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.
NUM to seek wage hikes of nearly 60% for lowest-paid gold miners
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BL Premium reports that trade unions and the gold mining sector are due to hammer out a new three-year wage deal later in 2021 and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is preparing to demand wage increases of nearly 60% for the lowest-paid miners.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 31 March 2021
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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, 31 March 2021.
PSC says officials doing deals with state must face action
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SowetanLive reports that the Public Service Commission (PSC) wants disciplinary action to be taken against senior managers whom it has identified as having conflicts of interest.
Metro mayors and unions call for provision of subsidies to public transport networks
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The Star reports that the mayors of Johannesburg, Tshwane and eThekwini, along with transport unions, have called on the government to provide reliable operational subsidies to public transport networks.
Union pickets to demand permanent employment of EPWP workers at Gauteng health department
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The Star reports that the Gauteng Department of Health has come under sharp scrutiny for its Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Minerals Council SA urges caution over Easter weekend
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Mining Weekly reports that the Minerals Council SA (MCSA) has urged all employees and communities to be mindful that Covid-19 was still prevalent.
Strike by Limpopo health workers over duty rosters averted after MEC’s intervention
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News24 reports that a renewed strike by Limpopo health workers was averted when Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba scuppered efforts by administrators to unilaterally implement a new duty roster.
Phindile Baleni appointed Director-General in the Presidency
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News24 reports that the Presidency finally has a director-general (DG) after President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Phindile Baleni in the post that Cassius Lubisi left vacant after he left the public service in September last year.
Eastern Cape government finds R400m to extend contracts of 8,000 temporary Covid-19 health workers for three more months
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News24 reports that after a public outcry coupled with protest action, the Eastern Cape health department has sourced R400 million to keep 8,000 Covid-19 contract workers employed for the next three months and community workers for another 12 months.
Survey shows that 77% of organisations struggle to recruit and obtain critical skills
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Business Report writes that Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey 2020/21 showed that 77% of organisations were struggling to recruit and obtain critical skills in SA for their local and cross-border operations.
No outright booze ban, but liquor industry still concerned about effect on retailers
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News24Wire reports that the announcement President Cyril Ramaphosa of restrictions on alcohol sales over the Easter weekend has ended speculation about an outright ban, but the industry is concerned about the effect on retailers.
Pilots’ union issues strike notice to SAA, with unusual demands
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The Citizen reports that the SA Airways Pilots Association (Saapa) has issued a strike notice to state-owned SA Airways (SAA), with a list of unusual demands.
Department heads must act on errant behaviour by public servants, says Public Service Commission
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BL Premium reports that the Public Service Commission (PSC) said on Tuesday that heads of government departments must act on errant behaviour by civil servants and bring those who breached public service regulations to book.
eThekwini city manager barred from returning to work until after conclusion of criminal trial
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TimesLIVE reports that eThekwini city manager Sipho Nzuza, who is one of the accused in the R320m Durban Solid Waste corruption and fraud matter, has been barred from going back to work.
Minerals Council urges members to discourage employees from travelling over Easter
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Mining Weekly reports that the Minerals Council SA (MCSA) has made certain recommendations to member companies in light of the risks that a third Covid-19 wave poses due to infections surging over the Easter long weekend and other upcoming public holidays.
SA experienced 4.8% fall in real wages in 2020
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BusinessTech reports that the United Nation’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) has named SA as one of the few emerging markets to experience a fall in real wages in 2020.
Momentum pays out R750 million in Covid-19-related death claims
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Business Report writes that Momentum has paid out about R750 million in Covid-related death claims.
Progress made by eThekwini makes in resolving many disciplinary cases
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The Mercury reports that the eThekwini Municipality is clamping down on officials who have been accused of wrongdoing and has disciplined many of these officials.
New draft law proposes much stricter rules against workplace discrimination
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Business Insider SA reports that under a new draft law, companies would have to show they had taken "reasonable steps" to prevent discrimination by employees if they want to avoid facing the legal consequences alongside those employees.
A total of 621 staff retrenched as SABC concludes process
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BL Premium reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has concluded its contentious retrenchment process, which will see as many as 621 employees leave the embattled public broadcaster.
Limpopo health workers not backing down as strike looms over standardised rosters
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Pretoria News reports that about 50 health workers in Limpopo, including nurses and doctors, engaged in a picket during lunch time at Mankweng Hospital on Monday as the threat of a sector-wide strike continued to loom large.
Ramaphosa announces new J&J deal that will see SA get 30 million Covid-19 vaccines
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Independent Media reports according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, SA will now have access to 30 million Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccines, while over 200 million doses will be produced for Africa.
Labour Minister ’silent’ on UIF officials’ disciplinary hearings over alleged Ters fraud
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Independent Media reports that more than a month has passed since the disciplinary hearings for seven Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) officials who were allegedly implicated in Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) fraud.
Worker-owned Fly-SAX confident of getting SA Express off the ground despite bank guarantee not secured by deadline
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Moneyweb reports that SA Express’s anchor investor was supposed to provide the balance of the R50 million purchase price of the airline last week, but this has failed to materialise according to the airline’s liquidator Aviwe Ndyamara.
Speaker of a Limpopo municipality accused of misusing official car by making false travel claims and abusing petrol card
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SowetanLive reports that a Limpopo municipality speaker has been accused of making false travel claims and abusing a petrol card while using an official vehicle.
SARS advertises hundreds of jobs to boost crackdown on tax evaders, especially big earners
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Business Insider SA reports that the SA Revenue Service (SARS) has advertised 370 jobs as part of its plans to improve its tech capabilities and widen its crackdown on people who are evading tax, especially big earners.
Boulders Shopping Centre to conduct cultural, human rights training sessions with staff after Ndebele attire debacle
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News24 reports that Redefine Properties Limited, the company which owns Boulders Shopping Centre in Midrand, has committed to piloting cultural and human rights training sessions within three months, after an incident of cultural discrimination at the establishment.
Former top cop, three senior officers acquitted on charges related to 2012 Marikana massacre
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TimesLIVE reports that former North West deputy police commissioner Gen William Mpembe and three other officers have been acquitted on charges relating to the Marikana massacre in 2012.
Roundup on Monday, 29 March 2021 of weekend labour reports
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In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 26 March 2021.
DA says government ‘failed’ in lockdown, wants no more booze bans or curfews
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The Citizen reports that on Sunday, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen called on government to “trust science” and to “apply common sense” before the Easter holidays, labelling lockdown a “crude response” to the Covid-19 pandemic.