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Labour News

Political parties agree on need for business, government collaboration

By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th April 2019 One cannot develop South Africa with a blanket approach, without consultation and discussion and these interactions should not be confined to the election season only, Inkatha Freedom Party MP Mhuleko Hlengwa asserted during a Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa... →

Expanding KP’s scope will help create economic potential, says WDC executive director

By: Simone Liedtke 4th April 2019 Expanding the scope of the Kimberley Process to include issues related to human rights and labour relations, as is being advocated by the World Diamond Council (WDC), will help create conditions in which Sub-Saharan Africa's artisanal diamond miners can meet their economic potential, and so... →

South Africa needs rapid, employment-intensive growth – CDE

By: Simone Liedtke 2nd April 2019 Centre for Development and Enterprise executive director Ann Bernstein on Tuesday said that, for South Africa to achieve rapid economic growth, it would require a “decisive shift in policy, growth and jobs”, which remain at the apex of national priorities in South Africa. However, accelerated,... →

Small Business Institute to host indaba with a focus on job creation

By: Marleny Arnoldi 1st April 2019 The Small Business Institute (SBI) will hold its first of two small business indabas at the Bryanston Country Club, on April 11, where three major South African political parties will debate their manifestos. The indaba will be held under the theme “Creating jobs against all odds”, with the... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Small Business Institute executive director Bernard Swanepoel

Industry asks government to intervene in crisis

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 29th March 2019 The sugar industry has called on government to act immediately to prevent the industry’s collapse, as the industry has lost R1.3-billion in only one season since the implementation of the sugar tax in April last year. South African Canegrowers’ Association chairperson Graeme Stainbank says... →

GRAEME STAINBANK The South African Canegrowers’ Association believes that government should acknowledge the damage that a sugar tax has had on the economy and the sugar industry

Numsa members embark on strike at BMW’s Rosslyn plant

By: Simone Liedtke 25th March 2019 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) on Monday claimed that BMW South Africa had unilaterally changed the terms of service for contract workers. As a result, Numsa members have embarked on a strike at BMW’s Rosslyn plant, in Pretoria. →

Group Five subsidiary companies to continue operating as going concerns – BRPs

By: Simone Liedtke 25th March 2019 The joint business rescue practitioners (BRPs) for Group Five and Group Five Construction on Monday confirmed that subsidiary companies of these entities would continue to operate as going concerns, as they do not fall directly into business rescue proceedings. This is also the case for Group... →

Aveng Strabag Joint Venture to appeal ruling on calling of Mtentu bridge bonds

By: Terence Creamer 22nd March 2019 The Aveng Strabag Joint Venture (ASJV) reported on Friday that it would appeal the dismissal of an urgent application, lodged by the ASJV in February, seeking to prevent the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) from making a call on the bonds relating to the Mtentu bridge... →

French Foreign Affairs Minister visits local construction academy

By: Schalk Burger 22nd March 2019 The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian visited construction materials and infrastructure components multinational Saint-Gobain Construction Training Academy, in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, earlier this month to inspect its work and its youth development partnership. The... →

PRACTICAL TRAINING SESSION The youths are trained to install drywall and ceiling installation, as well as insulation or sound-proofing systems

NUM says Ramaphosa assured union no jobs would be lost in Eskom unbundling

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th March 2019 The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Tuesday confirmed that it had met with President Cyril Ramaphosa, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Energy Minister Jeff Radebe this week. The union noted, however, that it still needed to consult with its members employed at Eskom, on the... →

NUM to march on Luthuli House on March 30 to protest Eskom unbundling

By: Terence Creamer 12th March 2019 The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) announced on Tuesday that it would march on the African National Congress’ (ANC's) Luthuli House head office, in Johannesburg, on March 30 to voice its opposition to the unbundling of Eskom. It would also use the protest action to call for the resignation... →

AMSA says contingency plans in place as Numsa strikes over ‘labour brokers’

By: Terence Creamer 12th March 2019 Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) says it has introduced contingency plans at its various plants to minimise the potential impact on production of a National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) strike. The union indicated on Tuesday that a strike had been declared, owing... →

Photo by Creamer Media
AMSA's Vanderbijlpark steel mill

Virtual reality emerging as a mainstream skills-development tool

By: Simone Liedtke 1st March 2019 Virtual Reality (VR) has hitherto been associated largely with the gaming industry. But as rates of digital penetration rise and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) increases the demand new skills sets, the technology is also becoming a mainstream business and skills-development tool.... →

Women have only three-quarters of men’s legal rights, affecting work prospects

By: Sane Dhlamini 27th February 2019 If women had equal opportunities to reach their full potential, the world would not only be fairer, it would be prosperous, said World Bank Group interim president Kristalina Georgieva. In its newly released index titled Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform, the World Bank... →

Labour broking not a dying breed

By: Halima Frost 22nd February 2019 Although the temporary employment sector has been under pressure over some years it has now reached a level they are regarded as legitimate for sectors in an open economy. The industry continues to play a significant role in sectors of the economy including the Constructional Engineering... →

LABOUR LINEUP Labour broking is still a viable option for many short-term projects

Now is the time to focus on Industry 4.0 – CEA chairperson

By: Shannon de Ryhove 22nd February 2019 With 2019 ushering in new executive leadership at employer and employee representative association, the Constructional Engineering Association of South Africa (CEA), chairperson Rajen Govender believes that it is the ideal time to focus on the association and industry’s readiness for the Fourth... →

CEA chairperson Rajen Govender speaking about the future of the association and the impact of Industry 4.0 on the metals and engineering industry. Camerawork and Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

Promising growth in construction sector brings hope for 2019

By: Halima Frost 22nd February 2019 Despite the contribution of the construction sector to local economic activity being inconsistent, and having decreased significantly over the years, Constructional Engineering Association (CEA) executive director Anthony Boy is hopeful that there will be an upturn in investments in the sector... →

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Anthony Boy and Louis Breckenridge speak of their hopes for the future

Retrenchments at South32’s Hillside smelter could affect up to 500 jobs – Solidarity

By: Nadine James 19th February 2019 Trade union Solidarity on Tuesday said it had received a retrenchment notice from South32’s Hillside aluminium smelter, in Richards Bay. The trade union stated that the retrenchment process could impact the lives of up to 30 000 people and, consequently, the entire Richards Bay area. →

Don't trample on workers, Cosatu pleads in march to Parliament

By: News24Wire 19th February 2019 The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) marched to Parliament on Tuesday – the day before Finance Minister Tito Mboweni is set to deliver his maiden Budget – to call for job security and an end to retrenchments. The trade union federation held marches in eight of South Africa's nine... →

South Africa's biggest labour group embarks on nationwide strike

By: Bloomberg 13th February 2019 South Africa’s biggest labor federation will embark on a nationwide protest on Wednesday that will keep teachers, policemen, miners and workers at embattled power utility Eskom away from their posts amid a fourth day of rolling blackouts. The National Union of Mineworkers -- an affiliate of the... →

Marginal decrease in South Africa’s unemployment rate

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 12th February 2019 South Africa’s official unemployment rate decreased marginally by 0.4 of a percentage point to 27.1% in the final three months of 2018, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on Tuesday. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) indicates the number of employed people increased by 149 000 to... →

AI and machine learning expected to boost productivity

By: Schalk Burger 8th February 2019 An increase in the productivity and pace of business processes can be expected owing to the use of artificial intelligence (AII) and machine learning (ML), says cloud service firm Oracle South Africa MD Niral Patel. An autonomous enterprise requires less time for manual tasks and lower chances of... →

SA-Tied discusses measures to grow South Africa’s economy, combat inequality

By: Marleny Arnoldi 31st January 2019 Inequality is a massive inhibitor of inclusive economic growth in South Africa and, to lower income inequality, the country needs policies that are inclusive of those at the bottom of the income distribution rank or not economically active at all, Amargi Media CEO and journalist Nikiwe Bikitsha... →

UNTU intends to launch protest action against PRASA, Transport Minister

By: Simone Liedtke 28th January 2019 The United National Transport Union (UNTU) is in the process of launching a Nedlac Section 77 process through its affiliated federation, the Federation of Trade Unions of South Africa (Fedusa), which will allow protest action to force the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and... →

Ramaphosa arrives in Geneva for ILO report launch

By: African News Agency 22nd January 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday morning to launch the International Labour Organization’s (ILO's) Global Commission on the Future of Work Report, his spokesperson Khusela Diko said in a statement. Ramaphosa and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven are... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Agri-hub seen as key post-mining-economy jobs driver in west Gauteng

By: Terence Creamer 14th January 2019 An ambitious plan to develop Gauteng’s West Rand into an agri-industrial hub, primarily producing high-value crops for domestic and export markets, is starting to take shape and is expected to be officially launched during the first quarter of 2019. The initiative has been branded ‘Bokamoso Ba... →

Photo by Sibanye-Stillwater
The programme is part of bigger plan to build a sustainable post-mining economy in the West Rand

Home Affairs Committee proposes cell phone ban for DoH staff

By: Sane Dhlamini 14th January 2019 Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs chairperson Hlomani Chauke on Monday called on the Department of Home Affairs (DoH) to consider an outright ban on cell phone usage by front line staff during working hours at all branches. This follows numerous complaints made to the committee from members of... →

OECD, Sars, Treasury sign MoC for taxation collaboration

By: Simone Liedtke 11th January 2019 The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and the National Treasury on Friday signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC), in which all parties agreed to continue working together in the area of taxation. The MoC is in place until... →

NUM bemoans nonpayment of salaries to Optimum, Koornfontein employees

By: Simone Liedtke 7th January 2019 The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Monday expressed its dissatisfaction over the nonpayment of employees’ salaries at the Optimum and Koornfontein coal mines for the past two months. NUM members and other workers will be entering their third month without being paid salaries, NUM Highveld... →

Women on track to earn the same as men – in 202 years

By: Bloomberg 18th December 2018 The good news: The global gender gap has improved, slightly. The reality: Differences in economic opportunity, including pay between men and women, are so vast it’ll take 202 years to fully bridge them, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The group looks at several measures of equality... →

Odourless treatment process produces energy, creates jobs

By: Cameron Mackay 14th December 2018 A new labour-based upgrade for wastewater management plants and acid mine drainage plants below ground – the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) process – can be used to produce potable water and energy while reducing costs and creating job opportunities, says engineering and... →

HYSON CELLS The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor process is below ground, which allows for natural insulation of the cone structures

Solar PV uptake expected to double

By: Paige Müller 14th December 2018 Energy supply from solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is increasing at a rapid rate in South Africa, with PV grid installation expected to double in the 2018/19 period, says renewable-energy solutions supplier Genesis Eco-Energy director and solar energy association South African Photovoltaic... →

Photo by Creamer Media
NO THREAT POSED The adoption of renewable-energy systems neither poses an immediate nor a significant threat to workers in the local coal industry

Government launches e-Recruitment system

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 12th December 2018 The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has officially launched government’s e-Recruitment system, which enables job seekers to apply for positions in the public service through an online platform. The system was launched by Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda... →

Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda Dlodlo

Bigen awarded Level 1 BBBEE rating

By: Simone Liedtke 11th December 2018 Solutions-focused infrastructure development group Bigen has been rated a Level 1-compliant company in terms of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act Codes of Good Practice. Rated by Mpower Ratings, Bigen has achieved an increase in black ownership from 31% to 51%, 14% of which... →

SA employment down 0.2 pct in Q3 – statistics agency

By: African News Agency 11th December 2018 Employment in South Africa's formal non-agricultural sector fell by 0.2 percent or 16 000 jobs to 9.733-million in the third quarter compared with the previous three months, the national statistics agency said on Tuesday. The number however reflects a 0.2 percent or 17 000 increase over the same... →

Local sugar industry struggles to stay afloat

By: Paige Müller 7th December 2018 The survival and sustainability of the labour intensive sugar industry is under severe threat owing to the flood of sugar imports and the resultant inability by industry bodies to recover costs, according to South African Sugar Association executive director Trix Trikam. “The local sugar industry... →

UNBALANCED TRADE The world sugar market is distorted by producer country incentives, resulting in production that is surplus to demand

Partnership for land tenure rights mutually beneficial

By: Paige Müller 7th December 2018 Sugar producer Illovo Sugar Africa has been partnering nongovernmental organizations, governments and global donors to transform the landscape of tenure rights in its operating countries, says Illovo Sugar Africa Group MD Gavin Dalgleish. “Africa has the highest proportion of agricultural land... →

Photo by Bloomberg
WOMEN IN SUGAR More than 65% of those who have benefited from the Illovo Maragra plantation partnership to date have been women

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