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.
News24 reports that the SA National Defence Union (Sandu) is demanding payment of outstanding allowances for soldiers who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a press briefing on Friday, union leaders accused the Department of Defence of failing to honour commitments made during meetings and “stonewalling” negotiations over the outstanding allowances of almost 2,000 soldiers. According to the union, representing almost 21,000 soldiers, a backlog of allowances went unpaid when SA National Defence Force (SANDF) members returned from the DRC in May. The allowances comprise five categories designed to compensate soldiers for various hardships and risks during deployment. The union said it publicly raised its members’ concerns, which led to bilateral meetings and negotiations and an agreement that all allowances would be subject to negotiation. However, subsequent Military Bargaining Council meetings have been problematic.
The union’s general-secretary, Pikkie Greeff, stated that no progress was made at a 13 August meeting. Greeff stated: “The employer negotiation team was in attendance but was not mandated and completely unprepared for discussing this issue.” They apparently also claimed they were not informed of how the amounts were determined. According to the union, while some of its members have discussed protest action, their preferred approach remained negotiations.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thato Gololo at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Get other news reports at the SA LabourNews home page