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Labour News

Patel offers insight into Level 4 balancing act as South Africans smart over irrational restrictions

By: Terence Creamer 30th April 2020 Amid growing opposition to some of the restrictions to be imposed as part of South Africa’s Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown, which begins on May 1, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel has sought to outline the philosophy underpinning the country’s evolving approach to working during... →

Productivity SA proposes economic recovery plan

By: Donna Slater 29th April 2020 Employment growth and productivity promotion agency Productivity SA has drawn up a document to potentially address economic shortcomings brought about by the spread of Covid-19 and economic disruptions resulting from the national lockdown. Productivity SA chairperson Professor Mthunzi Mdwaba... →

Covid-19 underscores need for multidisciplinary approach to diseases in Africa

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 29th April 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the globe has become an additional burden in Africa’s list of epidemics and noncommunicable diseases, highlighting the continent’s vulnerability to disease, and thereby reinforcing the need to focus on a multidisciplinary approach when countering outbreaks of... →

UIF tweaks online platform to be more informative

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th April 2020 The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has tweaked its systems to ensure that more pertinent information is available on its online platform. Employers, employees and organised labour are now able to see which companies have been paid. →

TERS benefit set to be extended to staff of non-UIF compliant firms

By: Terence Creamer 28th April 2020 The South African government is willing to consider extending the Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) to employees of firms that are currently not fully compliant with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has stressed, however, that the... →

BLSA suggests rethink of how to ease business into staged lockdown

By: Donna Slater 28th April 2020 Getting some previously shut sectors back into safe production is key to getting the economy moving again, as has been done with the phased easing of the lockdown, suggests business promotion agency Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso. However, she fears that it will prove... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Busi Mavuso

Govt urged to plan ‘for the long haul’ post-Covid-19

By: Simone Liedtke 24th April 2020 Without an effective reconstruction of South Africa’s growth path and distribution, the country will face “years of debt distress”, University of Witwatersrand (Wits) adjunct professor Michael Sachs says. In a webinar on April 24, hosted by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), the... →

Gold likely to rise as global Covid-19 restrictions start to ease

By: Donna Slater 24th April 2020 Financial services company INTL FCStone Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia market analysis head Rhona O’Connell says the majority of precious metals have moved into uncertain territory, with future trends difficult to predict as Covid-19 disrupts international buying and selling markets.... →

Covid-19 to forever change the face of offices, says Business Exchange

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 24th April 2020 Covid-19 and the South African lockdown have forced companies across the board to embrace strategies that allow their employees to continue working, but from home. And while this has been a relief for many, who no longer have to face the daily traffic grind and can work in their pyjamas if they... →

Association improves technicians training

By: Cameron Mackay 24th April 2020 The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Safety Association of South Africa has been investing in improving its LPG technicians’ installation training through collaboration with the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) as one of its mandates for the LPG sector. “This will enable us to ensure that... →

NIRVAN BRIJLAL The industry is well regulated, with many safety standards in place

Solidarity Fund raises R2.6bn

By: Sane Dhlamini 23rd April 2020 Government’s pro bono organisation, the Solidarity Fund on Thursday expressed gratitude to all those who have so far donated to the fund, which has received R2.6-billion in pledges to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The mandate of fund is to mobilise and coordinate financial and... →

Labour dept making good progress on Covid-19 TERS payments

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd April 2020 The Department of Employment and Labour has ramped up its payment of Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS), as well as normal benefits, to ensure workers are not inconvenienced during the lockdown. On April 22, the Unemployment Insurance Fund disbursed R92-million, taking the... →

Chief executives report degradation in economic outlooks as Covid-19 crisis deepens

By: Donna Slater 22nd April 2020 Nonprofit international leadership community organisation YPO’s latest international Covid-19 survey has found that 84% of the 3 534 respondents are more negative about the outlook for the months ahead than they were on March 1. YPO conducted its first Covid-19 survey from March 10 to 13,... →

SAPS members that violate the regulations undermine government’s efforts - General Rabie

By: Sane Dhlamini 21st April 2020 South African Police Service (SAPS) Major General Leon Rabie on Tuesday said the abuse of power or involvement in any illegal activities by the members of his organisation during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic not only brings SAPS into disrepute but grossly undermines government’s efforts to... →

Nxesi seeks additional processing capacity as first R1.1bn in TERS claims are paid

By: Terence Creamer 21st April 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi reports that his department is in discussion with other public entities and the private sector to build additional capacity in order to fast-track the processing of the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme applications and the payment of benefits.... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi

Lockdown has revealed sad fault line in society – Ramaphosa

By: Sane Dhlamini 20th April 2020 As South Africa battles the spread of the novel coronavirus, President Cyril Ramaphosa has pointed out that the national lockdown has revealed a “very sad fault line” in society. In his weekly message to the country, the President said while the lockdown was instituted to save lives, it has also... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Nxesi’s new directive further streamlines UIF Covid-19 relief scheme

By: Terence Creamer 17th April 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has made further changes to the directives governing the Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, following ongoing engagements with business and labour on the scheme at the National Economic Development and Labour... →

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Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi

Restrictions eased on various industries as South Africa enters extended lockdown phase

By: Terence Creamer 16th April 2020 The South African government announced the easing of lockdown restrictions for parts of the logistics, retail, services, mining and energy sectors on April 16, as the country entered the second phase of what was initially meant to be a 21-day nationwide lockdown in response to the Covid-19... →

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

Waste pickers get relief with food vouchers during national lockdown

By: Donna Slater 14th April 2020 An electronic food voucher initiative is being rolled out to waste pickers across the country, as part of a partnership between the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and the packaging industry, to assist waste pickers who have lost their livelihoods during the national... →

UJ Vice Chancellor pledges 33% of salary towards Solidarity Fund

By: Sane Dhlamini 14th April 2020 The University of Johannesburg Vice Chancellor Professor Tshilidzi Marwala has revealed that he will donate 33% of his salary to the Solidarity Fund to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. This follows president Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that members of Cabinet will donate one-third of their... →

UJ, nonprofit find companies are failing to comply with Covid-19 requirements

By: Marleny Arnoldi 9th April 2020 A report compiled by the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Change and nonprofit organisation Casual Workers Advice Office finds that companies still operating during the lockdown are largely failing to provide adequate health and safety provisions. The report is based on analysis... →

Old Mutual provides free cover to healthcare workers

By: Donna Slater 8th April 2020 Financial services group Old Mutual is making R4-billion worth of cover available to about 430 000 registered healthcare workers across South Africa, the group announced on April 8. Unlike traditional cover, the initiative offered to these professionals is neither a product nor a policy and no... →

Ramaphosa places Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for violating lockdown regulations

By: Sane Dhlamini 8th April 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months, one of which will be unpaid, for violating the regulations of the national lockdown amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. A recent social media... →

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

Research reveals gap in Covid-19 funding for businesses in townships

By: Donna Slater 7th April 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic and the current lockdown are already having a devastating impact on South Africa’s economy, with informal and small businesses in townships likely to feel the brunt of the impact. A study by postgraduate students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and entrepreneurs from... →

Unemployment beneficiaries wait while Nedlac discussions progress

By: Donna Slater 7th April 2020 Many employers are waiting for greater clarity regarding unemployment benefits for their staff that have been temporarily laid off during the national lockdown, which is enforced from March 27 to April 16 to curb the spread of Covid-19, according to business law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH).... →

Gillian Lumb

Public servants wage deal on ice as unions move to declare dispute

By: News24Wire 2nd April 2020 An increase in the wages of public servants – originally due to kick in on April 1, in terms of a wage agreement reached in 2018 – is still on ice after Finance Minister Tito Mboweni announced an ambitious plan in his Budget address to save some R160-billion in the state's wage bill over three... →

Nxesi urges sector-level applications for National Disaster Covid-19 benefit

By: Simone Liedtke 31st March 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi announced on March 31 that applications for the National Disaster Covid-19 benefit, which had been put in place to mitigate the effects of lay-offs during the lockdown, would not be handled on an individual basis and would instead need to be submitted... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi

SA adds 16 000 net jobs in fourth quarter of 2019, as part-time work grows

By: News24Wire 31st March 2020 Total employment in South Africa's non-agricultural formal sector grew by 16 000 between September and December 2019, Statistics SA announced on Tuesday in its latest Quarterly Employment Statistics bulletin. This is below the increase of 87 000 in the fourth quarter of 2018. While full-time... →

Covid-19 may exacerbate the abuse of power – Corruption Watch

By: Sane Dhlamini 31st March 2020 Not-for-profit organisation Corruption Watch on Tuesday released its yearly corruption report with executive director David Lewis saying South Africans should not expect corruption to lessen during the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s report is themed “The Writing is on the Wall” and shows... →

Corruption Watch executive director, David Lewis

UNTU calls for PPE for Transnet employees as iron ore line reopens

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 30th March 2020 The United National Transport Union (UNTU) has acknowledged the decision of Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to reopen the iron ore rail line operated by State-owned Transnet. This will require Transnet employees from various divisions to be ready to report for duty from March... →

Transnet

Solidarity Fund sets aside R100m to procure protective equipment for frontline health workers

By: Terence Creamer 30th March 2020 The Solidarity Fund announced on March 30 that it would be using a portion of the R500-million raised during its first week of operations to facilitate the emergency procurement of the personal protective equipment – including five-million face masks – that was urgently required by public and... →

Staying home most effective way to contain Covid-19 – Ramaphosa

By: Sane Dhlamini 30th March 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday said it was clear that the most effective way for a society to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus is for the population to remain at home and physically isolated from each other for at least several weeks. As South Africa enters day 4 of its national... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Seifsa encourages re-industrialisation, development of artisans

By: Donna Slater 30th March 2020 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) says that while South Africa remains a dual economy with one of the highest levels of inequality in the world, part of addressing the unemployment challenge can be tackled through re-industrialisation of its economy.... →

KZN MEC says dept has adopted zero tolerance on price hiking amid lockdown

By: Sane Dhlamini 27th March 2020 KwaZulu-Natal economic development, tourism and environmental affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube says her department is in communication with the management of Spar KZN with the view of terminating contracts of franchise owners who are involved in price hiking. This follows consumer complaints that... →

KZN MEC for EDTEA Nomusa Dube-Ncube

Company transforming amid difficulties

By: Mamaili Mamaila 27th March 2020 JSE-listed sugar producer Tongaat Hulett is striving to reconstruct its business to be innovative, resilient and cost effective. →

TRANSFORMATION IN SIGHT The three main shareholders in Uzinzo hold 65%

Working from home can be just as productive – professor

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th March 2020 As South Africans face the reality of a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, working from home has become the “new normal” overnight, and if its properly managed, people can be just as productive as being in the office. So says University of Stellenbosch Business School... →

Call for polymer, plastics industries to be declared essential as lockdown looms

By: Donna Slater 25th March 2020 South African plastics industry representative organisation Plastics SA has called on government to reclassify some sectors within the broader plastics industry as essential service providers owing to its contribution to packaging essential items during the upcoming 21-day national lockdown.... →

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