In our Monday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Friday, 14 June 2017.
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Employer fragmentation at MEIBC could see non-parties setting their own minimum wages City Press writes that some employer groups in the metals and engineering sectors think they have an iron-clad bargaining chip to get unions to sign up for an almost unprecedented lowering of prescribed entry-level wages. That chip is the prospect of dropping wages to an even lower point, on a widespread scale, if no deal is reached. Should that happen, it could spell the collapse of the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC). For the same reason, long-standing demands that the sector’s wages differentiate between large and small employers seem to be a possibility this year. The new dynamic is that the employer side of the MEIBC has fragmented, with only four employer groups now seated at the table. A new deal will almost certainly require all the groups’ assent to be extended to the whole sector. But, the National Employers’ Association of SA (Neasa) has spent the past few years fighting against MEIBC deals and their extension to the whole sector. Now the SA Engineers’ and Founders’ Association (Saefa), the largest member of employer federation Seifsa, has broken away. And another group, the Consolidated Employers’ Organisation, has grown large enough to claim its own seat at the table, changing the balance of negotiating power. If there is no extension of the deal, all the non-parties would very likely set their entry-level wage at R20 an hour, being the imminent new national minimum wage. Read this informative report by Dewald van Rensburg in full at City Press. Read too, Neasa vs. Numsa: Wie gaan bes gee? at Netwerk24 (limit on access). And also, Wage negotiations between Saefa and Numsa collapse, on page 20 of Sunday Independent Business Report of 16 July 2017
Search for eight missing fishermen resumes on Monday News24 reports that the search for eight missing fisherman resumed at first light on Monday in the Cape St Francis vicinity after a full day extensive sea, air and shoreline search yielded no results. One fatality has been confirmed, and seven have been rescued. The fishing vessel Maredon, carrying 16 crew on board, capsized in the early hours of Sunday. The body of one fisherman was recovered and seven people were rescued. Maritime rescue officials were alerted of red distress flares by various chokka fishing vessels off-shore of Thyspoint. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) along with police, provincial health emergency services, private ambulances and security companies searched for survivors and casualties amid high swells and heavy winds. Read this report by Tammy Petersen in full at News24. Read too, Still no sign of eight missing Eastern Cape fishermen, at IOL News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Government bows to pressure, puts implementation of Mining Charter on hold BusinessLive reports that the government has backtracked on the immediate implementation of the contentious new Mining Charter, a move welcomed by the Chamber of Mines on Friday. The Chamber said in a statement that Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and his department had given a written undertaking not to implement or apply the provisions of the 2017 reviewed Charter, pending judgment in the urgent interdict application brought by the Chamber. Based on this undertaking, the Chamber has acceded to the department’s request for extra time to prepare its answering affidavit to the interdict application and for the hearing to take place on a later date. The hearing was scheduled for 18 July, but the parties have now asked the High Court to allocate a hearing date in September 2017. Read this report by Linda Ensor in full at BusinessLive. Read the Chamber’s press statement at Politicsweb NUM 'shocked' after implementation of revised Mining Charter put on hold ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Friday that it was "shocked" and "disappointed" by the temporary suspension of the controversial new Mining Charter pending the outcome of the Chamber of Mine’s urgent interdict application. The union said it would be exploring legal possibilities in a bid to challenge the suspension as “transformation in the mining industry, affects all of us, especially employees and communities." This came after Mineral Resources Minister, Mosebenzi Zwane, on Friday gave a written undertaking that his department would not implement or apply the provisions of the 2017 Charter in any way, pending judgement in the interdict application. The revised Charter has been vehemently rejected by the industry, with the NUM being among a few who welcomed it, even though it said that government-set targets for black ownership of mineral wealth could have gone further. Read this report in full at Business Report. Read too, Government bows to pressure, puts implementation of Mining Charter on hold, at BusinessLive. And also, Zwane under fire for bowing to firms on Mining Charter, at Fin24 Other Mining Charter postings
Other labour/community posting(s) related to mining Myners: om te werk met 'n valbyl oor jou kop, at Netwerk24 (limit on access)
Saftu ‘on track to subscribe a million members by December’ SABC News reports that Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), says the federation is on track to subscribe a million members by December. Speaking in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape, he said the leadership was crisscrossing the country targeting workers who were not unionised. "We will increase the membership of Saftu by a million every year until we've done what we said we will do and that is reaching out to the 76% of workers who are outside unions," Vavi claimed. Saftu on Saturday held a feedback rally in Polokwane. Read this report in full at SABC News
Solidarity seeks urgent solution to negative impact of Eskom’s winter power rates on industry Engineering News reports that Solidarity has requested that industry players, government and power utility Eskom convene a solution-seeking roundtable to discuss winter’s high power rates and the negative impact they have on the steel and chrome industry. The trade union’s Marius Croucamp said that under the ‘Save Our Steel Campaign’, Solidarity had sent a letter to government requesting an urgent high-level meeting to look into this matter. “Companies close plants and shut down smelters owing to the higher power rates that apply in June, July and August. When production is halted at companies, no economic growth takes place, which could result in retrenchments at the companies in question,” Croucamp explained. In light of this, Solidarity believes a model allowing for flexibility must be found to assist and support companies during the increased winter power tariff period. Based on a report at Read this report in full at Engineering News. See too, Union seeks urgent meeting over Eskom’s winter power rates, on page 18 of Business Report of 17 July 2017. Read Solidarity’s press statement in this regard at Solidarity online Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Fight over who is employer of workers supplied by labour brokers goes ConCourt City Press reports that labour brokers will have at least another year’s grace before the contentious “deeming” provision, which was introduced into labour law at the beginning of 2015, potentially shuts down a large part of their industry. A ruling by the Labour Appeal Court (LAC) last week struck down an influential 2015 labour court judgment by acting Judge Martin Brassey on the deeming question. The LAC found that companies that use labour brokers were the sole "employer" of labour supplied (after three months’ employment) rather than that labour brokers and their clients were dual employers. Craig Kirchmann for the Confederation of Associations in the Private Employment Sector indicated that an appeal to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) was already being prepared. Most importantly, merely filing this appeal would suspend last week’s judgment for at least another year. Yet, Ruth Edmonds, attorney for the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), was more optimistic, saying it would likely be six months. The potential fallout of an eventual ConCourt ruling against dual employer status would probably be a culling of temporary employment service companies. Read this report by Dewald van Rensburg in full at City Press. Read Van Rensburg’s report in Afrikaans at Netwerk24 (limit on access) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
DA calls on Minister Brown to stop bonuses for ‘ineffective’ Eskom executives ANA reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Sunday urged Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown to stop bonus payments to “ineffective” Eskom executives. Brown has the power to stop “the handover of millions of public money to Eskom executives who have utterly failed, and, in some cases, are the cause of the dire financial situation at the power utility”, DA spokeswoman, Natasha Mazzone said. This referred to short-term bonuses of R5.5-million for three former and current executives, which formed part of a R13-million payment for top executives, namely R2.1-million for former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, R1.5-million for suspended acting CEO Matshela Koko, and R1.9-million for CFO Anoj Singh. Mazzone claimed that Eskom finances were in a shambles and she claimed that the state-owned power utility “may not be able to pay salaries to its 49,000 employees come November,” which Eskom has since refuted. Read this report in full at eNCA. Read too, Broke Eskom to splash on bonuses for Molefe, Koko, at Sunday Times. And also, Eskom confirms executives, including Brian Molefe, to get bonuses, at eNCA The DA’s press statement in this regard is at DA Newsroom We're not broke, says Eskom after report on executive bonuses News24 reports that state-owned power utility Eskom on Sunday lashed out at weekend media reports that it was "broke", saying it was confident it could keep operating. "Eskom refutes the notion that it is facing a cash crisis, and that it has only enough cash to last for the next three months. The company is confident that it will maintain sufficient liquidity to support its operations," it indicated in a statement. The company added, however, that, because it was making an official announcement on its finances this coming Wednesday, "Eskom is not in a position to respond comprehensively to the specific issues raised at this stage". The Sunday Times newspaper published an article on Sunday in which it claimed that, according to financial statements it has seen, Eskom only has enough money to last approximately three months. Nonetheless, according to the publication, Eskom has proposed to pay millions in bonuses, including to former CEO Brian Molefe and suspended acting chief executive Matshela Koko. Read this report in full at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Home Affairs’ offices stay closed on Saturdays as talks with unions continue EWN reports that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has apologised for the closure of its offices today (15 July) as negotiations over Saturday shifts continue with its employees. The DHA’s staff threatened to go on a nationwide strike last month after the department issued a notice forcing them to work on weekends without monetary compensation for overtime. Unions called off the strike when the DHA offered to retract the statement and discuss a mutually beneficial way for the offices to be opened on Saturdays. The department’s David Hlabane said: “We have not yet resolved but discussions are still continuing and we’re still hoping for a resolution to the matter.” A short report by Hitekani Magwedze is at EWN. Read the DHA’s short press statement in this regard at SA Govt online Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Cosatu furious that implementation of UIF benefit improvements delayed due to typos BusinessLive reports that Cosatu is incensed about the further delay in the implementation of amendments to the Unemployment Insurance Act, caused by two typing mistakes in the version signed by President Jacob Zuma in January. These mistakes, said the labour federation’s Matthew Parks, meant the act would have to be sent back to Parliament for corrections. Yet the government apparently cannot say when this will happen. The amendments have been in the pipeline since 2011 and were passed by Parliament in December last year. They increased Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) benefits from 238 to 365 days; increased maternity leave benefits by 66%; covered workers who lost working hours due to reduced time at their workplace; and included public servants in the scheme. Parks said Cosatu will request the intervention of government leaders "to fix this disaster” as it could not wait for the Department of Labour any longer. Read this report by Linda Ensor in full at BusinessLive
SABC wants R11.4m 'bonus' back from Motsoeneng and mulls laying criminal charges The Times reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC’s) interim board is on a mission to claw back millions of rands paid to disgraced former COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng. It plans to sue Motsoeneng for the return of a R11.4-million bonus he received in 2016. The bonus was linked to a deal that granted MultiChoice access to the public broadcaster's archives - without the authorisation of the then board. Motsoeneng's bonus on this deal was R33-million, to be paid out over three years. The R11.4-million was the first portion and was paid in August last year. The matter has also been handed over to the Special Investigating Unit with a view to the possible laying of criminal charges. In addition, Motsoeneng could be asked to repay funds he irregularly made available to the 'SABC Thank You' concert held in Orlando. Meantime, Motsoeneng has since gone to the CCMA in an attempt to overturn his dismissal in June. Read this report by Neo Goba in full at BusinessLive SABC allegedly offered Tokiso R5,000 per guilty verdict in medical aid fraud cases against 138 staffers City Press reports that an SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) internal document details how the public broadcaster offered Tokiso Dispute Settlement R5,000 for each guilty verdict delivered in disciplinary cases against 138 SABC employees accused of medical aid fraud. Unions representing the implicated workers have used this document as proof that the SABC had denied its employees a fair hearing, having “premeditated or plotted” to dismiss them en masse irrespective of the truth. An SABC attorney is cited in the same document as having advised that if the dismissals were challenged at the CCMA, the “SABC would be wise in directing it to the labour court”. This was done and the cases are currently still at the court with no progress. The Media Workers’ Association of SA (Mwasa) introduced the leaked document to the CCMA proceedings in support of its argument that the SABC flouted the rules for guilty verdicts and dismissal of staff. The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union’s Hannes du Boisson said they were convinced that “the hearings were rigged by Tokiso” and that the dismissals were “premeditated”. Read this report by Poloko Tau in full at City Press Other internet posting(s) in this news category
See our listing of links to labour articles published on the internet from Friday, 14 July to Sunday, 16 July 2017 at SA Labour News
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