory vote passed the required 75% and they considered Discovery’s remuneration policy to be well-suited to the company’s high-performance culture, “but we consider the views of all shareholders and we are working to enhance levels of disclosure on areas such as performance measures as required by King IV." The company has undertaken to continue to engage with its shareholders. Read this report by Hanna Ziady in full at BusinessLive Objection to R2.1m golden handshake for tainted ex-energy minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson ANA reports that the National Assembly on Thursday approved a once-off gratuity of R2.1 million for former energy minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, who lost her post in President Jacob Zuma's March cabinet reshuffle. The windfall was approved as part of the energy department's adjusted budget, and was diverted from funding earmarked for a national solar water heater project. Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Gavin Davis objected to the payment, which had been cleared by National Treasury but needed parliamentary approval. He said Joemat-Pettersson did not deserve a reward as the still unexplained sale of SA’s strategic oil reserves at a heavily discounted price in December 2015 happened on her watch. He added that she should be held accountable for her actions and, to make matters worse, the money was to be deducted from a renewable energy project. Read this report in full at Cape Times SABC board members to share R3.2 million payout, but staff told no pay rise for them The SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is to pay R3.2 million to its five-member interim board in respect of their six-month tenure, according to a report in the Sunday Times. But it informed its staff that there would be no salary increases for them in the new year. The directors apparently earned “almost double that of the previous board”, with the SABC explaining the new directors attended more meetings. The payment implies that on average members will earn R640,000 each for six months of work. SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said the board “had been at Auckland Park almost daily and had held 99 meetings”. He added that the board had “deferred” payment until staff salaries had been paid. The board payments come at a time when the SABC has been declared virtually bankrupt, and requires a multi-billion-rand government bailout. In an e-mail to its members, the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (Bemawu) questioned the board payments at a time when the SABC “is allegedly struggling to make ends meet.” Read this report at BusinessTech. The original report, entitled ‘SABC board gets millions, but staff told no pay rise’, is on page 6 of the Sunday Times of 3 December 2017 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Portia Sizani in bid to force ‘biased’ magistrate to recuse himself in ‘ghost teachers’ fraud case BusinessLive reports that Portia Sizani‚ wife of SA’s ambassador to Germany‚ Stone Sizani‚ resorted to the High Court in Grahamstown on Thursday, in a bid to force a magistrate to recuse himself from her fraud and money laundering trial. Sizani’s lawyer argued that there were grounds to substantiate the perception that Mputumi Mpofu, the magistrate presiding in her R1.2m fraud trial‚ was biased against her. The former early childhood development district co-ordinator stands accused of defrauding the Eastern Cape education department by creating "ghost" teachers and pocketing their salaries between 2009 and 2010. Mpofu has already found Sizani not guilty on five of the 15 counts of money laundering against her, but she still faces more than a dozen counts of fraud and money laundering. Sizani’s trial in the Port Elizabeth commercial crimes court was postponed in September to mid-February, pending the outcome of the review application argued on Thursday. Judgment was reserved. Read this report by Adrienne Carlisle in full at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
UKZN academics claim ‘exploitation’ over enforced extra duties at crisis-ridden public hospitals Sunday Independent reports that academics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN’s) Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine are dissatisfied with being strong-armed into doing extra duties at public hospitals facing crisis situations. The academics also claimed that the process to enlist their services was not well planned and that they will not receive compensation for work done in the hospitals, which will be over and above their university duties. Some academics will be required to work at the King Edward Hospital VIII as well as the King Dinuzulu hospital from December, where they will have to work in the outpatients and other departments. They labelled their new work directive as “exploitation” because of the work load they will have to deal with. And the academics complained that they were told to find new jobs if they were not satisfied. The staff members involved commented that they previously offered their services for free at King Edward VIII Hospital, but were now feeling exploited by being forced to work for no pay. Read this report by Nabeelah Shaikh in full at Sunday Independent
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet from Friday, 1 December to Sunday, 3 December 2017 at SA Labour News
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