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.
In our early morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of recent South African labour-
labour-related reports.
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Gauteng Covid-19 pandemic hurtles towards worst-case scenario BL Premium reports that the catastrophic Covid-19 situation in Gauteng, which has resulted in a shortage of hospital beds, oxygen and ventilators, is on track to reach the worst-case scenario, creating a dilemma for a provincial government that wants to avoid closing down the economy. A worst-case scenario, according to Wits University physics professor Bruce Mellado, is when a resurgence will infect everyone who has not already been infected. “The first and second waves did not follow the worst-case scenario and the numbers went down long before herd immunity was reached. The third wave in Gauteng is following the worst-case scenario. The additional problem is that we have had a spike within the wave and perhaps we are seeing a second one. That is very serious,” he said. Gauteng premier David Makhura, whose administration has come under severe criticism for a failure to prepare for the third wave, including delays in getting Charlotte Maxeke hospital working again after a fire in April, castigated residents for their lack of compliance with health protocols, such as the wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing. He said “law enforcement would increase quite dramatically over the next few days” including roadblocks. On Wednesday, Gauteng recorded 10,806 cases, or 62% of all those nationwide, exceeding the peaks of the first and second waves. This has resulted in reports of patients queuing outside hospitals, and ambulances standing in line to drop them off. While there has been speculation of tighter lockdown restrictions, Makhura said a shutdown of the economy as happened under level 5 in 2020 was unsustainable for Gauteng. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (paywall access only). Read too, Covid-19 ‘oral’ in Gauteng, strenger maatreëls nodig, at Maroela Media City of Johannesburg health MMC contracts Covid-19 News24 reports that the City of Johannesburg's health and social development MMC, Eunice Mgcina, has contracted Covid-19. She urged people who came into contact with her in the past few days to isolate themselves. Mgcina received her Covid-19 test results on Thursday afternoon after feeling unwell for a few days. "I wish to make an impassioned plea to our residents to take this third wave that we are experiencing very seriously. Our health systems and facilities have begun feeling the strain, and I urge all residents to assist us heeding calls to wear masks at all times; to wash hands or sanitise regularly and observe social distancing at all times," said Mgcina in a statement. She joins Mayor Geoff Makhubo and council chief whip Solly Mogase who contracted the virus. City spokesperson Mlimandlela Ndamase said Mgcina's office staff would isolate for four days and go for further testing. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Jenni Evans at News24 Two unions satisfied with teacher vaccinations, continue to monitor process News24 reports that the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) and the Professional Educators' Union (PEU) are so far satisfied with the vaccination of teachers, but say they will continue to monitor the process. The national rollout of vaccinations for teachers began on Wednesday. "So far, we have not experienced any challenges with the vaccination of teachers. We are fine with the decision to keep schools open as long as teachers are safe and the learners," PEU president Johannes Motona indicated on Thursday. Sadtu said while it was satisfied with the process so far, there were some disappointments. The union was concerned that in the rural areas there were fewer vaccination sites. However, the Educators' Union of SA (EUSA) said it was not satisfied with the rollout for teachers and remained skeptical. "EUSA is skeptical about the sudden availability of additional 280k J&J jabs, especially, that weeks ago FDA in America said some batches of J&J were contaminated. We aren't satisfied at all," said EUSA’s Siphiwe Mpungose. The Department of Basic Education has set out to vaccinate its 582,000 teachers and school personnel within 10 working days. It declared the first day of the teacher vaccination programme a success, with approximately 48,000 jabs administered. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Canny Maphanga at News24. See too, Good turnout of teachers for jabs as rollout of education sector kicks off, at SowetanLive. And also, Minor glitches as teachers get jabs, at The Star Sibanye-Stillwater accredited to dispense Covid-19 vaccines in SA Miningmx reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater has received accreditation to dispense Covid-19 vaccines at its four medical facilities in SA. The facilities are based at Marikana, in North West; Libanon and Driefontein, in Gauteng; and Beatrix, in the Free State. The miner said it hoped to immunise up to 330,000 people drawn from its employee complement, employee families, and “door step” communities against Covid-19. It also said it was ready to assist the government further with the wider roll-out of vaccines. “This is an extremely important process which we are thrilled to be commencing,” said CEO Neal Froneman. Sibanye-Stillwater said at its annual results announcement that it was prepared to spend R200m vaccinating employees and their families, although it’s likely the expenditure will be less than that estimate as the government had purchased vaccines. Healthcare schemes are also making contributions to the vaccination cost. “We can do about 18,000 vaccinations a day so that’s our workforce of 80,000 in about a week,” said company spokesman James Wellsted. A further 250,000 family and community members could also be reached, according to the company’s calculations. There was potential to go beyond this, Wellsted indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by David McKay at Miningmx. See too, Sibanye gets green light to administer Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa, at Mining Weekly EFF to take to streets of Tshwane on Friday to demand approval of Sputnick V and Coronavac Covid-19 vaccines Independent Media reports that the EFF will take to the streets in Pretoria on Friday over Covid-19 vaccines. The political party will be marching to the offices of the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra). The march has been criticised as it will takes place during the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, with gatherings sharply limited to prevent rising infections. But, the party said it would follow Covid-19 regulations during the march. The EFF is demanding that Sahpra speed up the approval of Russia’s Sputnick V vaccine and the Chinese Sinovac- manufactured Coronavac vaccine. The party has for some time advocated for the government to procure these two vaccines. Sahpra had indicated in February that it was reviewing applications linked to the Sinovac and Sputnick vaccines. The EFF has been critical of the government’s handling of the vaccination programme saying more diverse vaccines should be procured. EFF leader Julius Malema said President Cyril Rampahosa could not continue imposing lockdowns and should instead be providing vaccines. On Thursday, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, Sahpra CEO, stressed that Sahpra only dealt with the “science” on its vaccine approval process. Health expert Dr Aslam Dasoo, from the Progressive Health Forum, said the EFF’s calls were political and premature. “Sahpra has to what it is legally bound to do,” Dasoo pointed out. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zintle Mahlati at Independent Media Pressure mounts on Treasury to avail overtime money for weekend vaccinations Independent Media reports that pressure is mounting on the National Treasury to avail funds to pay for the overtime of staff administering the Covid-19 vaccinations on weekends. The Department of Health has blamed a lack of funds for overtime for not conducting vaccinations on weekends. On Thursday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) added its voice in the calls that vaccination should take place throughout the week. DA leader John Steenhuisen pointed out that 15 months into the pandemic, less than 1% of South Africans had been fully vaccinated. Geordin Hill-Lewis, the party’s finance spokesperson, said the DA was calling on the National Treasury to release the funds needed to pay for staff overtime so that vaccinations could be done over weekends. “It is simply not true that there are no funds to pay staff over weekends, as Department of Health officials have argued. It is totally unacceptable to stop (or drastically slow down) vaccinations over weekends, when the funds are available to prevent these delays,” Hill-Lewis said. He pointed out that the National Treasury had allocated R6 billion this year to fund the vaccine roll-out and R9bn was budgeted in the contingency reserve for vaccine roll-out if necessary. “Now is the time to ensure this budgeted money is made available to provincial departments to speed up the rollout,” Hill-Lewis argued. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mayibongwe Maqhina at Independent Media Santaco says taxis will continue loading to full capacity despite third Covid-19 wave The Star reports that the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) says despite most provinces entering the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry would continue loading full capacity in its taxis. The organisation’s president, Phillip Taaibosch, said the industry had come up with proposals to Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula on how it could respond to the third wave crisis. “We have made some proposals to the minister and we have agreed that we would bring in some gadgets into our vehicles. It would be unfair that we should lose our belongings because of Covid-19. I am thinking about the rest of the country but should I sacrifice my family just to save the nation?” Taaibosch asked. He added that long-distance drivers had suffered because of hard lockdown. “What we can do is ensure that our passengers comply, and we will stress the issue of opening windows,” he said, adding that commuters should hold taxi drivers who didn’t wear their masks accountable, although most drivers were compliant with regulations. According to Taaibosch, the taxi industry was still waiting for relief funds from government and that taxi owners would run into debt should the country go back to lockdown level 5. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Itumeleng Mafisa at The Star Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Survey shows NPO workers running on empty as Covid-19 batters their mental health SowetanLive reports that while non-profit organisations (NPOs) have been working tirelessly during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide support, emergency relief and life-saving resources to struggling South Africans, the mental health of their workers has taken a battering. A survey conducted among 200 NPOs between October 2020 and March this year by the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) and Tshikululu Social Investments to assess the effect of the pandemic on their well-being, found alarming rates of psychological distress and risk for mental illness. “While NPO workers continue to provide crucial services for those deeply affected by Covid-19, they are still having to maintain their own needs — all within a context of limited resources, sustained exposure to social suffering, and novel pandemic conditions,” said Sadag. The survey found that two-thirds of NPO professionals exhibited moderate to severe psychological morbidity, with two-thirds also facing an elevated risk of developing a psychiatric disorder. More than a third of all NPO professionals were found to be exhibiting a high likelihood of having a severe psychiatric disorder by the time the survey was completed. Significant risk factors for elevated psychological morbidity included social stress and fewer workplace mental health resources. The survey found that men reported greater psychological distress than women. Nearly half of NPOs did offer some form of psychosocial support to their staff, yet many workers did not seek professional psychological assistance. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Suthentira Govender at SowetanLive Truck driver's legs amputated as 'last resort' to extract him from wreckage of crash on R21 TimesLIVE reports that a truck driver had his legs amputated by a trauma surgeon as a last resort to save his life after efforts to extract him from the wreckage of a crash on the East Rand using hydraulic tools failed. The truck, transporting oranges, rolled on the R21 near the 1-Stop in Esselenpark in the early hours of Thursday morning. The driver was trapped in the crushed cab. Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said: “Rescue crews worked fervently to free the man using hydraulic tools, however due to the mechanism of the entrapment [they] were not able to do so. Following a consultation between senior medical doctors, a trauma surgeon from a specialised Netcare emergency department was brought to the scene to evaluate options. As a last resort to save the rapidly deteriorating patient's life, a surgical amputation of both limbs below the knee was carried out.” The man, once extracted from the wreckage, was stabilised by the doctor and then flown by helicopter ambulance to a specialist facility for urgent care. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Threats of industrial action abound as municipal wage talks between Samwu and Salga hit dead end The Star reports that wage talks between the SA Local Government Association (Salga), which represents municipalities, and the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) have hit a dead-end once more, with threats of industrial action being bandied about. The union has rejected a facilitator’s proposal following consultation with members and the union’s national executive meeting. In a statement on Thursday, the union’s Dumisani Magagula said the facilitator’s proposal was an insult to workers as workers were being asked to compromise on a number of issues like their benefits and pensions. The facilitator proposed that parties consider the following: A three-year salary and wage agreement; 4% salary increase in the first year and projected consumer price index minus 1% in the other years of the agreement; and a total freeze on all benefits in the first year of the agreement. Magagula said Samwu had written to the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (Salgbc), formally informing parties of the union’s decision to reject the facilitator’s proposal. He indicated that the union was in the process of concluding balloting for a potential strike in the sector, as required by law. “We urge our members to participate in the process of balloting and to properly mandate the union on a way forward since talks between parties have not yielded any positive results. We further urge our members to gear up and prepare themselves for the upcoming war with the employer in demand of decent salary increments,” Magagula said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Itumeleng Mafisa at The Star
Judge tells EFF to register as a trade union if it insists on organising strikes against employers The Star reports that a judge has read the EFF the riot act over involving itself in labour disputes, telling it to register as a trade union if it insists on organising strikes against employers. Johannesburg Labour Court Acting Judge Reghana Tulk presided in a final interdict application brought against the EFF by the owners of a Spar franchise. Brightstone Trading took the political party to the Labour Court over unrest at its Roodepoort Spar supermarket. EFF members descended on the Spar after the owners refused to engage on issues involving employees. In an action declared unlawful by the Labour Court, EFF members staged protests with a handful of Spar employees on 16 May and again from 28 May to 1 June. The standoff was sparked by the demotion of an employee from floor manager to cashier. Brightstone obtained an interim interdict order on 1 June and then returned to the court for a final interdict. Noting that EFF members had committed acts of intimidation, obstruction and blockading of premises, Judge Tulk ruled last week that the EFF’s action had been unlawful. She said the EFF’s “emphatic view” that its members’ intervention in a labour dispute was lawful was devoid of merit. “In sum, the first respondent involved itself in workplace matters that did not concern it because it has no standing as a trade union. The first respondent (EFF) was not entitled to organise employees in the applicant’s workplace, or for that matter engage in unlawful protest action in pursuance of demands it simply has no standing to make … If it wants to do so, it must register as a trade union, and comply with the LRA,” the judge ruled. In addition to the final interdict, Judge Tulk also slapped the EFF with legal costs. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bongasni Nkosi at The Star
No consequences yet for public works officials implicated in Beitbridge border fence saga TimesLIVE reports that no officials from public works and infrastructure have suffered any consequences yet for their roles in alleged wrongdoing in the procurement of the controversial R37m Beitbridge border fence. This was indicated by public works and infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille in reply to a question by the IFP’s Mthokozisi Nxumalo, who asked for an update on the disciplinary process for officials implicated in the 40km-long fence debacle. The fence, bordering Zimbabwe and SA, was hastily built last year after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the closure of borders as part of the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. An investigation launched by De Lille in April 2020 found a litany of incompetence and wrongdoing in its construction. It recommended disciplinary action against 14 government officials. In her reply dated 22 June, De Lille said the hearing for members of the bid adjudication committee had been scheduled for 21 to 24 April, while the hearings for senior officials had been scheduled for 4 to 6 May. She said the hearing for the bid adjudication committee members had proceeded on the scheduled dates, with the department leading a witness on procurement processes. That matter continued on 14 to 18 June with further testimony and cross-examination of the witnesses. However, the hearing for senior officials was postponed when one of the official’s legal representative served the chairperson and the department with a court application to review the investigation report and stop the disciplinary inquiry. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE
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