| x | STRIKES AND OTHER LABOR RELATED PROTESTS 2011 - MARCH 2016 2011 Truckers to stage protests
Johannesburg - South African truckers planned protest rallies on Monday to support a wage strike launched at the weekend. The South African Allied Transport Worker's Union (Satawu),
the biggest body in the trucking industry and three other unions that in total
represent more than 30 000 truckers, are demanding a 20% salary increase over
the next two years, housing allowances and shorter working hours. Strike over Provident fund, wages hits Hernic Ferrochrome mine Over five hundred workers belonging to the National Union of Mineworkers downed tools as from yesterday at Hernic Ferrochrome in Brits, Northwest over demands for wage improvements. The workers are employed by a company called Hydro Sebenza and works at Hernic Ferrochrome. Workers demand that the company should improve its wages by 15% which has been lowered from 20%. Westonaria workers and community to protest!
Some 1000 Workers and members of the community of Westonaria Local Municipality will be embarking on a protest action as of tomorrow; workers will be delivering a list of reasonable and legitimate demands to the Municipal Manager T. Ndlovo. Bus drivers continue strike
Johannesburg Metrobus drivers were still on strike on
Thursday morning in protest against their new shift schedule, the bus company
said. Taxi strike is on – Santaco
From midnight on Sunday, there will be no taxis on the roads of Cape Town, says Santaco provincial spokesman Mvuyisile Mente. Transport MEC Robin Carlisle and the SA National Taxi
Council have failed to resolve differences and a strike by 12 000 taxi
operators is set to start on Monday.
City strikers axed as mayor vows to tackle ill-discipline
The Tshwane Metro Council confirmed yesterday that it had
dismissed 1 054 Samwu members who took part in an illegal strike that turned
ugly last Thursday. MAKE 12 MARCH 2011 A DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH ROBERTSON
ABATTOIR WORKERS The Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers’ Union (CSAAWU) calls for actions of solidarity with the 48 workers of Robertson Abattoir who were first subjected to an illegal lockout on the 30th November 2010, and then dismissed on the 3rd of December. Hennie De Bod owns the abattoir. Robertson is a small farming town 150 kilometres from Cape Town, and 50 kilometers from Worcester in the Langeberg Local Municipality. Metrobus strike continues
A strike by Metrobus drivers entered its fourth week on
Monday as unions and the employer prepared to meet in the afternoon, an
official said. Police open fire on strikers in pictures
Police arrest an alleged Samwu member who was part of a
group protesting outside the Tshwane bus depot. A policeman was injured and 12
strikers were arrested at the Church Street bus depot in Pretoria. The incident
occurred when striking members of the waste management service joined bus
service strikers in the bus depot. The police arrived and asked the strikers to
leave, but when they refused rubber bullets were fired. Baloyi said the
situation was brought under control. One metro policeman was injured in the
incident and 12 strikers were arrested. Photo: Masi Losi, Pretoria News Samancor ‘s four week long strike ends The four week long strike by over 3500 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at Samancor Chrome came to an end last night after the parties reached a deal. The NUM demanded an increment in the funeral cover which has now been increased from R10 000 to R20 000. The company further agreed to base their calculations on 93%, top up with R 300 for category A and B and R250 for category C. South Africa's miners to protest over safety
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's powerful National
Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will hold a one-day protest on Saturday over safety
in the North-West province, which could affect some mining operations in the
area. Eastern Cape nurses work or be fired’
“The nurses have until tomorrow (Sunday) to report to work or they will be fired,” said spokesman Sizwe Kupelo. The nurses abandoned their posts on Friday night, after holding two hospital managers hostage over the night duty allowance. BRIDGESTONE HAS DECLARED A WAR AGAINST METALWORKERS
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) notes the declaration of war by Bridgestone South Africa – SA (PTY) LTD for locking-out workers at its two production operations in Brits and Port Elizabeth respectively. This lock-out amounts to provocation and spitting on the face of the workers due wage increases COSATU condemns violence in Cape Town taxi strike
COSATU condemns the violence in the strike and call upon taxi associations to distance themselves from this violence, and the DA government’s failure to protect commuters and provide an alternative plan, as it has caused untold misery to working families who depend on public transport Strike action hits MTN call centre in South Africa
WORKERS at one of MTN’s call centres in South Africa went on strike on Tuesday, 14 March to protest against labour brokers. WORKERS at one of MTN’s call centres in South Africa went on
strike on Tuesday, 14 March to protest against labour brokers. Meanwhile, the
Communications Workers' Union (CWU) is urging MTN to recognise the union. S.Africa's miners to protest over safety
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's powerful National
Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will hold a one-day protest on Saturday over safety
in the North-West province, which could affect some mining operations in the
area. Six Thousand Pelagic Fishing Workers On Strike
About 6000 FAWU members employed in the pelagic fishing sector, are embarking on a legal strike today, Friday, 3 June 2011 at 12h00, at various plants in the West Coast, Gansbaai and Hout Bay areas after CCMA negotiations last week failed to produce a positive outcome between the union and Premier Fishing, Oceana, Gansbaai Marine, Suid –Oranje, Saldanha Group and Marine Products ( Foodcorp) over the union’s demand for a relief fund for seasonal workers in the industry. NUM declares a dispute at Kumba’s Sishen Iron Ore Company
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) declared a dispute with Kumba‘s Sishen Iron Ore Company comprising of Thabazimbi mine, Kolomela and Sishen over non-implementation of a housing clause in the 2010-2012 wage agreement. The three operations employ over 8000 workers. The contested clause reads as follows: COSATU North West protest march on 10 June 2011
The Congress of South African Trade Unions and its members, with the support of the communities around Rustenburg, will be marching to the Rustenburg police station demanding the arrest of those suspected of killing the late Moss Phakoe who was shot in March 2009 during the national election campaign. A secondary strike looms at United Manganese Mine
Over a 100 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have been on strike at United Manganese Mine (UMK) since the end of May. The workers demand that the anti-union company should bargain with them whilst the company has kept its hostility towards them. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has now called on a secondary strike by all contract workers employed by various contractors at the mine. “Our intention is now to bring the mine to a complete standstill” says Peterson Muleya, the NUM ‘s Organiser in the Kimberly Region. United Manganese Mine is situated some 80 kilometers outside Kuruman in the Northern Cape near Hotazel. Rainbow Chickens Workers In Second Week of A National
Strike
About 4 500 employees from Rainbow Chickens’ processing and farm plants in the Western Cape, the North West, Mpumalanga, Gauteng , Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape are in their second week of a national strike that started on 26 May,2011. These FAWU members are demanding better wages, a reduction in working hours and backdated payment to April 2011. BHP Billiton: No plans for wider strike
Around 3,500 union workers at Australia's BHP Billiton-Mitsubishi Alliance, the world's biggest producer of metallurgical coal, plan several work stoppages next week but are not planning wider strike action at this stage, a union official said. The unions have given notice of stop work meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at the Norwich Park, Blackwater, Gregory Crinum, Goonyella, Saraji and Peak Downs mines. Doctors march for better security
The murder of a Durban doctor at a hospital in Mpumalanga
province last week was not an isolated incident, said KwaZulu-Natal health
workers, who will march to the Durban city hall today to demand safe working
conditions. Striking metal workers halt Joburg traffic
Thousands of metal workers have descended on the Joburg CBD vowing to bring the city to a standstill to highlight their demands. JMPD and SAPS officials were this morning diverting traffic as bus loads of workers made their way to the Workers' Museum in Newtown. With the planned march to the Harrison Street offices of
Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (Seifsa), the march
was likely to disrupt midday and afternoon traffic. Contract workers ‘pose hygiene threat’
Striking workers at the Rainbow Chickens processing plant in
Worcester say hundreds of contract workers live on the premises with no washing
facilities. Exarro strike remains on the cards
The strike by over 7000 workers at Resources Company Exarro remains on the cards. The strike is still suspended pending a court process after Exarro obtained an interim court interdict stopping the mass action. The warring parties will meet on the 1st July at the Labour Court in Braamfontein, ENGINEERING WORKERS TO MARCH IN WELKOM 2011
KARL CLOETE, NUMSA General Secretary and SAM MASHININI, COSATU Provincial Secretary, will jointly lead a march of the engineering and other related sectors workers as organised by NUMSA, tomorrow Tuesday 05 July 2011, Welkom, Free State province. Blackout looms for Durban
Threats of a total blackout in the city in the next 24 hours
by striking workers at the eThekwini municipality’s main electricity depot in
Springfield are being taken very seriously. That’s according to Mayor James
Nxumalo Strikers' use of violence 'deplorable'
As the engineering sector strike entered its fifth day,
several acts of violence and intimidation were allegedly committed by striking
workers, the Steel and Engineering Industries' Federation of South Africa
(Seifsa) said on Friday.
Numsa hardens heart, holds out for 13% increase The strike in the engineering sector would be intensified until employers met what unions said were "reasonable" demands. National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa) general secretary
Irvin Jim said on Sunday that the negotiating parties had begun to take one
another seriously. Chemical workers join strike Chemical workers are set to join the engineering strike on Monday. The Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied
Workers' Union (Ceppwawu) and General Industries Workers' Union of South Africa
(Giwusa) last week indicated that their members would embark on the strike from
Monday.
Unions march in Durban, Joburg
About 117000 workers took to the streets on Tuesday across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London, demanding between 11% and 13% increases
Noooo petrol as strike begins to bite
South African motorists are starting to struggle to find fuel as effects of the national chemical workers' strike takes hold. Fuel Retailers' Association CEO Reggie Sibiya told the Mail & Guardian on Wednesday that petrol stations were now beginning to feel the effects of the strike. Paper sector workers join fuel strike
Workers at South African paper makers Mondi and Sappi joined a fuel strike on Thursday, further escalating wage protests in Africa's biggest economy, a union official said. Metalworkers end strike as fuel walkout widens
Tens of thousands of workers ended a two-week pay strike in
the South African steel and engineering sector on Sunday while petroleum
workers plan to widen a week-long walkout that left hundreds of the nation's
fuel pumps dry, union leaders said. Chemstof miners on strike Over 200 mineworkers downed tools at Chemstof Mine, a mine situated at Boksfontein outside Brits. The workers downed tools yesterday demanding a wage increment of 15%, a living out allowance of R1000 as well as a transport allowance of R800 amongst others. The employer responded with a little 4%. Sasko Grain Embarks On Nationwide Strike
2000 FAWU members, all employees of Sasko Grain, a division of Pioneer Foods have embarked on a nationwide strike on Wednesday, 13 July 2011 and members in Paarl and Malmesbury will be picketing in front of the company’s headquarters in Paarl tomorrow, Friday 15 July at 11h00 during which they will hand over a memorandum to management listing their demands. SA hit by strike fever As the country reels from twin strikes by the metal and chemical worker unions, a further strike is looming by nearly a million members of the Congress of South African Trade Union-affiliated public service unions. M&G photographer Oupa Nkosi arrived in the industrial area of Alrode in Alberton to a sea of disgruntled workers. He approached the volatile situation with patience and, several hours later, emerged with the shot. More slideshowsThe public service unions affiliated to the
labour federation are contemplating striking following the government's failure
to meet their wage demands. Coal workers dig in, prepare for 'powerful strike'
Workers in the coal sector will embark on a strike following failed wage negotiations, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday. "We have deadlocked. We have received a strike certificate and we are going on strike," spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka said. On Thursday, the union would give employers 48-hours notice
of the strike and would discuss the date of the strike with its 150 000 members
in the coal sector, he said. More sectors want to down tools
The economy will lose more working hours if planned strikes by hundreds of thousands of workers in the coal and diamond sector go ahead. Industrial action in the public service and gold sectors is also looming. The strike in the petroleum industry that has drained fuel
supply is entering its second week and metal-workers have just ended their
two-week strike after employers increased their wage offer to 10%. R104m price tag for power plant strikes
Violent protests at the Medupi and Kusile power plant construction
sites in May caused damage to the tune of R104 million and 221 667 lost “man
days”. Thousands of workers from mines join strike WORKERS at coal miners Anglo American, Xstrata and Exxaro Resources started a strike over pay last night. "It has started," National Union of Mineworkers
(NUM) spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said. ‘‘We expect about 150000 to take part"
from the NUM and from Solidarity. 200 000 more workers to join strike
Over 200 000 more workers from the gold sector will this week join the strike action by 150 000 coal and 5000 diamond workers after the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) issued a certificate of non-resolution to the dispute this evening. The whole day conciliation came to an abrupt end when the parties could not reach an agreement over the 14% demand by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). NUM declares a dispute with Exarro Coal
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has this afternoon declared a wage dispute with Exarro Coal and its operations outside the Chamber of Mines. The NUM demands a wage increment of 14% or a minimum of R5500 whichever is greater and Exarro Coal offers an increment of 7%. The operations involved in the dispute are those not affiliated to the Chamber of Mines which includes Grootgeluk, Tshikondeni, Leeuwpan and Inyanda. The NUM further demands that the company should equalize its wages and conditions of service with those operations affiliated to the Chamber of Mines. “Our demands are reasonable and achievable and it is up to the company to deliver” says Eddie Majadibodu, the NUM‘s Chief Negotiator at Exarro Coal. The NUM further demands that Exarro should increase its housing allowance from R2000 to R2500 per month. The dispute declared remains an internal dispute as per the NUM‘s agreement with Exarro Coal. *****Coal employers, union reach deal to end strike
South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Monday it had reached a wage deal with employers in the coal sector to end a week-long strike that threatened supplies to power plants in Africa's biggest economy. “They are going to be signing the offer... the strike will be called off,” NUM's spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told Reuters. - Reuters Cleaning sector to embark on a national strike
The South African Transport & Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and six other unions have served the Cleaning sector employers with a strike notice after wage talks between the two parties had failed. Over 100 000 workers will embark on a national strike as of Monday, 8th August 2011 NUM reaches agreement with gold and coal producers,
diamond workers remain on strike The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is pleased to announce that the strikes in both the gold and coal sectors have finally been resolved. Workers in the coal sector began work today whilst those in the gold sector will begin work tonight. The NUM has agreed on a 10,5% increment for the lowest paid workers in the coal sector and 10% for same in the gold sector for both year one and year two. The other categories will receive between 7,5% and 10% in both sectors depending on the company and the level of the post. “We are pleased with these achievements and hope that these represents a learning curve for all mining houses that you dare not take workers for granted” says Frans Baleni, the NUM General Secretary. SAMWU press conference to announce national strike action
The Largest local Government Union SAMWU will hold a press conference tomorrow at 12:00pm. The purpose of the Press Conference will be to provide crucial information on the national strike action the Union plans to embark on. More unions join cleaners' strike
Six more unions will join the cleaning sector strike, the National Service and Allied Workers' Union (Nasawu) said on Sunday. "Nasawu and five other trade unions will join the
strike by thousands of contract cleaners on Monday," said spokesperson Sam
Ndou in a statement. NUMSA backs Cleaning Workers Strike
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) fully backs the ongoing strike action by cleaning workers for a living wage as led by our reliable and dependably ally, SATAWU. Thousands march in the Northern Cape to demand safety
Thousands of mineworkers will tomorrow march from Sishen Iron Ore mine hostels to Kumba offices at the Kathu Business hub in the Northern Cape to demand that the mining industry, the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Labour take seriously their demand for their safety. This is part of the build-up towards the national day of mourning which will be held on the 4th of October 2011 where mineworkers will down tools in pursuit of their demand to be safe. Gather outside the Sishen Mine Hostels The march in the Northern Cape will be followed by another in Limpopo next week. Strikes continue in mining, municipal sectors More than 200 000 municipal workers walked off the job on Monday, a trade union said, in a strike which intensifies labour strife that has rocked Africa's biggest economy. However, the South African Broadcast Corporation reported
that more than 85% of workers from the South African Municipal Workers Union
(Samwu) had boycotted the strike because of corruption within the "dysfunctional"
provincial leadership.
SATAWU Eastern Cape members will be marching to the
Provincial Department of Labour About 8000 workers in the Eastern Cape will be marching to the provincial Department of Labour on Friday, 19 August 2011, in support of the on-going National Cleaning strike. They will hand over a memorandum of demands to the National Contract Cleaners' Association (NCCA) at 13h30pm. The march will take place in three areas: · Umtata – from Satawu offices to the Department of Labour · Port Elizabeth – from Nongoloza Njebe to the Department of Labour · East London – from North Ed Stadium to the Department of Labour SAMWU Gauteng provincial march tomorrow Media, both print and visual, are hereby invited to the Provincial March of the SAMWU Gauteng Province. The March would be held as follows: Peter Rose Park (Braamfontein) Corner of Victoria Street & Empire Road Striking Cleaning Workers led by SATAWU Gauteng to hand over a memorandum Striking Cleaning Workers led by SATAWU Gauteng to hand over a memorandum Striking cleaning workers will hand over a memorandum of
demands to a representative from the Department of Labour in Tshwane today .
“Our members have turned out in numbers to support their striking cleaning
colleagues.” Said Chris Nkosi –Gauteng Provincial Secretary. We expect about
3000 workers to be gathered Church Square- Tshwane at 10h00am Friday, 19 August
2011. Then march to the Department of Labour in Schoeman Street to hand over a
memorandum of demands at 12h00. Strikers promise worse chaos
Striking municipal workers in eThekwini threatened to
“intensify” their actions from today, including plunging Durban into darkness,
leaving the city without water and “causing casualties”. If this happens,
eThekwini will end up in a similar state to areas in eShowe and Underberg where
residents have been left without water. SATAWU cleaning strike over, wage deal signed
The South African Transport & Allied Workers Union (SATAWU)) representing workers cleaning sector has finally reached an agreement on wages with the Employer’s Associations of the industry. The parties signed a 3 year agreement which includes an 8% across the board. The agreement entails the following: SAMWU gets go ahead to strike in water sector
At a conciliation in the water sector, which took place in Pretoria yesterday, no settlement of the on-going wage dispute was reached. The commissioner issued a certificate of non-resolution which would allow SAMWU to take protected strike action in the sector. Strike continues at Nkomati mine
The strike by over 2000 workers and members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) continues unabated at Nkomati mine in Machadodorp outside Nelspruit in Mpumalanga. The strike has today entered its third day. The strike is over the disparities between African and White workers as well as a shift allowance of 7% Cleaners see red over R1 an hour increase
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) has accepted a mere R1 an hour increase for private cleaners who are already earning a low salary. This has angered other unions representing cleaners and
yesterday cleaners took to the streets of Pretoria to express their
dissatisfaction Eskom workers march in Durban Thousands of Eskom workers belonging to the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will tomorrow march in Durban to hand a memorandum of demands to Eskom. Members are demanding that Eskom should increase its offer of 7% to 13% and stop its unilateral implementation of the 7% disagreement. The NUM further demands that Eskom should stop its conversion of the pension fund scheme to the provident fund and should further stop its arrogance in deterring the implementation of a minimum service level agreement. NUM’s show of force at Eskom tomorrow
Thousands of members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) members will tomorrow march in Johannesburg to demand amongst others that Eskom stops its unilateral implementation of 7%. The members would come out in large numbers to reject with contempt Eskom‘s 7%; to reject Eskom‘s conversion of its pension fund to a provident fund; Strike stops Rea Vaya Johannesburg’s Rea Vaya BRT (bus rapid transport) system,
operated by former taxi owners, was gaining good momentum before it was
derailed by the latest drivers’ strike, which lasted for the entire month of
August and shows no sign of ending. SAMWU sets the record straight concerning the BRT Strike
in JHB SAMWU in the Greater Johannesburg Region wishes to take this opportunity to clarify all issues surrounding the strike action at BRT REA Vaya, which has dragged on for more than a month now. COSATU NW marches to the department of labour
The Congress of South African Trade Unions will march to the Department of Labour in Potchefstroom tomorrow to demand its intervention on racism and exploitation of workers by Chubby Chick Poultry. NUM to strike at Tendele mine
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has yesterday served a notice to strike at Tendele mine in Mtubatuba, Kwazulu-Natal. The strike is about a dispute on wages. The NUM demands that the current wages of R3311 be increased to at least R5500 and that the housing allowance be offered at R1000 rather than the current R200. Tendele mine High lab worker turnout expected for strike About 1500 government linked health laboratory workers were expected to strike on Tuesday over a wage dispute, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) said. “We were still mobilising numbers at the start of the strike
yesterday (Monday), but... about 80 percent of our members will strike today,”
spokesman Sizwe Pamla said. COSATU members in NW to protest outside Rustenburg
Court The Congress of South African Trade unions in the North West and the community of Rustenburg will go back to the Rustenburg magistrate court tomorrow the 30 September 2011. COSATU will be in court to demand that all the suspects accused of the murder of comrade Moss Phakoe must not be given bail. Traffic officers on go-slow over ‘state of chaos’ PIETERMARITZBURG traffic officers have embarked on a
go-slow, calling for an investigation into the “state of chaos” in the Msunduzi
traffic and security department. MINE, CONSTRUCTION AND ENERGY WORKERS DOWN TOOLS Thousands of mine, construction and energy workers will tomorrow down tools to observe a day of mourning. Many will march to the Chamber of Mines to present a memorandum to the representatives of the Chamber of Mines, the Department of Labour, the Department of Mineral Resources, the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC) and ESKOM over the increasing number of fatalities in their respective industries. Workers will gather at 9h00 in the morning at Corner Marshall and Nugget Tiger Brands Beverages on Strike
About 70 FAWU members, employed by Tiger Brands Beverages in Salt River, Cape Town will be embarking on strike this morning in demand of a transport allowance which has been a common practice until recently. The company does not want to grant the allowance anymore. Harbour hit by illegal strike A STRIKE at Durban’s Pier 1 has brought container handling
to a halt, and shipping movements are unlikely to return to normal until later
today. The strike began on Saturday and some companies have diverted ships
elsewhere. Angry workers threaten Engen Shortage of gas poses an unacceptable danger The shortage of fuel and LP gas could worsen in
KwaZulu-Natal as workers at the Engen Refinery in Durban have threatened to
down tools on Tuesday after, they said, they had not been paid for three weeks.
Robben Island strike affects boat trips
Robben Island Museum has been operating only two of its four
daily trips from the Waterfront as a result of a strike.
COSATU Free State takes to streets against labour broking
and corruption COSATU Bloemfontein Local will be taking to the street tomorrow 5 November 2011 in a protest against labour broking and corruption as part of the broader campaign of the federation for a living wage. The march will leave from Batho Police station in Mangaung Bloemfontein at 9h00 NEHAWU TO PICKET AGAINST THE VICTIMISATION OF WORKERS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND REFORM AND AGRARIAN OFFICES IN CAPE TOWN ON THURSDAY NEHAWU members in the Western Cape; provincial office of the Department of Land Reform and Rural development will be picketing in front of the Van der Stel building in Rhodes Avenue, Mowbray on Thursday, 10 November 2011.The union has resolved to embark in this action after the failure of the department to resolve a myriad of issues that negatively affect our members in the department’s provincial office. COSATU to strike on 1st December 2011 for better train
service in Western Cape COSATU has continued its negotiations with Metrorail on the level of the train services in the Western Cape, under the auspices of NEDLAC Coca Cola Fortune Workers To Strike COSATU supports NUMSA Extrata workers’ strike
COSATU is disappointed at the manner in which workers who are on legal strike are being treated by police in Rustenburg police station. COSATU North West province was informed last night that 86 workers were arrested yesterday morning at a legal gathering; from that morning those workers were not charged until 17h00. NUMSA MEMBERS TO MARCH IN AFFLUENT AND EXCLUSIVE
PLAYING-GROUND FOR THE RICH - MELROSE ARCH FOR A LIVING WAGE AND SUSTAINABLE
LIVELIHOODS The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) representing 4000 workers working at Xstrata will be marching tomorrow Tuesday 15 November 2011, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, Gauteng province. This march forms part of the organizational strategy to exert pressure to Xstrata ruling oligarchy to accede to workers demands. NUM strikes Mintek
Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are out on strike at MINTEK beginning yesterday. The workers demand a wage increase of 10% whilst the employer offers a performance based increase of 4+3+3. Coca -Cola Fortune Managers Should Refrain from Intimidating Strikers It has come to our attention that some of the company’s managers are trying to intimidate our striking members, particularly those outside the bargaining unit by threatening them that they would have to face the consequences of their acts if they do not return to work. FAWU has since written letters to the various affected plants requesting managers to refrain from intimidation tactics since the strike action remains protected by law. About 2000 FAWU members employed by Coca Cola Fortune, an independent bottling company, has been on a national protected strike since Friday, 11 November at 07h00 in Polokwane, Louis Trichardt, Bushbuck Ridge, Nelspruit, Tzaneen, Bloemfontein, Kuruman, Upington, Vryburg, Kimberley, Queenstown, Lakeside, Perseverance, George, East London, Port Shepstone and Umtata. With the union having the outright majority at all plants almost 97 percent of the total workforce is on strike at this stage and according to our members production is almost at a standstill Clicks workers set to go on strike from 1st December
SACCAWU members at Clicks will embark on a protected strike from, the 1st of December 2011, in pursuance of the struggle for a living wageand in support of their demand for decent wage increase. The workers demand R397-00 across the board, whilst management's offer stands at R335-00. While agreement was reached on all other issues during the negotiations, the only outstanding issue is the wage increase. Irate unpaid census takers stage sit-in
Irate field workers and supervisors say they have not been paid for the Census 2011 count they were contracted for. On Tuesday, a number of people employed to conduct the census
streamed in and out of the Statistics SA building demanding money owed to them
since November 10 or November 23. Metro cops threaten to strike over grievances
Claims of racism, the flouting of policies, corruption and preferential treatment. These are among the problems that eThekwini metro police want the council to address, failing which they will go on strike during the festive season. About 400 metro police staff, mainly traffic officers,
protested outside their Old Fort Road headquarters yesterday, saying they had
been responsible employees by avoiding industrial action for a long time, but
it was time to act because nothing had changed. 2012 NUMSA supports Tollgate workers strike led by SATAWU The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) in KwaZulu-Natal supports the ongoing toll-gate workers strike action led by our sister and class union, South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), for a living wage and sustainable livelihoods for workers. 5,000 Implats workers on strike Platinum miner Impala Platinum (Implats, IMP) advised on
Monday that about 5,000 rock drill operators at its Rustenburg operations were
engaged in an illegal work stoppage that had begun on Friday.
Striking teachers condemned
Striking teachers in the Eastern Cape were violating children's rights to education and there would be consequences, the province's education superintendent-general said on Thursday. Implats: Rustenburg mine still shut
South African miner Impala Platinum said on Monday its Rustenburg operations remained shut after the majority of workers staging an illegal strike over wages failed to return to work. Implats said it had been granted a further court order declaring the strike illegal. “The failure of the workforce to report for work this morning is due to an alternative union ... who have, despite no formal process in place, attempted to gain recognition at the Rustenburg operation,” it said in a statement. About 5,000 drill operators downed tools on January 20. The
company dismissed them after the stoppage was declared illegal. The workers
have been told to reapply for their positions. – Reuters NUM condemns Impala Platinum
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is highly perturbed by the unpleasant situation at Impala Platinum in Rustenburg where over 25 000 workers had stayed away from duty. The NUM believes that Impala Platinum applies underhand tactics to incite workers into strike, obtain an interdict and fire them. Implats sacks 13 000 striking workers Impala Platinum, the world's second largest platinum producer, said on Thursday that it had dismissed 13 000 employees, bringing to 17 200 those sacked since the start of a labour dispute almost two weeks ago. Workers were given until Wednesday to return to work at its
Rustenburg operations or face dismissal.
Protesting metro cops stop traffic
The eThekwini council’s executive committee is expected to
hold an emergency meeting on Friday to find a solution to the grievances of
protesting metro police officers. Gautrain bus strike halted About 320 Gautrain bus drivers were fired this week in the
climax to an intermittent strike that started on January 9, and centred on
transport allowances, according to the lawyer representing the drivers. MAN-TRUCK STRIKE ENTERS ITS THIRD WEEK!
> The KwaZulu-Natal National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), a reliable and trusted affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is deeply infuriated by the failure of Man-Truck ruling oligarchy to resolve the ongoing industrial dispute at its Westmead, South of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Our members have been on a protected strike since 23 January 20122 amidst the apartheid Bantu Labour Relations imposition to workers by Man-Truck. .Africa police fire tear gas at rioting platinum miners South African riot police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon on Thursday at hundreds of striking miners who went on the rampage at Impala Platinum's Rustenburg plant, the world's single biggest platinum mine. At least 50 officers, backed by armoured vehicles and two helicopters, moved into a shanty town near the mine after the miners torched homes in a dramatic escalation of a month-long strike that has hit the company and global platinum prices. Police said one man had been killed overnight after a mob stripped him naked and beat him during a demonstration outside the plant, which accounts for as much as 15 percent of world platinum output. Up to 5,000 miners blocked the road leading to the plant,
which lies 120 km (80 miles) northwest of Johannesburg, and hurled stones at
police, provincial police spokeswoman Adele Myburg said. Bus strike puts children in danger
The current inefficiency of the Tshwane bus service is not only inconveniencing residents and commuters, but is apparently also endangering the lives of pupils who are now forcedto walk to school. This was the concern forwarded by parents to the Tshwane Metro Council as it struggles to provide an effective and efficient bus service for residents. The city’s bus service has been marred by illegal strikes by
bus drivers and allegations of widespread corruption, which resulted in the
suspension of six managers two weeks ago. Strike continues at Samancor Chrome as NUM rejects pittance The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has last night rejected Samancor Chrome ‘s offers and vowed to continue with the already one week old strike action. The NUM demands that the company should equalize its wages between all Samancor mines and Smelters. Other issues include the issue of calculation of benefits, family responsibility leave and the CLOTHING WORKERS MARCH AGAINST NON-COMPLIANCE Earlier yesterday morning, about 3 500 workers took to the streets, in Northern Natal, to march against non-compliance with the clothing industry national wage agreement, and against poverty wages. The march started at 10h00 yesterday morning and angry workers marched through the Isithebe industrial area, in KZN. COSATU NW marches in Delareyville
The Congress of South African Trade Unions will stage a protest action in the town of Delareyville in the Tswaing local Municipality on 28 March 2012. Our action is a continuation of the national action against labour brokers, exploitation of workers, corruption and racism in that area, the issue of the tolling system including the expensive toll gate of Swartruggens which increased from R67 to R71 last week NUMSA SUPPORTS STRIKING ILANGA NEWSPAPER
JOURNALISTS/WORKERS! The KwaZulu-Natal National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) supports the ongoing strike by ILanga Newspaper workers or journalists for a living wage and improved conditions employment. This historic strike action by ILanga Newspaper workers or journalists is consistent with the broader struggles waged by the working class for fair and equitable distribution of wealth at the point of production. *Four week-long strike ends at Modikwa The four week-long strike by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at Modikwa Platinum on the border of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces came to an end last night after the parties reached an agreement. COSATU NW continues with its rolling mass action
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West is continuing with its rolling mass action program against labour brokers, the open road tolling system, corruption and poor services to the communities. This program is part of the national campaign as adopted by the central committee last and programmatised by the CEC COSATU NW on 19 April 2012 will march to the Moses Kotane local municipality in demand of service for the people of zone 8 in Mogwase who were insulted when they demanded these services. COSATU will also continue with its planned night vigil at the Swartruggens toll plaza on 20-21 April 2012 which will demand that the toll fee be reduced to R20 and this will be preceded by the march from MMACON in Mahikeng to the department of health in demand of good quality public health to the people of the North west including the students conditions that has been with the department of health for years. COSATU has also planned a mass action against racism in Zeerust which is now postponed to the following week. Doctors protest over unpaid wages Eastern Cape doctors protested because the provincial health department has failed to pay their salaries for almost six months. Eastern Cape doctors protested on Tuesday because the provincial health department has failed to pay their salaries for almost six months, the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa) said. The picket, held at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha, was led by the SA Medical Association (Sama), said Numsa provincial spokesman Phumzile Nodongwe. Numsa supported the protest because it threatened the
quality of healthcare for the poor. Joburg Metrobus drivers protest
About 20 Metrobus drivers protested at the company's head office in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon, an official said. “We received a notice from the SA Municipal Workers' Union
(Samwu) about a protest which was supposed to start on Monday at 8am till 5pm
and continue every day up until July 13,” Metrobus spokeswoman Esther Dreyer
said. We will shut Durban down - metro cops
Durban Metro Police have vowed to bring the city to its knees in yet more protests. On Saturday the rogue police members unveiled plans to
blockade key access points in and out of Durban and force the city to fire
their boss, Eugene Nzama. KZN Dunlop workers strike
Workers at Dunlop Industrial Products in Howick have been on strike since Wednesday over a wage dispute, Numsa in KwaZulu-Natal said on Tuesday. “The strike action has been triggered by stubbornness and
big-headed arrogance by Dunlop ruling oligarchy to concede to workers demands
for improved conditions of employment and sustainable livelihoods (all sic),”
regional National Union of Metalworkers of SA secretary Mbuso Ngubane said in a
statement.
Gold Fields strike
ends Johannesburg - Striking workers at South African bullion
producer Gold Fields agreed to return to work on Wednesday, the National Union of
Mineworkers said. Gold Fields strike continues A strike at Gold Fields' KDC west, near Carletonville, on
the West Rand continued on Monday, company spokesman Sven Lunsche said. “Workers
did not return to work,” Lunsche said. Gold Fields says KDC strike spreads to Beatrix
World No. 4 bullion producer Gold Fields said on Tuesday workers remained on an illegal strike at its KDC West operation in South Africa despite an agreement reached Friday and employees at its Beatrix mine had also downed tools. "The strike is still on, they ignored the agreement
reached Friday night. And the strike has now spread to Beatrix," spokesman
Willie Jacobsz told Reuters. Gold Fields evicts workers as mining strike
spreads
Gold Fields has begun evicting thousands of its striking workers from company dormitories as work stoppages spread to more gold and platinum mines. Gold Fields ordered some 5 000 workers who have been on
strike for three weeks to vacate the mine hostels, saying striking workers
there were intimidating their fellow employees. (Delwyn Verasamy, M&G)
*Medupi remains closed following
protest
The Medupi power station remained closed on Tuesday, following protests by Eskom contract employees last week, engineering group Murray & Roberts said. Spokesperson Ed Jardim told Engineering News Online that
operations at the power station near Lephalale, in Limpopo, were put on hold on
Friday, although no violence had been reported since then.
Union stages sit-in in Bisho Johannesburg - Hospersa members staged a sit-in at the Eastern Cape health minister’s offices in Bisho on Wednesday. Emergency services shop stewards and representatives of other unions refused to leave the offices of Health MEC Sicelo Gqobana after a third meeting with management to discuss grievances was cancelled, said the Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa).
Boland farm workers down tools
Cape Town - In a move described as “courageous” and
“unprecedented for the Boland region”, workers at Keurboschkloof export grape farm
outside De Doorns downed tools and staged a sit-in protest at the gates of the
farm on Monday. Workers strike at Coal of Africa's Mooiplaats colliery Workers at Coal of Africa's (CoAL) Mooiplaats colliery in South Africa embarked on a legal strike over wages on Tuesday, the company said, the latest incident of industrial action to hit the country's mining sector. CoAL's shares fell almost 18 percent after it said employees
who are members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) had rejected the
company's 22 percent pay rise offer, which included increases in wages and
overall benefits. Protesters stone truckers Striking truck drivers in the Johannesburg CBD threw stones at passing trucks on Tuesday, metro police said. "The trucks were passing Beyers Naude square, where truck drivers are protesting," Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said. "Companies are requested to tell their people not to send any trucks into the Joburg CBD in order to avoid further violence and damage to trucks." Earlier, the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu)
said over 20 000 employees in the road freight sector were on strike over their
pay increase on Tuesday. Truckers take to city streets
Durban - Striking truck drivers set vehicles alight and intimidated drivers in Durban on Wednesday as the national pay strike by more than 20 000 workers in the freight transport sector continued. Three people were admitted to hospital, said eThekwini metro
police spokesman Superintendent Eugene Msomi. Shortage fears grow as petrol pumps run dry
Petrol pumps around Gauteng and other provinces have begun to run out of fuel, and things could get worse if the transport strike is not resolved. Transport workers set to intensify strikeTransport workers
vow to strike after wage talks failMore CoverageRoad freight talks set to
continue Clothing and textile strike ends Yesterday did see the end of a months-long dispute in the
clothing industry, with awards of 6.5 percent increases for metro-based workers
and between 7.2 percent and 8.5 percent for non-metro workers, the Southern
African Clothing and Textile Worker’s Union general secretary, Andre Kriel,
confirmed.
Bokoni wildcat strike interdicted Wildcat strikers at Bokoni Platinum Mines in Limpopo have been served with an interdict, the mining company said on Wednesday. "We obtained an interdict in the labour court on
Tuesday and it was served to all employees last night and today
[Wednesday]," Bokani's chief commercial officer Joel Kesler said. 245 rubber workers fired after strike
A total of 245 workers at Dunlop Belting Products in Howick were dismissed after striking for about six weeks in KwaZulu-Natal, their union said on Tuesday. They had been on strike since August 22, demanding an
increase in salaries and to have their benefits reinstated. South Africa wildcat strikes spread to more mines
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A series of wildcat miners' strikes
in South Africa spread to a new sector, iron ore, on Wednesday and hit another
gold firm in an escalation of the labour unrest that is testing President Jacob
Zuma's leadership.
*Violence flares up as wildcat strikes spread to other
industries Murderous violence in the mining sector strikes re-emerged
yesterday as the winds of wildcat boycotts carried flares of labour dissent to
the motoring industry, halting production at Toyota South Africa Motors’
Prospecton plant in Durban. *NEWCASTLE CLOTHING WORKERS ON STRIKE Approximately 3 800 clothing workers in Newcastle are on strike for a living wage. The legal strike by these SACTWU members started on Monday 8 October 2012. The strike affects 35 companies and workers earn between R250-R400 per week, far below the legally prescribed minimum of an already low wage of R534 per week. Workers are on strike demanding a R45 per week increase. Port worker strike deadline looms
Johannesburg - Workers at railways and ports will know by
Friday whether they can join an ongoing strike by truck drivers, the SA
Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) said. Kumba talks to striking workers Johannesburg - Negotiations with striking workers at Kumba
Iron Ore's Sishen mine in the Northern Cape were continuing on Monday, the
company said. Roads closed as truckers march Major roads in Isando, Ekurhuleni remained closed on Thursday as striking truck drivers marched to the offices of the Road Freight Employers' Association (RFEA). "There are over 1000 strikers marching and being accompanied by members of the SAPS, Ekurhuleni metro police and private security companies," metro police spokesman Inspector Kobeli Mokheseng said. Isando Road, Andre Greyling and Van Agt streets were some of
the roads closed.The workers intended delivering memorandums to the RFEA head
office and courier company DHL, both in Isando.
Keep on trucking: Transport strike comes to an end
A wage deal has been signed at the road freight bargaining council's offices in Johannesburg, ending a three-week long truck drivers' strike. The transport sector's strike has ended after unions signed
a wage agreement on Friday. GERMISTON STREET CLEANERS ON PROTECTED STRIKE ATTACKED BY
HIRED THUGS ARMED WITH SJAMBOKS WORKERS ADVICE OFFICE (CWAO) Today, an employer and his hired thugs armed with sjamboks
travelled around Germiston in a bakkie attacking street cleaners - mostly women
- who have been on a protected strike for the last 2 weeks over working
conditions and wage issues. The employer also stormed into the offices of the
CWAO (which has been assisting the workers), threatening to burn it down and
viciously assaulting a volunteer who had to be taken to hospital.
ABS strike continues Negotiations between Nehawu and the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) continued on Tuesday as a wage strike entered its second week. The National Education Health and Allied Workers' Union was
demanding a 12 % salary increase, a 75 % medical aid subsidy, a R1200 housing
allowance and "equal pay for equal jobs". Nehawu had earlier demanded
a 20 % salary increase but the employer only put a six % offer on the table and
later revised it to eight % with no housing subsidy and medical aid. Why Rea Vaya workers are striking
The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) in the
Johannesburg Region is concerned by the wage disparities that currently exist
in the City of Johannesburg entity Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT).
These disparities have caused workers to withdraw their labour and embark on an
indefinite strike. Twitter = @SAMWUnion Flickr (Pictures) = http://www.flickr.com/photos/tahirsema MORE than 1000 workers at the Premier Diamond Mine in
Cullinan, northeast of Pretoria, have embarked on a strike. The strike, in which employees are demanding a basic salary
of R12500, entered its fourth day yesterday. The miners have vowed not to go
back to work until their demand has been met. Strike at Goodyear continues
THE general strike at the Goodyear South Africa tyre plant in Uitenhage entered its seventh day yesterday, but has not affected production in the region's automotive industry. National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa
(Numsa)-affiliated employees at the plant, which employs more than 4000 people,
embarked on a protected strike last Tuesday when they began protesting against
what Numsa termed a "unilateral decision of management" to stop
paying what the union refers to as a "relief allowance".
Work to resume at Toyota's SA plant
Production at Toyota South Africa Motors’ Prospecton Plant in Durban is set to resume after a legal strike at one of its suppliers was resolved. Toyota stopped full production at its Prospecton plant on
Wednesday 17 October after a strike at Toyota Boshoku‚ an independent supplier
of car seats and door linings‚ stopped supply of these components‚ Leo Kok‚
Senior Manager: Corporate Communication said in a statement late on Tuesday.
Striking Harmony Gold workers heed call to return Harmony Gold is "pleased and encouraged" that workers at its Kusasalethu operations abided a 6am ultimatum to return to work to avoid being fired. "A large percentage of our workers have returned,"
said spokesperson Marian van der Walt as workers arrived en masse before the
cut off time to make sure they kept their jobs. Marches affect Joburg traffic Johannesburg - Traffic will be affected in Parktown and the Johannesburg city centre as two unions embark on separate protest marches, metro police said on Saturday. The separate marches were organised by the National Union of
Metalworkers of SA (NUMSA) and the SA Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU). Teargas used aginst KZN miners
KwaZulu-Natal - KwaZulu-Natal police used teargas on
Thursday to disperse striking miners from the Forbes & Manhattan Coal
processing plant in Dundee. DISMISSED ILANGA WORKERS TRASH SUNDAY EDITION
Former employees of Ilanga newspaper sabotaged its Sunday
edition by disconnecting the server hosting the issue. Nineteen members of
staff were dismissed on Friday as a result of taking part in a wildcat strike
earlier this year. Two of those workers evaded police at a demonstration
outside KwaZulu-Natal’s oldest newspaper on Saturday, entered its premises, and
managed to delete copy for the Sunday edition. Managing director Arthur
Konigkramer said senior staff managed to recreate the newspaper. Journalists went
on strike earlier this year to protest low salaries and poor work conditions.
Eastern Cape paramedics on strike
Johannesburg - Paramedics in the Eastern Cape have gone on
strike, the provincial health department said on Tuesday.Their demands included
payment of overtime and a performance management system, spokesperson Siyanda
Manana said. GOODYEAR STRIKE RESOLVED! WORKERS BACK AT WORK The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has reached a settlement agreement with Goodyear, after workers went on strike demanding a Relief Allowance. The workers went a protected strike on 23 October 2012, after the company infuriated workers by unilaterally taking a decision not to remunerate workers in the form of a Relief Allowance when placed on staggered break. March to Rebone Furniture factory COSATU North West will be marching to Rebone Furniture factory in Mogwase to demand the reinstatement of the workers that the employer claims to have dismissed after they embarked on a strike demanding better working conditions in their work place. The march will be on 23 November 2012 at 10h00 in Mogwase. 2013 Municipal workers went on rampage Pretoria - Tshwane mayor’s failure to accept a memorandum of grievances on Friday upset marching municipal workers who then went on the rampage and trashed city streets. Members of the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) who
marched to the offices of the mayor refused to hand over a memorandum to a
senior member of the executive, demanding that the executive mayor must receive
it himself. 46 Medupi protesters arrested Forty-six workers were arrested at the Medupi power station
in Lephalale following violent protests there, Limpopo police said on Friday.
Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said protesting workers torched an Eskom vehicle
and damaged a police vehicle during the protest on Thursday night. Justice ministry condemns magistrates' strike as illegal
"Their actions amount to misconduct as they postponed
cases without a valid reason, which is unlawful," says justice
ministry.Magistrates say the ministry is out of touch with the problems
confronting lower courts. (Madelene Cronje) Shanduka dismisses 250 workers after illegal strike
Shanduka Coal has dismissed about 250 mineworkers for taking
part in a week-long unprotected strike followed by violent clashes at its
Graspan colliery in Mpumalanga. COSATU and CWU to meet striking Post Office workers
The leadership of the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the Communications Worker Union, led by COSATU President, Sidumo Dlamini, will be meeting more than 500 Post Office workers who have been on strike for more than six weeks, at Witspos in Johannesburg, at 13h00 on Tuesday 26 March 2013 Sadtu members to embark on national go-slow
SA Democratic Teachers Union members will embark on a national go-slow when schools re-open this week, the union said on Monday. This was to press for the resignation of the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, and her director general, Bobby Soobrayan, Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said. Inland and coastal schools were expected to reopen on Tuesday, after the holidays .http://www.thenewage.co.za/Detail.aspx?news_id=90730&cat_id=1007 Chaos as contract workers
protest
Pretoria - Scores of protesting former labour-broker employees caused chaos in Pretoria’s inner city on Monday. About 200 protesters gathered outside the Tshwane Metro
Council’s temporary headquarters, Isivuno House in Lilian Ngoyi (Van der Walt)
Street and vowed not to disperse until executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa had
addressed them. WORKERS DECLARE A NATIONAWIDE STRIKE AT UNISA OVER WAGE
NEGOTIATIONS NEHAWU members at the University of South Africa {Unisa}
have downed their tools, starting today, 16 April 2013, after salary
negotiations collapsed at the Unisa Bargaining Forum (UBF).Salary negotiations
commenced with the employer pitching their offer at a lamentable and shameful
5.3%. Labour (both Nehawu and Apsa) pitched their initial demand at 12% and
later adjusted their demands by 0.3%, same as the employer. The Employer’s
offer was even below the Consumer Price Index. They adjusted this with a measly
and insulting 0.3% offer to 5.6%. Mercedes-Benz workers on strike Thousands of workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in East London have embarked on an illegal strike, the Daily Dispatch reported. The company interprets the recognition agreement in a way
that suits them, and we told them as much in our meeting on Friday The car
manufacturer was expected to approach the court if the 1600 workers at its East
London plant did not return to work by end of Monday, it was reported. Cape bus drivers step up protests
Cape Town - Striking bus drivers renewed their protests in Cape Town on Thursday, insisting their demands be met. Drivers have been involved in a nationwide bus industry strike for better wages. Drivers affiliated to the SA Transport and Allied Workers'
Union (Satawu) and the Transport and Omnibus Workers' Union (Towu), were
expected to picket throughout the city. Rail staff, truckers set to join strike
Cape Town - Railway workers, truck drivers and dock workers could join striking bus drivers if “significant progress” is not made between workers and employers at a meeting at the CCMA on Wednesday. This was the warning from Vincent Masoga, spokesman for the
South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), on Tuesday morning. SADTU on the March!
In Defence of Collective Bargaining and for Promotion of Quality Public Education • 17th April 2013: Local Pickets all over South Africa • 24th April 2013: National Marches: o to Union Buildings, Pretoria o to Parliament, Cape Town Union will stick to wage demand: Satawu Cape Times 6 May 2013 The SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union will stick to its “double digit” wage demand for bus drivers, the union said today. “We remain steadfast in our demand for a double digit increase of 13 percent for our members... we are not going to back down,” said Satawu spokesman Vincent Masoga. Unions are demanding a 13 percent wage increase, down from
the original 18 percent, and allowances for housing, night-shift, and
long-distance journeys. Pikitup strike turns violent JOHANNESBURG – Pikitup has called on Johannesburg police to guarantee their safety of its employees after a truck driver was attacked in Randburg on Monday. Employees are striking over a court ruling which says they will not be provided with transport to and from work. Pikitup’s Desiree Nthsingila said strikers have been
blocking trucks from leaving its depots. *UPDATE: Fifth day dawns as 104 miners continue with
underground sit-in strike 104 striking National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) ...show more members are continuing their underground sit-in at Cons Murch mine in Gravelotte. GRAVELOTTE: 104 striking National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) members are continuing their underground sit-in at Cons Murch mine in Gravelotte. The workers who have spent the five nights underground vowed
not to re surface until management pays them the dividends for their shares,
which they claim amount to R200 million. Illegal mine strike in Limpopo ends JOHANNESURG - More than 120 gold miners at Village Main Reef's Consolidated Murchison mine shaft in Northern Limpopo have emerged from underground after staging a 10 day sit-in. On Wednesday the mining group announced its intention to dismiss 918 workers after they embarked on an unprotected strike this week. The workers were demanding to be paid out dividends from a
company trust. Violent protest erupts at Eskom's Medupi plant
A wildcat strike at Eskom's Medupi plant has turned violent, with two cars stoned and unconfirmed reports that they were set alight by protesters. Between 500 and 1 000 striking workers began protest action
at the massive-scale coal fuelled plant, which is still under construction. Strike: Private EMS services on standby
Contingency plans allegedly are being put together after employees from various Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) embarked on a 'no work no pay' strike today 5 August. A source from the EMS, who wishes to remain anonymous for
fear of victimisation, told the NEWS that private EMS services have made more
vehicles available and are on standby in case of medical emergencies. Miners, Construction workers and Energy workers march
Thousands of members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will tomorrow march to handover memoranda of demands to Eskom, the Chamber of Mines and the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC). The marchers will start gathering in the morning at 08h00 at Peter Roos Park at the Corner of Victoria and Empire Road in Park Town, Johannesburg. The march will proceed from Peter Roos Park to Eskom offices in Braamfontein and then to the Chamber of Mines where both the Chamber and SAFCEC representatives will received a memorandum. Workers demand that Eskom should stop bullying its employees and accede to their justified demands and that both the Chamber of Mines ‘s Gold producers and companies affiliated to SAFCEC should do the same. Many of the companies affiliated to SAFCEC have been accused of milking the state through fraudulent activities thus making huge profits. The NUM demands that these companies together with mining companies such as Anglogold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, Goldfields, Sibanye and many others should share their hefty ill-gotten gains with the poor masses. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African construction and
airport workers went on strike for higher wages on Monday, extending a spate of
industrial action threatening to slow growth in Africa's largest economy.
Update: workers demand 40 per cent
Construction workers from several construction sites in Krugersdorp have downed tools and gone on strike. The civil engineering contracting industry is experiencing sporadic strike action by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Building Construction and Allied Workers Union (BCAWU) members who demand a wage increase of 40 per cent. According to the South African Federation of Civil
Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC) the strike comes after wage talks between
SAFCEC and the Unions reached deadlock and a certificate of non-resolution was
issued by the CCMA following an unsuccessful conciliation process between the
parties. Numsa strike on hold, construction strike continues
A PLANNED strike by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) in the motor industry has been put on hold, while strike action in the construction sector continued on Monday. Numsa had not issued an official notice of strike to motor
industry employers, Numsa spokesman Castro Ngobese said. When the employer
bodies heard of the intention to strike, they expressed a "willingness to
further negotiate". *90 000 construction workers remain on strike, secondary
strike to hit Nkomati mine The strike by 90 000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has today entered into its second week affecting major construction companies such as WBHO, Group Five, Aveng, Murray & Roberts, Stocks & Stocks and many more. The strike will spill over to Nkomati mine in Limpopo after the NUM issued a notice for a secondary strike. The notice follows the refusal by MCC Nkomati Joint Venture to accede to the demands of the construction workers at Nkomati mine. MCC Nkomati Joint Venture is a construction company based at Nkomati mine in Machadodorp, Mpumalanga and is owned by African Rainbow Minerals. “We have notified the mine of our intention to embark on a secondary strike action in support of the construction workers. This is lawful and we will begin our strike on Friday, the 6th of September” says William Mabapa, the NUM Regional Secretary in the North East Region. Strikes are looming in South Africa as various labour sectors take to the streets to air their grievances. On 26 August South African Airways technicians, construction workers, metal workers, motor manufacturing workers, clothing and textile workers among others, all affiliated to their respective unions, went on strike after wage disputes. Police administrators were the latest to join the fray on 29 August. More labour strikes were expected across major provinces, as petrol attendants were set to strike on 2 September. Other sectors to down tools included car dealership
employees, panel beaters, mechanics, truck body and trailer builders.
Fears that petrol strike action may heat up
Petrol attendant Lancelot Duze said he wasn't ...show more paid to strike and he had a family to think about. ...show less A Glenwood garage was one of the only few garages ...show more across the country were staff wore their uniforms to work amidst strike action. ...show less Some garages along the Berea carried on wiith ...show more
business as usual despite intimidation by striking workers. ...show less
South Africa union ends building strike with 12 pct wage deal JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's National Union of
Mineworkers said on Friday it had agreed to a deal for wage hikes of up to 12
percent with the construction industry, ending a three-week strike. "This
is a major victory for us," union official Issac Ntshangase said in a
statement Now security guards go on strike
Pretoria - Private security guards have joined the list of employees around the country who have gone on strike over wage increases. Gauteng security guards took part in a march on Monday to
press demands that their salaries be increased to R7 500. The guards said they
were not organised by a union for the march, which ended at the Department of
Labour offices on Francis Baard Street. *Pump jockeys return to
work
TODAY more than 1 000 petrol attendants in the province are returning to work, ending a three-week strike after securing a 11.6 percent pay rise. “This is a victory, given the 7.5 percent offered by motor
bosses at the point of deadlock,” National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa
(Numsa) secretary-general Irvin Jim said. Strike at Transnet reaches day 18 Ermelo - The dispute between the National Transport Movement (NTM) and Transnet is yet to be resolved. NTM and its members embarked on a national strike at Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), demanding to be recognised as a union in the parastatal’s bargaining structures and organisational rights. Two unions, Satawu and Utatu Sarwhu, are currently recognised and have collective agreements with Transnet. In 2007, Transnet concluded a recognition agreement with a number of trade unions representing its employees. The agreement stipulates that any union seeking recognition
by Transnet must meet a threshold of 30 per cent of employees in the bargaining
unit and also 30 per cent of employees in the bargaining unit in an operating
division. *Enough is enough, say Gauteng nurses
Johannesburg - Gauteng nurses had their day on Thursday.Tired of working in unsafe hospitals and clinics
around the province, tired of going months without pay, tired of working with
few or no resources, the close to 200 nurses marched from Cosatu House in
Braamfontein to Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane’s offices to deliver their
memorandum of grievances.
*Thousands down tools at Post Office over wage demands
THOUSANDS of members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will down tools at the South African Post Office on Friday over unmet wage demands, the union said on Thursday. An expected 7,000 union members will march on the regional
headquarters of the Post Office in Johannesburg on Friday to present a
memorandum of demands including a salary increase, a relocation allowance for
transferred workers and improved job security. Mail workers to aid e-toll rebellion Cosatu-affiliated unions in the Post Office and Gauteng metro police have vowed to directly and indirectly help motorists against e-tolling. Post Office workers who are members of the Communication
Workers' Union (CWU) are already on a go-slow. However, they have been urged to
work even more slowly when dealing with summonses from the SA National Roads
Agency Limited (Sanral). 2014 2000 Numsa marchers head to Rosebank
Johannesburg - Numsa's protest march got under way at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg before noon on Wednesday. The marchers began making their way out of Zoo Lake and were heading to Rosebank via Jan Smuts Road. The march for jobs was expected to proceed to the National
Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) premises in Rosebank where
they would hand over a memorandum of understanding to Nedlac officials.
Vavi leads Numsa march in
Durban
Durban - Traffic in Durban's city centre was brought to a
standstill as thousands of National Union of Metal Workers of SA members
marched for jobs. Suspended Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary
Zwelinzima Vavi was at the front of the estimated 3000-strong march.
*Caregivers stage protest over stipends
Hundreds of caregivers marched to the ANC’s Luthuli House
headquarters and the Department of Health offices in central Joburg on Monday,
claiming they had not been paid for the past six months. Joburg bus drivers to strike Johannesburg - Johannesburg's Rea Vaya bus drivers will
strike from Monday, the Gauteng community safety department said. Bus drivers
would work from 5am until 8am on Monday, then go on strike “until further
notice”, spokesman Obed Sibasa said in a statement on Sunday. “Passengers are
advised to look for alternative transport in the afternoon and after work until
further notice.”
Rea Vaya bus strike ends Johannesburg - The Rea Vaya bus drivers' strike in Johannesburg is over, the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) said on Wednesday. “We have signed the agreement, workers will be back at work
tomorrow,” Samwu regional chairman Dion Makhura said.
Striking MyCiTi drivers settle Cape Town - MyCiTi drivers who went on an unprotected strike
on Wednesday agreed to go back to work on Thursday afternoon, after reaching an
interim agreement with their employer. This followed a meeting between
Transpeninsula Investments (TPI), which manages the Hout Bay, CBD, Dunoon and
airport services, and the Transport and Omnibus Workers Union (Towu). Mortuary workers end four-day strike
Durban - KwaZulu-Natal forensic pathology services resume on
Friday after a four-day strike over employment conditions linked to job
grading, backpay and organisational structure. Durban mayor pelted by city workers
Durban - Mayor James Nxumalo and members of the city’s executive committee were pelted with plastic bottles and stones by angry municipal workers on Monday. Employees had rejected the mayor’s promise to make a final decision only after the elections on the millions of rand in backpay owed to them. The situation worsened at the meeting at the Curries
Fountain soccer stadium when a shop steward – angered by the pelting – pulled
out a gun and pointed it at those responsible. A mob charged at him with fists
and flying kicks. *Rail staff return after strike Durban - Metrorail employees have been allowed to return to work following their dismissal for going on an unprotected, two-week-long strike. National spokesman for SA Transport and Allied Workers Union, Vincent Masoga, told the Daily News that the 68 drivers and 63 metro train guards resumed their duties on Thursday after Metrorail agreed to meet the workers to discuss their concerns. Masoga said that “a few technical issues” still needed to be discussed, but did not want to go into more detail until talks had been completed. “We are pleased that Metrorail has agreed to meet to discuss
our grievances. We hope we have an agreeable outcome,” he said. Go-slow hits ambulance unit
Durban - Almost a third of provincial ambulances were not operating in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday as paramedics stayed at home or embarked on a go-slow. The apparent protest action on overtime gripes began on Monday and was expected to continue today. Private emergency service providers have been drafted in to help. On Monday, about 40 Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) personnel in the uMgungundlovu District, which includes the Pietermaritzburg region did not report for work. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/go-slow-hits-ambulance-unit-1.1689635 Irate workers torch municipal buildings
Durban - The finance offices of the uMngeni (Howick) Municipality were set alight at the weekend, the KwaZulu-Natal Community Safety Department said on Sunday. A mob of municipal workers allegedly went on the rampage on Friday after being left in the lurch by mayor Mbali Myeni. They said Myeni had agreed to meet them to discuss a dispute over salaries. Umngeni police spokesman Lolly Moodley said protesters set
alight the municipality’s finance offices. Sugar workers strike for 11% pay hike The National Sugar Refining and Allied Industries Union, the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and the Union of Artisans of South Africa are demanding an increase of 11 percent across the board, a 40-hour working week, an R800 monthly housing subsidy and permanent employment of all fixed-term and other contract workers.
Strike disrupts Rea Vaya services
A Rea Vaya bus is seen at the Orlando bus stop in Soweto, Johannesburg. File photo: Leon Nicholas Johannesburg - An illegal strike by Rea Vaya bus drivers disrupted services on Tuesday, the City of Johannesburg said. “Buses servicing the T1 route along Soweto Highway and
feeders from Naledi, Protea Glen, Jabavu, Mofolo and Eldorado Park are amongst
the services affected,” spokesman Benny Makgoga said in a statement.
Farmers relieved after mill strike ends: More than 5 500
FAWU workers had been on strike since 26 May.
Strikers sugar workers resume their duties THE sugar industry workers have ended their two week strike following an agreement on Friday. Protracted negotiations continued most of Friday with
stakeholders announcing that an agreement had been reached.
Waste collectors block Pretoria streets
Pretoria - Angry Tshwane municipal waste collectors parked their waste trucks in the intersection of Madiba (Vermeulen) and Lilian Ngoyi (Van der Walt) streets on Thursday morning, refusing to move until they were paid for their overtime. Just before 8am, the workers in uniform parked at least seven trucks in the intersection, causing heavy traffic backlog on the two and surrounding streets during peak hour. Commuters were late for work as traffic crawled along,
taking 30 minutes to move just two blocks. Nehawu Parliament picket continues Cape Town - Parliament remained mum on Wednesday as scores of protesting Nehawu members again blocked the institution's Plein Street entrance at lunch time. Singing and dancing under a big red National Education, Health, and Allied Workers' Union banner, they held high posters calling for the dismissal of Parliament's deputy secretary Baby Tyawa, and human resources executive director Ntombekhaya Manyela. The labour row boiled over earlier this month, following Nehawu claims of “corruption, maladministration and abuse of power” among Parliament's top officials. A similar protest was held on Tuesday. On Wednesday, six days ahead of the first
state-of-the-nation address to the fifth democratic Parliament, Nehawu members
displayed posters proclaiming “Parliament workers have no good story to tell”.
Protest against legislature ‘favouritism’
Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Legislature staff affiliated to the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) are expected to picket outside the provincial parliament on Monday, demanding the institution’s human resources manager be axed. They claim the manager showed favouritism and flouted rules when employing interns, some of whom are said to be related to MPLs. “There are at least six interns there who are children of MPLs,” said Nehawu provincial secretary, Zola Saphetha. http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/protest-against-legislature-favouritism-1.1707952 Gautrain bus drivers back at work Johannesburg - Gautrain bus drivers who briefly walked off the job were back at work on Wednesday morning, the company which runs the high-speed trains, Bombela, said. “We did have disruptions last night and early this morning
but fortunately as we speak it is resolved and all the buses are running
normally again,” spokesman Errol Braithwaite said. Rubber bullets fired at municipal strikers Bloemfontein - Police fired rubber bullets and used stun grenades to disperse striking Metsimaholo municipality workers in Sasolburg, Free State police said on Wednesday. “The workers threw stones at the municipal building during Wednesday morning,” Sergeant Sellwane Mapamela said. Strikers damaged the municipal building and a nearby clinic. Workers began striking this week over salaries and benefits. Some services such as refuse removal had suffered. Mapamela said the situation was calm on Wednesday afternoon.
Police were on the scene. Free State workers demonstrate over health crisis
The TAC says it fears the arrest of over 50 community healthcare workers after they began a sit-in at the province's health department headquarters. According to the TAC, Free State health MEC Benny Malakoane sent a circular to all community healthcare workers in April terminating their contracts claiming they were ghost workers. (Oupa Nkosi, M&G) Over 50 community healthcare workers from Bloemfontein are
currently staging a sit-in within Bophelo House – the headquarters of the Free
State health department – in frustration over the on-going crisis in the
provincial health system, according to the HIV advocacy group, Treatment Action
Campaign (TAC).
TAC community healthcare workers arrested in Free State The HIV lobby group says over 100 of its community healthcare workers have been arrested in Bloemfontein after a night vigil sit-in. According to a TAC Free State chairperson, a campaign leader was assaulted by police during the arrests and has bruises on his face. Over 100 community healthcare members of HIV lobby group
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) were arrested during the early hours of
Thursday morning by police in Bloemfontein following a night vigil sit-in at
Bophelo House, head office of the Free State’s health department. Employers may be boycotted after lock-out
Cape Town - An employer association which locked out thousands of workers who belonged to the National Union of MetalWorkers of SA (Numsa) - more than 300 of them in the Western Cape - could find itself the target of a boycott campaign by the union and Cosatu. The National Employers’ Association of SA (Neasa) implemented a lockout of more than 1 000 workers nationwide. The association has refused to implement a 10 percent wage
increase agreed by Numsa and the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of
SA (Seifsa). The agreement had brought to an end an almost month-long strike by
Numsa members. Neasa was prepared to offer only 8 percent. Striking Generations cast members sacked
MMSV Productions, the producers of South Africa's most popular soap opera, Generations, has terminated the contracts of the show's cast members. The cast members of Generations, who are demanding better wages and royalties, have not returned? to work, despite a warning from producers. (Oupa Nkosi, M&G) MMSV Productions, producers of South Africa¡¦s most popular
soap opera, Generations, has terminated the contracts of 16 of the show¡¦s cast
members. FORMSCAFF WORKERS DOWN TOOLS TO DEMAND DECENT WAGES AND
BETTER CONDITIONS Workers at Formscaff nationally, belonging to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) have down tools and they are embarking on a protected strike since Monday 25 August 2014. The strike action is due to the fact that the employer in the scaffolding industry has arrogantly failed to meet our demands. The Union (Numsa) as mandated by its members has taken a decision to exercise its only power at its disposal to embark on an indefinite strike action. Snail mail delivery hit by strike
Several post offices in the city have closed owing to a strike by casual workers demanding to be employed as permanent staff. Photo: Masi Losi Pretoria - Waiting for your credit card to be delivered or end-of-month’s bills to arrive in the post? Well, you might have to wait a bit longer. The Pretoria News has been inundated with complaints by readers who have not received their mail or parcels as the Post Office’s casual employees have been on strike for the past two weeks. The workers allege they have been working without contracts
since 2012 and their pleas for contracts are ignored by top management. In
2012, casual Post Office employees embarked on a three-month strike, demanding
permanent contracts and full-time employment. Last year, the strike resurfaced,
again over demands for permanent contracts. And in February, another strike
erupted. *Violence erupts at two Jozi post offices Johannesburg - There was violence and fires at two Joburg post offices on Tuesday, with a van being burnt at one and protests at another. This follows 473 casual postal workers being fired on Monday after engaging in a three-week strike. Throughout the day on Tuesday, a number of former Post
Office workers burnt rubbish and blockaded roads outside the Randburg post
office. *Violence flares up at Majuba Rail site Ermelo: Police and the Msukaligwa emergency services were
called in on Monday morning to quell an incident of industrial protest action by
hundreds of employees at site offices of the Aveng Grinaker-LTA’s Majuba Rail
project. Cosatu 19 September 2014 The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the NW have visited workers who are still locked out by companies affiliated to the National Employers Association of SA (NEASA) in the Brits area today. We are continuing to keep in touch with them and get feedback from our last march against those racist companies that are leading union-bashing against NUMSA and other COSATU affiliates. Post office strike infuriates residents The post office were stolen and bicycles and undelivered mail were set alight and burnt by striking Post Office employees. A sign indicating that the Post Office is closed due to reasons of public safety. “This Post Office is temporarily closed for reasons of public safety.” This is the sign outside the Edenvale SA Post Office after
the keys to the post office were stolen and bicycles and undelivered mail were
set alight and burnt by striking Post Office employees. No end in sight to postal strike The SA Post Office does not know when the protracted strike will end and post can again be delivered effectively. Photo: David Ritchie Cape Town - The SA Post Office (Sapo) does not know when a
protracted strike will end and post can again be delivered effectively.
FAWU PRESS STATEMENT ON THE CURRENT STRIKE ACTIONS, THOSE
RESOLVED AND THOSE CONTEMPLATED The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) has seen thousands of its members going on strike in the past few days, weeks and months and others gearing themselves for such strikes in few days’ time. The below is the summary of these strike actions as undertaken and resolved or as ongoing and still to see resolution or those that that are coming up. 1. Protea Landmark Lodge (Limpopo, Polokwane)The strike by 18 FAWU was resolved on the 29th September 2014, having taken two weeks since the 15th September, after the company has agreed that workers must receive a basic monthly wages as opposed to them working on a call or without guaranteed hours of work. Workers will meanwhile receive 9% increment of their hourly rate of whatever number of hours they are working while the basic wage structure with minimum hours of work is being worked out by the union and management. In addition, workers will receive transport assistance, to be ferried at home, for those workers working night shifts. 2. Blinkwater Mills (Mpumalanga/near Limpopo border town
of Stoffberg) 3. Umbhaba Farms (Mpumalanga’s Komatipoort)
4. Du Toit Group (W Cape’ Ceres and E Cape’s Humansdorp)
The strike involves 1 033 workers, 600 employed as so-called high-seasonal because they are working 10 months a year and 400 seasonal workers working for 6 to 8 months as well as a mere 33 permanent workers, in the packing facilities of the Du Toit Group in the Western Cape’s town of Ceres another 378 workers, 235 as permanent and 143 as seasonal, in the Du Toit Group E Cape’s district of Humansdorp. Workers are demanding a single national bargaining forum between FAWU and Du Toit group rather than multiple bargaining forums. 5. Chickery Dairy and Twizza Bottler (E Cape’s
Queenstown)
Reservists stage sit-in over SAPS jobs
Pretoria - A group of reservists who claim they have been
promised full-time employment in the SAPS, have staged a two-night sit-in at
police headquarters.The group claim police management has since reneged on the promise to employ them. NUMSA AND ITS UNITED FRONT ALLIES MARCH AGAINST FISHY
R50-BILLION TRANSNET TENDER TO BUILD LOCOMOTIVES Members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) from locomotive and rolling stock manufacturing firms around Gauteng will march in Ekurhuleni¡¦s town of Nigel tomorrow Thursday 16 October 2014, at 10h00am, Union Carriage and Wagon (UCW), No. 1 Marrievale Road, Vosterkroon, Nigel, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng provinces. NUM on strike at Glencore Koornfontein Mine in Mpumalanga
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is on strike at Glencore Koornfontein Mine Gloria shaft in Mpumalanga. The strike started on 17th of October 2014 after the company and NUM deadlocked at the CCMA. NUM is embarking on a strike because Glencore is paying NUM members at Koornfontein Mine one week of service per year and in other operations it is paying three weeks per year of service as a result of the LRA 186A Post Office strike deal is off for now
Cape Town - A grassroots rebellion by Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) members outside the Western Cape region has apparently stalled the deal brokered by Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele to end the Post Office strike. And the 7 271-member South African Postal Workers’ Union (Sapwu) is also unhappy with the fact that it was a government minister and not the employer who put forward a pay offer. On Monday CWU general secretary Aubrey Tshabalala told Fin24
that he was confident the minister’s deal would be accepted on the same night,
and that the strike by CWU members would be called off. Kroonstad miners granted bail Kroonstad - Seventeen miners arrested for public violence at a diamond mine near Kroonstad appeared in court on Monday, Free State police said. The Kroonstad Magistrate's Court postponed the matter to November 26 and released them on R500 bail each, Captain Stephen Thakeng said. Members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union protested at the Lace Diamond Mine on Friday, blocking the main entrance. When police tried to negotiate with them they became violent. Police fired rubber bullets. Four people were injured and
taken to different hospitals. Chaos as MyCiTi drivers strike
Cape Town - An unprotected MyCiTi bus drivers’ strike over wages turned violent late on Wednesday when Dunoon residents burned tyres and police responded with stun guns, rubber bullets and tear gas. Uniformed drivers as well as residents screamed and scattered as police officers shot rubber bullets into the crowd. Stones were lobbed at police vehicles by angry residents. The strike began as a wage demonstration at the Table View
bus station 6km away. It was peaceful, but hugely disruptive to the masses of
commuters trying to get home from school and work. 'Retrenchment' prompts strike at Mpumalanga mine NUM secretary says over 200 workers at Koornfontein Coal Mine are faced with retrenchment.(SABC) Hendrina Mpumalanga Koornfontein Coal Mine NUM Lucky Mnguni More than 700 mineworkers affiliated to the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have downed tools at the Koornfontein Coal Mine in Hendrina, Mpumalanga. According to branch secretary of the Lucky Mnguni mineworkers are against the employer's deviation from retrenchment policies. Mnguni says over 200 workers at the mine are faced with
retrenchment. Three-month long postal strike is finally over
As of today, only 0.7% of the SA Post Office workforce remain absent from work THE three-month long post office strike is officially over. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said in a statement
that it was not happy with the latest wage agreement but had no choice to
return to work after the SA Postal and Allied Workers Union (Sapawu), CWU and
the Democratic Postal and Communications Union (Depacu) had agreed to the
conditions set out by Sapo. Pollsmoor cooks stew over wages Cape Town - Chefs and kitchen staff contracted to prepare meals for inmates at Pollsmoor Prison went into day two of an unprotected strike over wages on Wednesday. The 27 hired by the Bosasa Group are demanding a salary
increase of 8.5 percent in addition to the 7.7 percent they were given in July. 2015 *Labour row halts Medupi construction Johannesburg - Thousands of workers at Eskom’s Medupi power plant stayed away from work on Monday to protest the firing of some of their colleagues, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said. Labour disruptions and technical faults have increased costs at Eskom's Medupi coal-fired plant, expected to start generating 800 megawatts of extra electricity by July. “The site is not operational and there is no work being
done. We are currently in negotiations with contractors and Eskom,” said Steve
Nhlapo, the head of collective bargaining for Numsa. Ventersdorp municipal workers are on strike
Rustenburg - Municipal workers in Ventersdorp were on strike, demanding the suspension of council directors, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Monday. Cosatu North West provincial secretary Solly Phetoe said workers
embarked on an unprotected strike last week after they were allegedly provoked
by councillors. Medupi workers reject Eskom offer
Medupi workers refuse to be reinstated until they are paid R10 000 bonuses.(SABC) Limpopo Medupi power station Eskom Numsa Khulu Phasiwe
Striking construction workers at Eskom's Medupi power station in Limpopo have
rejected Eskom’s offer to reinstate them until they are paid R10 000 bonuses. Union members go on wage strike – VIDEO
On Tuesday workers at Golden Glo, a company based in
Marburg, went on strike demanding wage increases, among other things. The
workers affiliated to the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied
Workers Union (Ceppwawu) said it was shameful that the company was paying
workers between R800 and R3 000 monthly while working long hours and even night
shift. Bodies pile up at KZN mortuaries Durban - Bodies are piling up at mortuaries and hospitals affected by the week-long go-slow by KwaZulu-Natal mortuaries. The KZN Health Department, however, said that the go-slow by staff at the Magwaza Maphalala (Gale) Street and Stanger mortuaries has thus far not hindered any planned burials and the issues that have been raised by workers were receiving attention. Workers claimed the provincial department of health had failed to pay money due to them. They claimed they work in unhygienic conditions with no
protective gear like gloves. Cosatu: We’ll bring SA to its knees
Pretoria - Pretoria’s central business district was brought
to a standstill on Thursday as 11 000 public servants took to the streets. But
in a week’s time the country could be hit by rolling mass action, stay-aways
and civil disobedience, should a settlement not be reached by the government
and public sector unions, which are demanding a 10 percent pay rise. Delays at Medupi as strike enters 6th week Lephalale - Workers have been on strike at Medupi power station in Limpopo for nearly six weeks, Eskom's media desk said on Wednesday. Those wanting to go back to work have been intimidated from doing so, the power utility said in a statement. "The striking employees belonging to contractors on the
Medupi Power Station Project have not heeded the call to return to work since
the unprotected industrial action that took place on March 25, 2015, despite a
court interdict as well as ultimatums issued in this regard... Strikers trash Cape Town CBD
Cape Town - Police fired four stun grenades in an attempt to bring order after striking municipal workers created chaos in the Cape Town CBD on Wednesday. The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) marchers took a different route than the one intended. Police used a loud hailer telling protesters to return to their proper route, but the group of more than a thousand forced their way down Adderley Street before heading down Hertzog Boulevard and congregating outside the Civic Centre. Along the way protesters tipped over rubbish bins, emptied
plastic bags containing dirt and kicked over cones on the side of the road. Samwu strike talks continue Wednesday's Samwu march saw a large contingent of protesters deviating from the planned route where they threw rubbish in the street and caused damaged amounting to almost R15 000. File photo: Henk Kruger Cape Town - As talks between the City of Cape Town and the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) continue, the strike that started on Monday has not been officially suspended. However, the city expects incidents related to the strike to decrease. Municipal workers left their posts and embarked on a go-slow
on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, they took to the streets in a mass march.
Public transport strike turns violent
Durban - A public transport strike in Durban on Tuesday morning has seen roads blockaded and operating buses and taxis stoned. Hundreds of taxi drivers stopped their vehicles on the highway in Chatsworth, south of Durban, and got out of their vehicles. Traffic has been severely affected and thousands of commuters have been left stranded. In other areas operating taxis and buses are being stoned.
CWU prepares for 3rd week of protests at MTN
The union says MTN should prepare for more industrial action if their demands are not met. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) says MTN should prepare for a third week of protest action, if it continues to ignore their demands. Workers are demanding increased wages and bonuses. MTN has accused striking staff of assaulting four of its employees. The CWU says it will be opening a case against Gauteng
police after officers allegedly fired rubber bullets at striking workers in
Johannesburg on Friday. Samwu suspends CT strike Municipal workers downed tools at the beginning of last month due to several issues. FILE: The South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) has suspended its strike against the City of Cape Town after reaching an agreement on some employment issues. Picture: Xolani Koyana/EWN Samwu Samwu threaten to strike Samwu strike Samwu protest in
Cape Town Samwu,Samwu threaten to strike,Samwu strike,Samwu protest in Cape
Town Ex-medic on intimidation rap gets bail Durban - Former government paramedic, Sifiso Dlamini, was carried off on the shoulders of his supporters soon after being released on R5 000 bail at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Addressing the media outside court, Dlamini denied the
intimidation charge he faces, in connection with an illegal strike last year,
saying he had the support of 1 500 KZN health department employees. Municipal buses are interrupted as bus drivers strike in
Durban eThekwini Municipality has issued a statement informing all commuters utilising the Municipal bus service -operated by private operator, Tansnat – of an interruption of the service in all areas due to a strike by bus drivers. According to Tozi Mthethwa, spokeswoman for the EThekwini municipality, yesterday afternoon, 2 July, the majority of bus drivers downed tools and the service was running at a skeleton scale. “However, as from this morning, Friday 3 July, more drivers
have decided not to get behind the wheel and the entire service has been
affected,” said Mthethwa. Illegal’ protest against Uber in Joburg Johannesburg - A group of taxi drivers launched protest action against internet ride sharing service Uber in Johannesburg on Friday without the necessary permission from local police. The head of Uber for sub-Saharan Africa, Alon Lits, told
Fin24 that the “illegal” protest happened earlier on Friday and that the
protesters have since “come and gone”. Bus drivers agree to go back to work
Durban bus drivers will be back on the road on Tuesday morning, 7 July. eThekwini has confirmed that the municipal buses will be back on the road tomorrow after strike action began last week. eThekwini has confirmed that the municipal buses will be back on the road tomorrow after strike action began last week. ALL Durban Transport buses will be back on the road from Tuesday morning, 7 July. Drama outside Tshwane council chamber
Pretoria - There was drama outside the Sammy Marks Council Chamber on Thursday as police tried to stave off a move by disgruntled municipal workers to storm into a council meeting. The workers are employed under “Vat Alles”, a national initiative which forms part of the Extended Public Works Programme. The programme employs young people to clean the streets, municipal offices and schools. About 500 workers had come from places such as Motsweding, Soshanguve, Mabopane, Winterveld and Ga-Rankuwa. They downed tools with the intention of disrupting the meeting after not being paid their monthly stipends on August 26. They also demanded to be offered permanent posts. They gathered on the ground floor with bated breath, hoping to have an audience with executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa over their grievances. The council meeting was held on the first floor and escalators were somehow stopped and people attending the meeting were forced to use stairs. Demonstrators clapped hands and sang Struggle songs in front of the shops, disturbing customers. Their attempt to derail the council meeting was, however, foiled by a group of police and metro cops armed with batons and firearms who blocked their way to the meeting. Some protesters desperately tried to negotiate their way into the chamber, but police refused to allow them. They were instead warned not to disrupt the meeting. Workers’ leader Geniver Mokonyane said the mayor had met them last month in an attempt to solve their problems, which included poor working conditions and lack of protective clothing. Mayoral spokesman Blessing Manale said Ramokgopa could not address them because he was in a council meeting. However, he appealed to disgruntled members “to refrain from staging illegal gatherings and follow the correct procedures to raise their issues”. It was not the first time workers had taken to the streets to complain about non-payment of stipends. Last month they gathered at Atteridgeville Stadium after they had not been paid for a month. Noria Phoshokwe said their payments last month were processed after the Pretoria News published a story on their plight. She said workers met the mayor who promised to solve their problems, but he had not kept his word. Some workers put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the MMC for Roads and Transport George Matjila, accusing him of not taking their problems seriously. They demanded to work under the mayor’s office and be removed from Matjila’s department. “We are here because the mayor has consistently lied to us that he would solve our issues,” said Phoshokwe. She accused Matjila of having failed to provide them with protective apparel such as overalls, gloves and boots, saying the ones they have are worn out. Inside the chamber, councillors unleashed tirades against each other but nothing was said about the grievances of workers. They also observed the celebration of Women’s Month by expressing gratitude to the work done by women. Ramokgopa talked about the newly launch wi-fi project which enables people to make free calls from places where they could access the technology. Manale said Ramokgopa has assigned Matjila to continue to engage with the group “to ensure that any reasonable dissent and dissatisfaction by this brigade of development workers are addressed to their logical conclusion”. rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za www.iol.co.za Prasa workers cause chaos
Pretoria - Police rushed to Prasa House in Pretoria as scores of workers protested ahead of a press briefing scheduled to be addressed by the embattled parastatal’s management on Wednesday. Before midday the workers were dancing and singing inside the yard of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa). All gates had been locked by security guards and one of the workers was waving a broom. The workers were demanding the reinstatement of fired CEO Lucky Montana. In July, Montana was fired by the Prasa board two weeks ago. The board said his removal had nothing to do with the scandal over the purchasing of Spanish trains deemed not suitable for South Africa’s railway infrastructure. Government spent R600 million rand on the locomotives. On Wednesday, Prasa spokesman Moffet Mofokeng invited journalists to a press conference which was set to start before midday. “We have a press conference at 11.30 at Prasa House in Pretoria today. I would like to invite you. “The press conference will be addressed by senior management at Prasa and it is about the paralysis in the company. Moffet Mofokeng,” the SMS sent to African News Agency read. The outspoken Montana was due to leave the state-owned
company in December. uMlazi refuse still uncollected Durban - Rubbish continues to pile up outside uMlazi homes, as domestic refuse goes uncollected, despite assurances from the municipality. In a statement released last week, the eThekwini Municipality said waste collection had resumed in parts of uMlazi. However, residents of the township’s AA Section on Monday said rubbish remained uncollected. Other sections in uMlazi that have been affected by the refuse problem include H, M and K sections, among others. Refuse collectors were threatened at gunpoint and told not to collect domestic refuse by men claiming to be uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) veterans. The veterans and a group calling itself the Umlazi Business Forum have been demanding they be included in the allocation of tenders. They claimed they had been promised work last year but nothing had materialised. In a statement on Friday, Durban mayor James Nxumalo said: “We assure all residents that this situation is receiving attention and thank the involved parties for their co-operation. “Refuse collection has resumed in uMlazi and we are confident that by next week the operations will be back to normal,” Nxumalo said. A frustrated AA Section resident on Monday said the situation made her angry. “It is not nice that you leave your home and there is garbage outside. If it was a suburban area this would not be happening. It could also cause health problems especially when you have kids running around,” said the woman, who asked not to be named. uMlazi AA Section ward councillor, Ntwenhle Dlamini, on Monday said residents were deeply unhappy. Dlamini said he hoped by next week things would be back to normal, but said he could not comment further as he was waiting for details from the municipality on developments. Zamindlela “Zam Zam” Mbhele, chairman of the veterans’ association in the eThekwini region, said although MK and the business forum had disputed the awarding of the tenders, they had now told MK members to distance themselves from the matter and that issues should be discussed through the organisation’s regional executive council. “There are more members of the business forum than there are soldiers,” Mbhele said, which meant that the forum should take the lead in negotiations and the MK did not have any powers to tell the business forum what to do. Mbhele said MK was already negotiating with the
municipality. Reminder: Response to Free Market Foundation invite to
COSATU to join a media briefing on the attacks on the extension of collective
agreements The Congress of South African Trade Unions rejects with contempt the Free Market Foundation [FMF] invitation for COSATU to join them on the platform to brief the media on our different positions on the extension of Collective Agreements. The FMF has charged itself with a mammoth task of challenging both the concept and the application of centralised bargaining, which is an important provision in the country’s Labour Relations Act. This is a clear attack on worker rights, and an attack on worker rights, is an attack on human rights. COSATU cannot and will not provide legitimacy to your practices, developed in Apartheid ideology. FMF is an organisation fronted by the black elite, such as Herman Mashaba and Temba Nolutshungu who continue to maximise profits by continuing to exploit the vulnerable workers in the country. The FMF, led by the Executive Director Leon Louw, is using the Small Black Business to turn the clock backward, by continuing fighting the battles we defeated, under the disguise of creating jobs for the unemployed. We remind you that since the 1995 LRA, centralisation and extension of the agreements has been a practise, where collective agreements exist. These rights have been won through the blood and sweat of ordinary workers at the height of exploitation, and the Federation will not allow that the sacrifices of the heroes and heroines of our movement be violated by a privileged few. COSATU welcomes Social Dialogue and invites the FMF to bring its views to the most democratic tripartite structures existing in South Africa and endorsed by International Laws. Trade Unions under the Federation will continue to support and help organise the most vulnerable people in our communities and will not be deterred from our founding policies. Leon Louw’s remarks, that they will offer COSATU representatives a light lunch to join their press briefing is symptomatic of the “baasskap” mentality, disguised as a fight for job creation, that the FMF has. We will never trade these rights for a sandwich. It is him that does not understand the COSATU position. Workers have sacrificed for these rights by taking to the streets. It is our duty to defend it by taking to the streets. The Picket organized for tomorrow is going ahead as planned; Date: Friday 07 August 2015 Time: 12h00 Venue: New Free Market Foundation [FMF] Office, Building 5, 170 Curzon Street, (Cnr of Main Road) Bryanston Issued by COSATU Tel: +27 11 339-4911 or Direct 010 219-1342 Mobile: +27 72 416 3790 E-Mail: mampane@cosatu.org.za Night vigil for slain cops Johannesburg - The Gauteng Department for Community Safety, Crime Line and the Gauteng Community Police Board are to host a night vigil on Friday evening in the wake of the recent spate of cop killings. The vigil to be held at 6pm at the Johannesburg Central Police Station will be led by Gauteng Premier David Makhura and MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, together with anti-crime activists. The public has been encouraged to bring candles and attend in large numbers. MEC Nkosi-Malobane said: “We cannot sit back and watch our men and women in blue being murdered. The time has come to stand up and mobilise against cop killings.” Crime Line's Yusuf Abramjee said: “Let's all unite. We must say enough is enough. These brazen attacks on our police are an attack on all of us. When criminals have this little regard for the lives of police officers, they have even less for the public. We must track them down and put them behind bars.” Andy Mashaile of the Gauteng Community Police Board has appealed to all community policing forums to support the night vigil. “We as anti-crime activists cannot sit back and watch our
police officers being murdered at this rate,” he said. Limpopo protests over jobs end
Johannesburg - Violent community protests in Namakgale near Phalaborwa in Limpopo against a local mining company’s recruitment practices have ended after an agreement was reached between affected parties. Palabora Copper spokesman Hulisani Nemaxwi said on Friday that an agreement was reached following a lengthy meeting with the local community forum. “Palabora Copper has reached an agreement with the members of the community forum to end the illegal protest immediately. The company expects to have a full operational staff during the afternoon shift,” said Nemaxwi. “The communities and the local authorities continue to work together in the various areas removing rubble blocking the roads.” Operations at Palabora, a subsidiary of Phalaborwa Mining Company, were halted over the weekend after residents from nearby Namakgale protested against the company, accusing it of not hiring local residents. The protest resulted in the shutdown of businesses and schools as major roads were blocked and vehicles set alight. Buses ferrying workers to the mine were prevented from travelling along the R71 between Namakgale and Phalaborwa. Nemaxwi said his company had refused to accede to the forum’s demand that at least 16 000 CVs from job seekers, which were collected through various tribal councils, be thrown away and replaced by a 100 CVs to be submitted by the forum. Palabora said agreeing to this condition would have
compromised a legitimate process that involved communities and tribal councils,
Nemaxwi said at the time. New health boss a no-show Durban - Relations between the new KZN Department of Health head and its paramedics have started on a sour note, with the EMS workers considering his no-show for a “meet and greet” a slap in the face. About 200 off-duty Emergency Medical Rescue workers marched to the Durban city hall on Monday to present a memorandum consisting of hundreds of pages to Dr Sifiso Mtshali, who began his duties as the head of the KZN health department at the beginning of this month. Their “desire was to meet with him (Mtshali) in order to bring our side of the story to his attention”, read the memorandum. It was accepted by the department’s labour relations manager, Dumisani Nyembe, much to the ire of the marchers. Nupsaw’s national general secretary, Success Mataitsane, said: “We are disappointed, but not surprised that the HOD did not come meet us himself. Instead, he sent us their lawyer; that just shows that how much the department undermines us.” He lambasted Mtshali for his “negative attitude”, despite being new in his position. Grievances included the department’s use of attorneys in
disciplinary hearings against employees, as well as danger and overtime pay. Magistrate explains bail to angry community
Johannesburg - It’s time communities learnt the real meaning of bail. This was the unambiguous message by a Soweto magistrate after a protest by taxi drivers demanding the detention of a taxi boss arrested for the alleged murder of one of their colleagues. “The community can’t be screaming from the sidelines. Bail is not punishment, but assurance of court attendance. It doesn’t mean the accused is discharged from the matter,” magistrate Audrey Mpofu explained on Tuesday, before ruling in the bail application of Bekuyise Cebekhulu in the Protea Magistrate’s Court. Cebekhulu is accused of killing taxi driver Khulekani Sibisi, 26, nearly two weeks ago. His bail application was postponed on Monday after Mpofu asked the investigating officer to clarify if public outrage was under control, and whether the statements of the witnesses had been obtained. The investigating officer, Isaac Oupa Kubheka, told the court that the community and taxi drivers don’t want Cebekhulu back in the community. Kubheka said the killing had caused outrage, which had led to the accused’s homes and his two vehicles being torched. Eight of his Toyota Quantum minibus taxis were also damaged. Kubheka told the court that a witness who saw the shooting was afraid to make a statement because he feared Cebekhulu. “I told him I would place him under witness protection, but he said he would think about it,” Kubheka said, adding that the witness lived in the same area as the accused. Advocate Leonard Cindi, for the accused, said Cebekhulu had contributed to Sibisi’s funeral costs. He said the driver was caught in a crossfire and that this wasn’t premeditated murder. He said if witnesses had failed to come forward in the past few days, it showed that they had no interest in doing so. In granting the application, Mpofu said the community needed to learn how bail worked. She said there was no substantial evidence as to why local residents don’t want Cebekhulu to be released on bail. kutlwano.olifant@inl.co.za Joburg firefighters go slow to protest working hours
JOBURG – Firefighters in Joburg are reportedly on a go slow due to disputes they are having about their work schedules. According to News24 the firefighters’ demands for overtime pay is being referred to arbitration. According to Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for Joburg Emergency Medical Services, firefighters work 48 hours a week, with four-day shifts of two days on and two days off. To make up the 48 hours, firefighters work an extra two hours a day but now they want to be paid for the extra hours they work. Firefighters are now only prepared to work a 40 hour week, unless they are paid overtime for their extra hours. Station commanders, supervisors and managers, who are
usually station-bound, are now being forced to respond to call-outs during the
times the firefighters refuse to work. Port Shepstone RTI stand-off Durban - A stand-off between management and officers at Port Shepstone’s Road Traffic Inspectorate has led to a go-slow, with little or no patrols being done, as motorists head home after the school holidays. Twenty-one RTI officers are believed to have staged a sit-in since Thursday after learning that four members of management, who they previously called to be removed, were reinstated on Wednesday. This comes as the volume of traffic looks set to increase as families head home after the holiday break. A drive down the South Coast can be a hell run most of the time, and becomes even more dangerous during such peaks when rules of the road are often disregarded. Three people died in a collision at Shelly Beach on Friday, but in spite of the go-slow by officers, the Tribune established that they were in attendance at the scene. A member of staff at Port Shepstone, who asked not to be named, said officers were instructed to provide support in Margate on Thursday to deal with taxi violence, but they did not show up. “They reported for duty on Thursday and Friday, but were not prepared to take instruction from the reinstated management. And they did no patrol duty on both days,” the informant claimed. And it is uncertain, at this stage, whether the officers will return to their normal duty today, when holidaymakers are expected to leave the area. But Zinhle Mngomezulu, RTI’s spokeswoman in KwaZulu-Natal, denied the allegations. “There is no sit-in at Port Shepstone,” she said. The unhappy officers previously made allegations that the four members of management had abused their power, displayed racist tendencies and victimised staff. Those allegations were petitioned with RTI’s national office in 2013, with the disgruntled officers calling for the removal of Port Shepstone’s management. RTI yielded to the call and later removed the four heads from their respective positions. They were given strict instructions not to “interfere or instruct” any of the staff at the base or do any supervisory duties. All the unhappy officers are believed to be members of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), while the management team is aligned to the Public Servants Association (PSA) union. The PSA’s KZN head, Claude Naiker, said they lodged a grievance on behalf of their members and called for a probe into the allegations made by the officers. RTI relented and a Pietermaritzburg law firm was engaged to investigate. “Investigations have been completed and the attorneys have compiled their report. We have requested sighting of the report, but are yet to receive a copy,” Naiker said. He believed the fallout between management and staff began in 2013 after an officer was charged with soliciting a bribe from a motorist. The stand-off between the officers and management intensified after another officer was accused of falsifying a sick note. Naiker said both officers were suspended, and now face bribery charges. “Dockets were handed to RTI’s management outlining both fraud allegations, but nothing was done and the two accused were reinstated to their positions because Popcru threatened a strike. “Whenever Popcru intervenes on behalf of its members and threatens strike action, RTI management buckles and matters are swept under the carpet,” Naiker alleged. Naiker accused RTI of applying “selective discipline” and called on the organisation to investigate more thoroughly when complaints of substance are made. “If not, anarchy sets in and members begin to think they are untouchable,” Naiker warned. Popcru’s national spokes-man, Richard Mamabolo, made repeated promises to respond to allegations that their members had staged sit-ins this week, but had not done so at the time of publication. With regards to the alleged strained relationship between the officers and management at Port Shepstone, Mngomezulu claimed she had no knowledge of it. mervyn.naidoo@inl.co.za NUM strike continues at Twickenham mine in Limpopo
Workers at Anglo American Platinum’s Twickenham mine in Burgersfort, Limpopo, were on strike, the company said on Tuesday. “Anglo American Platinum confirms that a group of contractors employed by SAN have embarked on a strike at its Twickenham Mine due to their contracts with SAN coming to an end. Mine management has facilitated a meeting between SAN and its employees to try and end the impasse and is hopeful for a prompt and peaceful resolution,” said spokesperson Mpumi Sithole. About 524 workers downed tools on June 30, after Capital Development Services (CDS) served the union with notice to terminate contracts of 165 workers. CDS is a subsidiary of the Anglo American Platinum (Amplats). “The strike is still on, the only way to resolve the strike is to reinstate the workers. We are waiting for the intervention of the department of mineral resource [DMR]. We believe the DMR intervention can save the jobs of the affected workers,” said Matlagolo Councellor Mmowa, NUM North East deputy regional secretary of education. The workers demanded that all affected employees must be reinstated. Workers also wanted Amplats to cancel its contract with SAN contracting services as a labour hire, and absorb all CDS employees when they return to work. “We have also been engaged with CDS for the last 6 months where we proposed as the NUM that the company must consider voluntary severance packages [VSPs] as an alternative to avoid retrenchments. These employees do not even have retirement and pension funds,” Mmowa explained.He denied that striking NUM members were intimidating non-striking workers. “The strike is peaceful. Our members gather and are being briefed, after that they dispersed. It is not correct that people are intimidated,” he said. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction (Amcu) said it supported the plight of the workers and their demands for decent wages and conditions of employment, but condemned illegal action that prevented its members who were not participating in the strike from going to work. “Our members have been intimidated and assaulted by striking NUM members. Our members have been prevented from entering their residences, their rooms at the hostels vandalised and so forth, as a result management arranged alternative accommodation for them. No action has been taken by the law enforcement agencies [SA Police Service] despite such illegal acts of violence taking place in their presence,” the union said in a statement. “We are not against the strike but, proper processes should have been followed by NUM to ensure that the strike is protected to ensure the legality thereof and to safeguards jobs for the employees. Our members cannot be compelled to participate in an
unprotected strike,” Amcu stated. Farmworkers strike over poor working conditions
Farm workers from Wood at Heart Project near Ficksburg in eastern Free State have been protesting for over two weeks. The farm is one of the projects funded by the National Department of Environmental Affairs. The workers, who started the strike on July 4, are claiming that about 60 workers who are supposed to be beneficiaries of the farm that forms part of a Public Works Programme, have been unfairly dismissed. Workers from Deemster and Khalambazo farms allege that they are harassed in the workplace. They also say safety measures are not adhered to and that no training is provided for handling of the company's machinery. According to them workers' contracts state that they should be paid R3500, but they are being paid only R1500. They say they are often injured on duty without getting compensation. One of the employees whose hand was allegedly slashed by company machinery is Thabo Molebatsi. “We have been on strike for two weeks on the issue of our working conditions and the salaries and the harassment and our safety is not right at all. We have been requesting the management to assist us whereby people are getting injured. Others already passed away here, but they don't follow our request. I lost two of my fingers probably last year December with one of the machines here that means I didn't get training I didn't get even one cent today.” The provincial Chairperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Khotso Morapela, is supporting the workers. “Our intention is to meet the authorities. In particular we have already contacted the office of the minister of environmental Affairs to raise all those questions that the workers were complaining about and we hope that the authorities are going to really come to the rescue because that is an EPWP programme and I think that the whole intention of government is to create jobs through that particular programme but to our disappointment it looks like things are not well.” Never would we have said the wage levels should be anything other than what they are being paid. A worker at the farm says “We have been suffering and lied to a lot buy the municipality keeps telling us that it has bought a farm for us after that things were happening without us knowing they hired us for a few months and then fired us putting in other people from outside.” Another worker says: “We work under pressure it feels like we are still in Apartheid. This is a new democracy but in here we are not free then they fire us telling us that we are many.” The Deputy Director-general of Department of environmental affairs, Dr Guy Preston, says they are working together with the Department of Labour to resolve the problem. “Never would we have said the wage levels should be anything other than what they are being paid. We are aware of the allegations, we have both done the assessments and we'll do further assessments. So there have been dismissals that have been made. People have to be treated with respect, we have met with the management but ultimately we are responsible from these factories these are our factories and it's up to us to ensure that these standards apply to any other thousands situations we run across the country.” Meanwhile, Josial Ramokoena from the Department of Labour says they are aware of this problem and they are still investigating. Workers say if they don't get feedback by Wednesday, they
will all march to the Union Building in Pretoria. Mamelodi taxi drivers ‘sorry’
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has revealed that it spent more than R114 million in bus subsidies paid to Putco in the past four years to operate in Mamelodi. The funds have been a source of conflict between taxi operators in the area who staged a violent protest last week when AutoPax - a subsidiary of Passenger Rail Agency of SA - buses took over some of the routes vacated by Putco. The taxi industry wanted to take over the running of bus services on the Mamelodi and Moloto routes from Putco which the department has said it had allocated nearly R30m for 2015/2016. When AutoPax was brought in on a temporary basis, the taxi industry questioned the legality of this short-term contract the province entered with AutoPax and what process was followed in issuing the bus service with operating licences. It would appear the taxi industry had eyes on the millions on offer - hoping to fill the gap left by Putco and hoping the government would subsidise them. The Gauteng provincial government said there was no such deal. On Friday the Mamelodi Transport Solution apologised to residents after a prolonged period of chaos and disruptions which left thousands of commuters stranded when drivers downed their keys. Taxi association official Stemer Monageng yesterday said the two taxi associations, Mamelodi Taxi Association (Mata) and Mamelodi Long Distance Taxi Association (Malta), were sorry for the disruptions experienced in the township. “Come Monday, we can guarantee that everything will be back to order. We just want to apologise to the commuters for everything that has happened,” Monageng said. He was speaking to the Pretoria News outside the Department of Community Safety compound yard in Koedoespoort where more than 50 taxis belonging to both associations are being kept after they were impounded early this week. Monageng was helping to facilitate the return of the taxis. He said most of the taxis had already been returned to their owners after they paid their fines. Earlier, Putco gave notice that it was withdrawing services on loss-making routes in Gauteng. In total the department had allocated nearly R80m for 2015/2016 to Putco to run routes in Mamelodi, Boksburg and the Vaal where the company has withdrawn. Putco is the biggest bus operator and receives 65 percent of the provincial government’s R1.8 billion public transport operations grant, along with other 11 contracted bus companies. The department said yesterday the information relating to how applications were processed could be obtained from the provincial regulating entity. Transport analyst Paul Browning said the fundamental problem with services like Putco and AutoPax in Mamelodi was that they do not form part of an integrated public transport network. “They are leftovers from the apartheid era, and are contracted and funded by the province,” he said. Meanwhile, taxi operators were left fuming this week when Operation Fiela was brought into the township to bring an end to violence which swept across Mamelodi since the introduction of the AutoPax buses last week. Taxi operators stoned some of the AutoPax buses arguing that they (taxi owners) should have been allowed to take over the routes abandoned by Putco which terminated its contract with the Department of Transport on June 30. On Thursday, taxi bosses said they had reached an agreement to have their taxis returned and fines scrapped as most had been issued in a conflict situation with the police. The confiscation of the taxis led to a stayaway by taxi drivers on Thursday which again left thousands of commuters stranded. But things had returned to normal yesterday as the majority of taxis were back on the road. However, Department of Community Safety spokesman Thapelo Moila denied that a deal had been reached to return the taxis. He said the government would not negotiate the return of unroadworthy vehicles. A number of taxi owners could be seen at the pound waiting to pay their fines and collect their taxis. Taxi owner Johannes Mkhondo said the confiscation of his vehicle had interfered with his source of income. “I can’t afford to have my taxi in a police pound because I have bills to pay and mouths to feed. This is a bread-and-butter issue and if I don’t have my taxi, I can’t provide for my family,” Mkhondo said. He said his public driver’s permit had expired. “The ticket issued was for R1 500 but I spoke to a prosecutor who reduced it to R500,” he said. Mkhondo said he was losing between R2 000-R3 000 a day while his taxi was locked away. Gauteng Traffic Department spokeswoman Busaphi Nxumalo said
taxis would only be returned if fines were paid. Mamelodi taxis back on the streets
Pretoria - Mamelodi commuters can breathe a sigh of relief after taxi drivers announced they will be operating normally on Friday. Taxi operators on Thursday brought the township to a standstill when they staged a stayaway after their taxis were impounded, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. “We had a meeting with the Department of Community Safety and they have agreed to return our taxis,” said Stemer Monageng, an executive member of Mamelodi Long Distance Taxi Association (Maldta). About 50 taxis were impounded between Monday and Wednesday after Operation Fiela was introduced in the township following the eruption of violence last week. Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Ismail Vadi, said the taxis impounded had expired, invalid or no vehicle licence discs and some drivers were driving without valid driving licences. “A number of taxis were on the road illegally with fraudulent operating licences. Also, police had confiscated two firearms and in one instance found drugs in a taxi,” Vadi said. Monangeng said: “We were not fighting with anyone, but we did not appreciate the remarks that were made by the premier.” Premier David Makhura said at the weekend that the government and people of Mamelodi would not be held to ransom by violent taxi drivers. “Taxi operators are open to working with the government. We do not want to make it seem like we are unruly, but we cannot be treated like criminals. “The way they brought in Operation Fiela and took our taxis was not right,” Monangeng added. He said they wanted their taxis returned and that Operation Fiela be stopped. “The cars have valid documents, the drivers have licences and the cars are roadworthy. When they give our drivers tickets, they write ‘taxi conflict’. We don’t know what kind of charge that is,” he said. Taxi operators staged a series of violent protests last week when AutoPax buses took over some of the routes which were previously run by Putco. Five people were left injured when gunmen opened fire on a Putco bus. Some AutoPax buses were also pelted with stones. Commuters were seen standing at empty taxi ranks and on roadsides, flagging down cars for transport to work, while some went home. An irritated Tshepo Nzimande, said the situation was compounded by the lack of notification beforehand. “We would have made plans for alternative plans like using buses or trains but getting here and not finding any taxis means I have to go home now.” Nzimande feels taxi owners disregard the needs of commuters. Cosatu puts tunnel protest on hold
A Cosatu protest aimed at closing the Huguenot Tunnel to traffic could have affected thousands of vehicles daily. Photo: Armand Hough Cape Town - Cosatu has suspended Friday’s protest action, intended to close the Huguenot Tunnel to traffic, pending an investigation by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) into allegations of mismanagement and corruption by the company responsible for the management of the toll. In a statement issued late on Thursday, Cosatu’s Tony Ehrenreich said: “We ask that the head office of Sanral do a detailed investigation on all the administration anomalies in the Huguenot Tunnel and revert to Cosatu by next Thursday. “We will, as Cosatu, suspend our action to protest and close off the tunnel for traffic, until your offices (Sanral) revert. “Failure of a positive response from your good offices on the issues raised will lead to Cosatu embarking on protest action, without further notice.” In an open letter to Sanral, Cosatu said that it had found evidence of corruption and mismanagement by Tolcon. In a statement, Ehrenreich referred to “exorbitant” profits made by Tolcon that was going into “private hands”. He said: “The salaries that workers at the Huguenot Tunnel are earning are not decent wages and much less than at other Sanral toll roads.” Cosatu would have supported the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) in its bid to close the Huguenot Tunnel when about 200 of its members protested at the toll plaza for higher wages. More than 11 000 cars travel through the tunnel daily, and the closure of this critical N1 route could have cost Sanral at least R342 690 in lost income from tolls, based on calculations made by Peter Hugo, chairman of the Cape Chamber of Commerce’s transport portfolio committee. Siphesihle Dube, spokesman for Donald Grant, MEC for Transport and Public Works, said provincial traffic would work closely with the police and the local traffic services to ensure there was no disruption to traffic if the planned protest went ahead. Cosatu said Tolcon, the company responsible for the Huguenot Tunnel, has been “sucking motorists dry” for more than 20 years since the route was completed. Meanwhile workers were paid less than R2 000 a month. Satawu spokesman Brightness Mtwa said about 200 members were to have picketed outside the tunnel for most of the day. They are unhappy with their wages and their working conditions at the toll, and are demanding a R400 pay hike. Despite repeated calls to Tolcon’s head office in Bedfordview, the company could not confirm whether discussions to reach a settlement with the union had failed. Meanwhile Cosatu said further protests were being planned to object to the ongoing demand for toll fees when the construction of the tunnel had already been paid in full. anel.lewis@inl.co.za Taxi driver stayaway leaves Mamelodi commuters stranded
COMMUTERS were left stranded on Thursday morning as Mamelodi taxi drivers staged a stayaway. This comes a day after the African National Congress (ANC) claimed that calm had been restored to the area following a spate violent attacks on state-owned buses. Some reports said many commuters had opted to stay home‚ while others took to social media to voice their dissatisfaction. @BonaQhama tweeted: "Taxi drivers in #Mamelodi have downed tools today. These people like to think they’re above the law. Now many people will be late for work." @Lebereza said: "It’s a sad reality in the #Mamelodi area as #local #community can’t do a thing about it. No taxi. No work. No pay. #Economy affected!!!" The ANC statement on Wednesday praised Gauteng premier David Makhura and Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa "for providing hands-on and firm leadership to restore order by deploying the South African Police Services‚ Tshwane Metropolitan Police and ensuring the implementation of Operation Fiela". The matter‚ however‚ is not resolved‚ as the ANC said: "We welcome ongoing talks in an effort to resolve the stalemate in Mamelodi." @Mthetheleli15 was reluctant to add his voice to the praise: "#Mamelodi taxi operators on strike over #Autopax‚ impounded taxis& operation fiela‚ where the hell is David Makhura? commuters are stranded". The violence came after the provincial roads and transport department gave a three-month contract to state-owned Autopax to operate eight routes previously run by Putco. Putco abandoned these contracts‚ the ANC said‚ "as it felt these routes were not profitable". "The provision of bus services by Autopax elicited a negative reaction from the taxi industry‚ which saw some taxis blockading the entrance to the bus depot in Mamelodi‚ preventing Autopax buses from operating particularly in Mamelodi‚" the ANC said. The party also said it "condemns all acts of intimidation and violence which have occurred in Mamelodi". "It is also important to note that consideration is being made on the subsidisation of the mini-bus taxi business to assist them to become better organised and professional‚" the statement said. This‚ however‚ contrasted with comments made by Gauteng roads and transport MEC Ismail Vadi on Tuesday. He said then that the minibus taxi industry in Gauteng could not be subsidised by provincial government because there was no provision in transport legislation that would allow it. "The National Land Transport Act draws a distinction between a minibus‚ a midi-bus and a bus. A minibus can carry 10-16 passengers; a midi-bus 17-35. Once that legal distinction has been made‚ the national policy framework is that we will subsidise buses only‚" Mr Vadi said. "Once that decision is taken at national level‚ I cannot change it. No MEC in the country can change that because it is national policy." Mr Vadi also said the taxi industry could take over the routes abandoned by Putco if it were successful in an open bidding process. "If the industry wants that share of the bus market, they have to create a corporate entity. They can either acquire buses themselves‚ set up an operation and then tender as an operator. Or‚ when I open negotiations for all our bus contracts‚ they can come in and say: ‘We are an interested party’‚ and we will include them in the process. But that does not mean that‚ at the end of the day‚ they will get the contracts‚" Mr Vadi said. But South African National Taxi Council in Gauteng a spokesman Ralph Jones disputed Mr Vadi’s view‚ maintaining that the National Land Transport Act allowed for subsidies to all those providing public transport services. "The (act) stipulates that existing public transport
services (including taxis and buses) be incorporated into an integrated public
network in terms of contracts (negotiated‚ subsidised or commercial contracts)
with the municipal planning authority. This is per section 41(2) of the
act‚" said Mr Jones.
Fear of violence threatens health hearing
Security guards escorted several audience members out of a civil society-organised commission into the Free State health system. Bloemfontein - Security guards escorted several audience members out of a civil society-organised commission into the Free State health system as fears mounted that tensions in the room could lead to violence. The men were led out of a University of the Free State auditorium packed with about 200 people after objecting to “People’s Commission,” arguing that organizing AIDS lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign “was not the public protector.” Among the 200 people present were many who testified to to poor health service services and ongoing medicine stock outs. The commission is being chaired by three independent panelists comprised of former Johannesburg Central Methodist Church head Bishop Paul Verryn, former Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa General Secretary General Thembeka Gwagwa and Alternative Information Development Centre Co-Director Thokozile Madonko, according to its terms of reference. The trio is expected to release its own report without the TAC following the two-day gathering. Anna Motaung from Harrismith, Free State told the commission how she struggled to find her dying daughter amid the province’s allegedly broken referral system. Motaung’s daughter had been transferred from her local clinic to the Elizabeth Ross Hospital where her mother consented for her to undergo a blood transfusion. That was the last Motaung knew of her daughter for the next several days as she struggled to find her daughter. She alleges that neither clinic nor hospital staff could tell her where her daughter had been transferred. “No one at both the clinic, nor the hospital would give me details of her illness or what was wrong with her,” said Motaung. A patient who had shared a ward with Motaung’s daughter eventually told Motaung where her daughter had been transferred to. She says she discovered her daughter unable to speak but that her mouth was filled with pills. Despite nurses’ warnings that her daughter would likely die at home, Motaung said she was too afraid to leave her child in hospital “It was better for her to die at home then at the hospital as no one was taking care of her,” she told the commission. Meanwhile patients complained of ongoing shortages of medicines including insulin, and treatment for epilepsy and high blood pressure. Yvonne Richa says she spends more than R500 of her disability grant to purchase diabetes and high blood pressure medication as well as bandages for an untreated abscess she has had for more than a decade. She claims that Thebe District Hospital staff recently told her to purchase her own crutches. “I cannot walk anymore, and with the no access to crutches, it means I am stuck at home,” Richa said. Free State Department of Health Spokesperson Tebogo Oepeng has echoed others in the province and alleged that the TAC continues to have “an agenda” in the Free State. “We are certain to say that the TAC has an agenda,” he said. “The first project and that was to remove the current MEC, has failed and now this is the second round.” “There have been incidents left and right and personally we don’t really know what the MEC, and that is MEC Benny Malakoane, does to them.” The TAC has led a campaign calling for Malakoane’s dismissal citing his mismanagement of health services since late 2014. Oepeng added that medicine shortages were a national problem. “This issue of a shortage of medicines – it’s a national problem,” said Oepeng citing similar statements made by provincial health departments before Parliament as well as remarks by Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi at he recent SA AIDS Conference. “They are an issue of manufacturing.” International media has reported stock outs of certain
vaccines as well as epileptic medication in countries like Ireland, Canada and
Zimbabwe. However, the latest civil society stock out report found that 80
percent of the shortages it unearthed were caused by poor management. Workers protest outside council meeting
The workers said the MMC for Corporate Governance never responded to their memorandum. No job, no vote, a clear message for the Ekurhuleni mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele. No job, no vote, a clear message for the Ekurhuleni mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele. Workers from the Lungile Mtshali Project protested outside the Germiston Council Chambers during the Ekurhuleni council meeting on Thursday morning last week. According to the group leaders, the demonstration comes after the demands in their memorandum, which they submitted to the MMC for Corporate Services, Clr Queen Duba, were not responded to. The memo was submitted on June 17. Just a month ago, members of the Peace Corps project also protested on the morning of the budget speech on May 28. The peace corps were unhappy about, among other issues, their contracts coming to an end, and wanted the metro to deploy them into various departments. The MMC was supposed to meet with the workers on Wednesday last week to respond to their memo but the meeting was postponed to June 30. ”We were only told at 11.15am yesterday that the MMC cancelled our meeting, which was supposed to start at 12-noon,” said one of the leaders, who asked to remain anonymous. Apparently no explanation for the postponement was provided to the workers. Members from various wards joined the protest, including those from Tembisa, Daveyton and Etwatwa. The demands in the memorandum included permanent jobs, proper management, a solid skills programme and an increase in their stipend. Ruth Nkosi from the Etwatwa ward said they were hired on a three-year contract, which would be renewed yearly. The programme began in February last year. ”We renewed the contracts in March this year, during which we were promised training for four months, but we haven’t received one day of that training yet,” Nkosi said. ”Our contracts stated that during phase one of the contract (one year) we would receive six months of learning, followed by another six months of field work. But none of this happened.” Mayoral spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, said a mayoral committee meeting would be held on June 30, where various issues would be deliberated on, including the Lungile Mtshali Project. “A task team has been set up with MMC Duba and the workers’ grievances will be addressed. As soon as procedures are completed and a solution has been identified, the MMC will give feedback to the employees about the way forward,” Dlamini said. The Lungile Mtshali Community Development Project is a ward-based job creation programme in honour of the late MMC for finance, Clr Lungile Mtshali, who died in 2010. Since its launch in February last year, R1-million a year
had been allocated to each of the 101 wards in Ekurhuleni to employ 30
ward-based unemployed residents for the purpose of uplifting the community and
fighting poverty in the region. SDCEA’s Durban July protest action halted
SDCEA planned to have more than 500 people at the protest. Protest (1) THE planned protest action at the Vodacom Durban July by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) was blocked by a high court ruling on Friday, 3 July. Aiming to raise their concerns about the sale and development of Clairwood Racecourse, SDCEA and affiliated groups planned to protest outside the Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, 4 July during the Durban July horse race. In court proceedings on Friday, judge Nompumulelo Radebe refused SDCEA’s call to overturn the municipality’s banning of the protest. “It is shocking. It is just bad and I don’t understand the call to stop our protest. There were no grounds for the refusal both by the municipality and the judge,” said SDCEA co-ordinator, Desmond D’Sa of the ruling. SDCEA planned to have more than 500 people at the protest. “We could have gone there without asking for permission and picketed with 14 people. We were told we could not hold the protest because there would be high profile people there. What does that have to do with our protest?” The denial of this protest has not stopped SDCEA, however, and they plan to appeal the ruling. “We will protest and we will bring our message to people so
they know what is going on. We will not stop,” said D’Sa. Bus drivers agree to go back to work Durban bus drivers will be back on the road on Tuesday morning, 7 July. eThekwini has confirmed that the municipal buses will be back on the road tomorrow after strike action began last week. eThekwini has confirmed that the municipal buses will be back on the road tomorrow after strike action began last week. ALL Durban Transport buses will be back on the road from Tuesday morning, 7 July. According to a media release by eThekwini Municipality, bus drivers have agreed to return to work, putting an end to the strike action which disrupted bus services throughout the metro. Commuters are urged to make alternative travel arrangements for this afternoon, 6 July 2015, as the bus service, operated by private operator Tansnat, is expected to resume full operations from tomorrow morning. The Municipality apologises to all commuters for the inconvenience caused. The Municipality will continue to communicate all updated
information about the bus strike through the Municipality’s website.
Farmworkers strike over poor working conditions
Farm workers from Wood at Heart Project near Ficksburg in eastern Free State have been protesting for over two weeks. The farm is one of the projects funded by the National Department of Environmental Affairs. The workers, who started the strike on July 4, are claiming that about 60 workers who are supposed to be beneficiaries of the farm that forms part of a Public Works Programme, have been unfairly dismissed. Workers from Deemster and Khalambazo farms allege that they are harassed in the workplace. They also say safety measures are not adhered to and that no training is provided for handling of the company's machinery. According to them workers' contracts state that they should
be paid R3500, but they are being paid only R1500. NUM strike continues at Twickenham mine in Limpopo Workers at Anglo American Platinum’s Twickenham mine in Burgersfort, Limpopo, were on strike, the company said on Tuesday. “Anglo American Platinum confirms that a group of contractors employed by SAN have embarked on a strike at its Twickenham Mine due to their contracts with SAN coming to an end. Mine management has facilitated a meeting between SAN and its employees to try and end the impasse and is hopeful for a prompt and peaceful resolution,” said spokesperson Mpumi Sithole. About 524 workers downed tools on June 30, after Capital
Development Services (CDS) served the union with notice to terminate contracts
of 165 workers. CDS is a subsidiary of the Anglo American Platinum (Amplats).
Joburg firefighters go slow to protest working hours
JOBURG – Firefighters in Joburg are reportedly on a go slow due to disputes they are having about their work schedules. According to News24 the firefighters’ demands for overtime pay is being referred to arbitration. According to Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for Joburg Emergency Medical Services, firefighters work 48 hours a week, with four-day shifts of two days on and two days off. To make up the 48 hours, firefighters work an extra two
hours a day but now they want to be paid for the extra hours they work.
Firefighters are now only prepared to work a 40 hour week, unless they are paid
overtime for their extra hours.
Prasa workers cause chaos Pretoria - Police rushed to Prasa House in Pretoria as scores of workers protested ahead of a press briefing scheduled to be addressed by the embattled parastatal’s management on Wednesday. Before midday the workers were dancing and singing inside the yard of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa). All gates had been locked by security guards and one of the workers was waving a broom. The workers were demanding the reinstatement of fired CEO Lucky Montana. In July, Montana was fired by the Prasa board two weeks ago. The board said his removal had nothing to do with the scandal over the purchasing of Spanish trains deemed not suitable for South Africa’s railway infrastructure. Government spent R600 million rand on the locomotives. On Wednesday, Prasa spokesman Moffet Mofokeng invited journalists to a press conference which was set to start before midday. “We have a press conference at 11.30 at Prasa House in Pretoria today. I would like to invite you. “The press conference will be addressed by senior management at Prasa and it is about the paralysis in the company. Moffet Mofokeng,” the SMS sent to African News Agency read. The outspoken Montana was due to leave the state-owned
company in December. Drama outside Tshwane council chamber Pretoria - There was drama outside the Sammy Marks Council Chamber on Thursday as police tried to stave off a move by disgruntled municipal workers to storm into a council meeting. The workers are employed under “Vat Alles”, a national initiative which forms part of the Extended Public Works Programme. The programme employs young people to clean the streets, municipal offices and schools. About 500 workers had come from places such as Motsweding,
Soshanguve, Mabopane, Winterveld and Ga-Rankuwa. They downed tools with the
intention of disrupting the meeting after not being paid their monthly stipends
on August 26. They also demanded to be offered permanent posts. Vat Alles goes on the rampage
Pretoria - Early risers in Soshanguve were greeted by high flames, dark smoke and the smell of burning rubber in Block F on Thursday as fire engulfed City of Tshwane vehicles, resulting in damage estimated at hundreds of thousands of rand. Four bakkies and a water tanker were burnt to ashes by hundreds of rampaging municipal employees who have been at loggerheads with the city for more than a week. And as the fire engulfed the vehicles, the workers, employed under the Vat Alles programme, angrily threw stones, smashing the windows of two other bakkies. Missiles also rained down on the municipal building, as the workers smashed office windows with stones and damaged furniture. Computers, desks and chairs were wrecked and then the workers turned to the streets. One uprooted a road sign and hurled it into the fire. Samwu backs Vat Alles protest Pretoria -The Tshwane workers under the Vat Alles programme who staged a violent protest in Soshanguve last week were well within their rights. This is according to the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu),
which expressed its support for the workers who burnt four vehicles belonging
to the City of Tshwane and barricaded roads. Illegal marchers demand permanent EPWP jobs
PEOPLE and members of the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) marched to the Civic Centre yesterday demanding that the City employ expanded public works programme (EPWP) workers permanently. Samwu provincial secretary Mikel Khumalo said mayor Patricia de Lille had agreed that EPWP workers would be permanently employed when posts became vacant, but City spokesperson Priya Reddy denied this. “We signed an agreement with mayor De Lille but her
departments are undermining her. We believe the nature of these jobs is not
projects,” said Khumalo. Five held for Ceres violence and arson
Cape Town - Five Ceres Fruit Growers (CFG) employees were arrested this week for public violence and arson during a continuous strike. On Thursday, police arrested two people after a warehouse was destroyed in a fire when almost 200 workers protested in front of the company. Workers toyi-toyied and sang freedom songs. Ceres police station Commander Salmon Williams said officers arrested two people after assessing CCTV footage. “We’ve identified people who set the factory alight. We will arrest four others who were involved.” On Wednesday, the police arrested three people on charges of
public violence.
CFG employees have been on strike since last week. They are
demanding 12.5 percent in wage increases and a share in company profits. Samwu bus drivers strike in Tshwane The strike comes after the City decided drivers should temporarily carry money bags & sell cash tickets. The drivers are refusing to carry money bags and sell cash tickets due to safety concerns. Last month, the union instructed its members to stop working until the situation is resolved. http://ewn.co.za/2015/10/01/Tshwane-bus-driver-strike-for-improved-collection-system Workers deliver job demands during Cosatu march
Thousands marched in support of Cosatu's call for a nationwide strike, delivering demands for jobs, e-toll scrapping, a wealth tax and minimum wage. About 1 000 people joined Cosatu in the relatively peaceful march through Cape Town's city centre. (David Harrison, M&G) About 1 000 people joined Cosatu in the relatively peaceful march through Cape Town's city centre. (David Harrison, M&G) Thousands of people, most of them clad in red T-shirts,
braved the sweltering Highveld heat to march through the Johannesburg city
centre in support of Cosatu’s call for a nationwide, multi-sector strike. Ceres workers vow to intensify strike As the strike by Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) members at Ceres Fruit Growers (CFG) entered its fifth week on Monday, the protesting workers are due to decide on Tuesday how the strike will be intensified. The strike involves 1 200 workers at CFG and other companies in the area. They demand a wage increase of 12.5 percent, or 10 percent if the companies share their profits with workers. CFG is one of South Africa’s largest apple and pear packing and storage facilities. Fawu deputy secretary Moledi Phakedi said recent negotiations proved fruitless as workers rejected an 8 percent wage offer. “There are hardships that the workers are experiencing thus
the demand for more money,” said Phakedi. PICS: UCT protest over outsourced labour
Cape Town - Students and workers marched at UCT on Tuesday, calling for an end to “exploitation and poverty wages for workers” and demanding that the university stop outsourcing contractors and services on the campus. The march coincided with marches on Tuesday at Wits and the University of Johannesburg, which were all aimed at bringing an end to outsourcing. At UCT, the march started on Lower Campus, passed the Bremner building and ended at Jameson Memorial Hall, which was then occupied by the group of protesters. “Today workers at UCT are still experiencing all forms of
discrimination and inequalities. Black workers and mainly women are still
marginalised and continue to earn poverty wages,” Monica Gqoji, representing
the UCT joint shop stewards of the National Education and Health and Allied
Workers Union, read from a statement.
Coal strike ends Johannesburg - The strike in the coal sector has come to an end after the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Chamber of Mines reached an agreement on wage increases. The chamber and the union will sign the agreement on Tuesday afternoon, according to NUM chief negotiator in the coal sector Peter Bailey. This comes after NUM members accepted the chamber's offer. In terms of this, lowest paid workers will get increases of between R750 and R1 000 per month in year one and guaranteed increases of 7.5% in year two. Most employees in the higher categories could receive increases of between 5% and 7.5%t in both years. Bailey said the striking workers will resume work on Wednesday. Stop-and-go employees protest on R39 road Standerton Advertiser 26 October 2015 Altogether 49 locals are currently employed at the stop-and-go and 20 of them are expected to stop working. Stop-and-go employees refuse to stop working, after they received a notice from Dreykon Klus Civil . Stop-and-go employees refuse to stop working, after they received a notice from Dreykon Klus Civil . Stop-and-go workers, employed by a local sub-contractor Moloi Trading, embarked on a strike this morning. According to them, Dreykon Klus Civils, that is currently
upgrading the R39 Road between Standerton and Ermelo, has given notice that 29
employees will no longer continue working in November.
UCT workers march over consultation Cape Town - Barricades went up again on UCT’s lower campus on Friday afternoon as workers marched to the Bremner Building to meet management over working conditions. In an announcement sent to staff and students at 6.30pm yesterday university spokeswoman Gerda Kruger said the group of “mostly workers” had “disputed whether the Nehawu (National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union) joint shop stewards council has represented them adequately in the insourcing agreement”. Nehawu is a Cosatu-affiliated trade union which represented workers in negotiations to end outsourcing. This renewed dispute comes just 10 days after the conclusion
of an agreement to end outsourcing at the university, signed on October 28,
between Nehawu and UCT. The agreement concluded that UCT would directly employ
previously outsourced workers providing cleaning, catering, gardening,
protection and transport services. The agreement affected workers from Metro,
Supercare, G4S, C3, Turfworks and Sibanye. Parliament workers go on strike
Cape Town - Parliament came to a standstill on Monday when various support workers downed tools. Workers from different sectors, including cleaners, communications gathered at the Old Assembly Chamber singing and toy-toying for more money. This led to the visitors centre closing from 09:30. One aggrieved worker said Parliament was diverting money from workers to other projects, including the new Parliamentary protection services. Those guys earn three times what they earned before they joined the unit. Where does that money come from? Workers also want performance bonuses to be based on annual, and not monthly salaries. The protests started on Friday. Workers will be addressed by
a Nehawu representative on Monday morning.
Protesting Stellenbosch workers ‘fired’ Cape Town - Eight Langverwacht Landscaping contract workers were allegedly dismissed after participating in an outsourcing rally at Stellenbosch University on Monday. Nyamezile Tomose said he was uncertain of what Tuesday would hold for him because he had been fired from the job he had held for seven years. In a statement, Langverwacht Landscaping denied it had notified workers that they would lose their jobs if they participated in the protest. The company also denied allegations that disciplinary action would be taken against any employee who had attended the mass action on campus on Monday. “No worker will be dismissed as a result of participating in
the protest action at the University of Stellenbosch on 9 November, 2015,”
director Pieter Colyn said in a statement. Parliament to implement interdict against striking
workers Cape Town - Parliament will on Wednesday implement a five-year-old interdict against striking workers, in a bid to force them to take their protest action outside the precinct. Speaking on the third day of the strike in Parliament on Tuesday, secretary Gengezi Mgidlana said the interdict, obtained during similar strikes in 2010, outlined that protests had to take place outside the Parliamentary premises. This was so that proceedings at Parliament were not disrupted. Hundreds of Nehawu employees downed tools on Friday over
various issues, including the payment structure of bonuses and vetting of
staff. These included committee secretaries, content advisors, cleaners and
communication liaisons. Parly strike: Riot police called in Parliament - Riot police armed with stun grenades and teargas have been called in to the Parliamentary precinct to deal with striking Nehawu workers. Workers were given five minutes to disperse. Roit police and workers faced off against each other on the steps ouside the National Council of Provinces. Workers sang the national anthem and chanted:” You can’t move us! We work here! We work here!” The police then fired teargas and stun grenades. One parliamentary worker was detained while another worker
was dragged away. Strike in Parliament spreads to provinces Cape Town - National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) general secretary Zola Saphetha pledged that solidarity action with Parliament’s staffers would be organised at the nine provincial legislatures. The union also served the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, and secretary Gengezi Mgidlana with three-day notices to attend a meeting with Nehawu to resolve the labour dispute. The union’s letter calling for that meeting was finalised after 4pm on Tuesday. “We won’t attend a meeting attended by acting (officials)
and deputies,” Saphetha told Nehawu workers. Parliamentary staff protests enter a fourth day CAPE TOWN - Striking Parliamentary staff are demonstrating inside the National Legislature’s precinct for a fourth consecutive day, in defiance of an interim labour court order. Parliament's management secured the order yesterday, which
says the strike is unlawful and bars demonstrators from picketing on the
premises and disrupting portfolio committee meetings. Cosatu to pressure parly over strike
Parliament – The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) on Monday vowed to increase pressure on Parliament to heed to its demands for striking workers at the legislature with solidarity strikes and protests by Cosatu-affiliated unions. http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/cosatu-to-pressure-parly-over-strike-1.1946026 Nehawu strike continues at parliament Cape Town - Leaders from the Parliament branch of the
National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) were expected to
meet the institution's management at noon on Tuesday in the hope of getting
closer to ending a strike. It's back to work for striking Parliament employees
Cape Town - Parliament has in principle agreed to pay striking National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) bonuses based on their annual package. However, it would be up to a task team consisting of Nehawu and Parliament management to calculate just how much this would cost the institution. Parliament Nehawu-affiliated workers downed tools on November 6 calling for a review of the bonus payment structure. On Tuesday, they got what they wanted when the institution opened up discussions on the matter. The protesters would return to work on Wednesday Nehawu strikers disrupt Parly meeting Parliament - Striking parliamentary workers again disrupted
portfolio committee meetings in the legislature on Tuesday after negotiations
with management hit deadlock.
No reason given for Pikitup strike Johannesburg - Uncollected refuse bins lined Joburg suburban streets on Tuesday morning after hundreds of Pikitup workers downed tools on Monday. There was no street cleaning or refuse collection on Monday after 10 out of 12 City of Joburg Pikitup depots embarked on an unprotected strike. On Monday South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) chairman at Pikitup, Johannes Phalamashweu, said they wanted Pikitup’s managing director Amanda Nair to step down because she was “corrupt” and “victimising” members. He said Nair had disregarded labour laws when she fired two employees involved in a fight with a colleague, without giving them the opportunity to explain themselves. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) later ordered that the two employees be reinstated. “Instead, she (Nair) appealed the CCMA decision,” said Phalamashweu. The appeal is still pending. “She was arrested for stealing cellphones and no disciplinary action was taken against her. She went to jail and she was allowed to come back and work. Why is she treated differently from other people at Pikitup? She is getting preferential treatment.” Charges were made against Nair, but were later withdrawn. Phalamashweu said they tried to engage Nair last Friday, but said she called them hooligans. He said Nair had written to them saying they had been charged for an unlawful work stoppage. “Why is she also not charged? She has done so many wrong things,” he said. Pikitup spokesman Jacky Mashapu said the utility was not sure why the unprotected strike was being staged. “We don’t know why our employees are not working. The normal procedures have not been followed. They have not lodged any dispute. As management, we are taking this seriously as refuse removal is an essential service. We are open to engagements. We are assuring residents that we are working around the clock to ensure refuse is collected, and as such we have about 1 000 casual workers to assist,” Mashapu said. Mashapu said they must provide evidence that Nair is corrupt. Pikitup gets interdict to stop strike Johannesburg - Residents of suburbs in Johannesburg were on Wednesday warned to keep their waste bins inside their properties because Pikitup - the City of Joburg’s refuse collection agency - strike had still not been resolved. The company’s managing director Amanda Nair on Wednesday
told Talk Radio 702 that Pikitup had secured a court interdict preventing
workers from continuing with their “unprotected strike”. Litter piles up as strike continues Johannesburg - The litter in Joburg’s streets is mounting by the hour as Pikitup workers failed to return to work on Wednesday morning as ordered by an urgent court interdict obtained late on Tuesday afternoon by the utility. Union leaders said on Wednesday morning they were engaging with workers to discuss the interdict which, among others, ordered them to return to work. South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) regional
chairman, Conel Mackay, said “as a law-abiding union, we will return to work
and later embark on a strike using the legal processes.”
Pikitup clean-up is slow to start Johannesburg - Most of central Joburg’s streets remained covered in litter on Monday, despite promises by Pikitup that it had made plans to clear the garbage. Motorists and pedestrians had to navigate their way through stinking refuse in the Joburg CBD. A group of people, believed to be striking Pikitup
employees, were seen spilling bins and trashing parts of Pritchard, Albertina
Sisulu and Eloff streets. They also smashed concrete rubbish bins onto the tar
and rolled others into the streets to obstruct traffic.
State intervenes to end Pikitup strike
Johannesburg - A political solution has been reached to end the unprotected strike Pikitup embarked on 10 days ago, leaving Joburg filled with rubbish, overflowing bins and an overwhelming stench. It was reached only through the intervention of the Gauteng government following a deadlock between Pikitup and its employees. On Thursday morning, the City of Joburg said it could not intervene as it was an internal matter between the employees and their employer. Later in the afternoon, however,Co-operative Governance and
Traditional Affairs MEC Jacob Mamabolo said an agreement had been reached
between the city, the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), Pikitup
and the province. Unions boycott ANAs
The SA Democratic Teachers Union defied Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga by boycotting the annual national assessments (ANAs) which were meant to be written from 26 November to 4 December. The SA Democratic Teachers Union has boycotted the annual national assessments (ANAs) rolled out by basic education Minister Angie Motshekga. Secretary-general Mugwena Maluleka said his union had told all teachers to not administer the assessments and to return these to their circuits. “Teachers are busy preparing promotional reports,” Mugwena said. He accused the department of forcing assessments to reward
tenderpreneurs. Strike closes JHB licensing offices
Johannesburg - Motorists and other people in Joburg were left frustrated on Monday after a strike by workers shut driver’s licensing and testing offices. Workers at the traffic department spent the day in a union
meeting to raise their grievances over job positions that were advertised
externally instead of internally, said metro police department spokesman Wayne
Minnaar. Now rubbish piles up in KZN Durban - As refuse collectors strike in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, uncollected rubbish is being left to rot on pavements, and some fed-up communities are taking to the streets to air their frustration. uMlazi residents, angered by heaps of rubbish that had not
been removed by contractors employed by the eThekwini Municipality, toppled
bins, trees and rocks on to the busy Mangosuthu Highway on Tuesday.
Sex workers have their say in legislature
Johannesburg - Gauteng sex workers have made impassioned pleas for the decriminalisation of their trade. The workers took their frustration to the Gauteng Provincial
Legislature on Thursday to fight what they called exploitation, abuse,
discrimination and violence. JHB licensing staff on strike again Johannesburg - To the dismay of those trying to get vehicle licences, Joburg's licensing department went on strike again on Thursday. According to Jack Mokalapa, a leader from the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), the workers had raised concerns about the pay advertised for new positions requiring no experience, compared with the salaries for experienced workers. They also called for the removal of several people,
including Nomcebo Mndebele, director of licensing and prosecutions, and the
head of human resources. Another illegal Samwu strike at Pikitup
Johannesburg - Members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) at waste removal entity Pikitup in Johannesburg embarked on another illegal strike on Friday. The company said it was experiencing service disruptions due
to an illegal strike that would affect refuse collection across
Johannesburg.
Cash relief after illegal Pikitup strike
Johannesburg - Pikitup workers have called off their strike for better wages after they were offered relief of R1 000, but they will not be collecting any rubbish on Christmas Day. The signing of a Political Facilitation Agreement (PFA) on
Wednesday marked the end of “the ongoing breakout of illegal strikes” by
workers of Pikitup, a waste management entity of the City of Johannesburg.
2016 Buses caused gridlock in KZN Durban - Tired of empty promises, Durban Transport bus drivers caused a major traffic jam on the N3 going into the city when they parked buses in the road on Monday after not being paid their December salaries and annual bonuses. Traffic came to a grinding halt on the main route into Durban as about 100 buses blocked off all the lanes. There was a major traffic jam from near the Pavilion to the N3 Spaghetti Junction as metro police officers diverted traffic on to the N2 so motorists would not be stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. There was another diversion to the M13 as the drivers had
steadily moved buses on to the road, not allowing any cars to pass them.
JMPD goes on strike Johannesburg - Motorists returning to work on Monday were due for major disruptions as the Joburg metro police department’s 3 600 officers go on strike. Joburg traffic officers belonging to the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) said they would be off the roads from on Monday until their grievances are addressed. The union got permission from the Labour Court on December 28 to strike. The licensing department and testing stations, which were on
strike for almost a month in December, will not be affected as the City of
Joburg obtained an interdict on December 29 forcing employees to return to
work.
Gautrain bus service suspended Johannesburg – Gautrain said on Tuesday that its bus service was not available because drivers were on strike. Gautrain Spokesperson Kesagee Nayager said: “Please note
that due to unplanned industrial action by Gautrain bus drivers, no bus service
is available as of this (Tuesday) morning”. Bus strike on first day of school
Durban – Durban’s public transport woes continued on Wednesday with the municipal bus service coming to a standstill on the first day of schools opening. A statement issued by eThekwini Metro Municipality spokeswoman Gugu Sisilana said that a meeting was being held on Wednesday morning with employees, union leaders as well as the management of Tansnat, the company that operates the bus service, in a bid to avert a strike. Bus services were expected to be disrupted until later on
Wed Rings of steel at universities amid protests Pretoria - Security measures intensified at city universities as protests by outsourced general workers continued on Monday. The University of Pretoria remains closed until further notice and has secured a second interdict restricting protests from 50m to 150m from any of its entrances. Registration went ahead at the Unisa’s Sunnyside campus under the watchful eye of police and security guards. Universities in the province have called on political and civil society leaders to step in and ensure that the academic year goes ahead without further glitches. At a briefing in Auckland Park, Joburg, on Monday, management of the University of South Africa (Unisa), the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Pretoria, Wits University and the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University said they were worried that if the fee protests did not stop, the academic year would be severely affected. Last week, students across the country restarted fee protests, demanding that the government implement free education in higher education. Unisa, the University of Pretoria and Wits in particular were also hit by protests by outsourced workers. On Monday Wits vice-chancellor Adam Habib said that while the issue of free education needed to be discussed, it was not feasible to implement it immediately. He warned of dire consequences if students persisted with their protests. “For now, our system is based on fees. If suddenly we would go to no fees the entire system will collapse. Universities will close down within months and we will reinforce the very same inequalities of our society,” he said. “We don’t want to destroy the one higher education system on this continent that is actually working. We have to be mindful that if we are engaged in activism it has to be thoughtful activism,” he said. Habib admitted that one of the biggest hurdles in solving the fee protests was the division among student leaders. “It is in our long-term benefit that student leaders find a way to determine a leadership that has a broad integrity that has support of the broader student body,” he said. Habib sought to justify why institutions were forced to get court interdicts and deploy extra security guards on their campuses to protect their students and property. His view was backed by UJ vice-chancellor Ihron Rensburg. “There are small groups among the protesters that remain determined to shut down institutions through violent measures.” “We have seen extensive damage in the case of TUT, where an examination hall was gutted,” he said. “Some institutions spend between R1.5 million and R2m in extra security. It’s not sustainable. It cannot happen. “If we were simply to withdraw the additional security and cancel court orders, we will leave our institutions vulnerable to violence. If we can stop this expensive cost of additional security tomorrow we would do it but that is subject to these protests being peaceful.” UP spokeswoman Anna-Retha Bouwer said that while the campus remained closed, students were being encouraged to register online. Unisa said its campuses, which had been closed to safeguard lives and property, had been reopened. However, it still has an interdict restricting protests to 50m from its entrances. By late Monday morning, a crowd led by the EFF Student Command marched to the edge of the Unisa campus in Pretoria where they were met by armed police. A protester announced their intentions through a megaphone: “The management of the university must address the needs of the workers and students.” “All we are requesting is that there must be insourcing at this university. Students and workers must unite.” After the short speech, a riot van drove towards the protesters, making them disperse, after which they did not reassemble. The protests led to increased security at the registration hall, with students queueing outside for hours attempting to register. On reaching the turnstiles, only a handful was allowed entry at a time. While police managed the crowds outside using pepper spray to force some students back at one point, they were searched once inside. South African Student Congress (Sasco) branch secretary Kenneth Tsikeli said students who had not been registered were frustrated. “But we are here to ensure they are all assisted.” Nguela Mirabeau, who registered for his Masters in Electrical Engineering, arrived at 7am and only left the registration hall at 2pm. “I am relieved,” he said. “I came to register last week and it was not possible.” According to Tsikeli, while students had theoretically been able to register since January 4, this was only the third day they had been able to successfully do so in person. Unisa spokesman Martin Ramotshela confirmed that registration would continue as planned until the end of the month. He added that students were able to register online and could phone the university should they encounter problems. Ramotshela said police were present to ensure the interdict against the protesters was enforced. The combination of security services and Sasco members searching students was due to the abnormal situation, he stated. At Tshwane University of Technology, registration commenced as scheduled. Spokeswoman Willa de Ruyter said sufficient security was in place to ensure the safety of everyone. “Online registration is there for anyone who wishes to avoid the queues,” she said. De Ruyter said the only sign of protesters at the university
was “an incident at the Arcadia campus, which was very quickly resolved” by the
police. UP strikers vow to defy subpoena
Pretoria - Striking outsourced general workers at universities have vowed to defy court orders prohibiting them from protesting at Unisa and the University of Pretoria (UP). Violent protests by the workers forced the city’s tertiary institutions to close for most of last week. Both Unisa and UP subsequently obtained court orders to stop the workers from protesting on their campuses. Academic activities were expected to resume on Monday at
Unisa despite the threats of more disruptions by the general workers. Rubber bullets fly at TUT Pretoria - A clash broke out between striking workers and students at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) on Wednesday, forcing police to fire rubber bullets to defuse the situation. Members of the South African Student Congress (Sasco) had demanded that outsourced workers suspend their strike and allow the registration process to take place. But, the outsourced workers refused to stop their three-week strike and sought to continue with their protest under the banner of #outsourcingmustfall. Workers’ spokesman Vusi Mahlangu said the students demanded that they postpone the strike until registration had taken place. “What they are saying is that we need to postpone our hunger. We can’t postpone hunger because we have been hungry for the past 18 years. It is ridiculous,” he said.http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/rubber-bullets-fly-at-tut-1976809 EFF, Nehawu clash over TUT worker demands
Johannesburg - Workers at Tshwane University of Technology and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Student Command on Thursday complained that the National Education Health and Allied Worker’s Union (Nehawu) was impeding “insourcing negotiations”. EFF Student Command at the Main Campus said: “Currently the task team convened does not have the mandate of the workers and some of the representatives especially from Nehawu are highly unpopular amongst workers demanding their insourcing.” However, Nehawu national spokesperson, Thanzi Nematshema, said the union was doing all it could to “make sure” that workers’ demands would be met. “We are a trade union not a student body therefore we do not
see why we have to answer to the EFF. We are there to represent the interests
of the workers,” said Nematshema. #BusStrike causes traffic frenzy in Durban Durban - Early morning traffic came to a standstill on Monday as bus drivers embarked on a strike, blocking traffic on Durban's main highways, as a result of a salary dispute. Tansnat Africa CC, the company running the city's buses, posted a notice at bus depots, dated January 30, stating that bus drivers would be paid on Monday (February 1, 2016) but drivers have not been paid as yet. This is the second consecutive month that bus drivers have not been paid timeously. Durban Transport buses were driven to key intersections where they were parked to obstruct traffic. According to reports, the N2 Northbound was blocked by buses near the point where the M4 highway heads into the City centre. There were also reports that buses were parked and blocking an intersection on the Mangosuthu Highway, disrupting traffic leaving Umlazi. The N2 and M4 have since been opened.
Durban bus blockade chaos Durban - A municipal bus blockade trapped thousands of motorists travelling to and from Durban in peak hour traffic on Monday. Striking Durban Transport drivers, employed by the beleaguered Tansnat company, blockaded the entrance and exit to uMlazi in the south, and KwaMashu in the north after they did not receive their January salaries. People from uMlazi and part of Isipingo were prevented from getting to Durban as buses parked across roadways, blocking lanes. Cars and taxis were gridlocked on all lanes of the
north-bound carriageway of the N2 where it splits to the M4. Some made U-turns
on the freeway and drove against oncoming traffic to the Merebank and Jacobs
onramps Some outsourced workers have rejected an insourcing deal
& have continued demonstrations. TUT: Talks with striking workers collapse Talks between management of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and striking workers who are rejecting an “insourcing deal” have collapsed, the institution said on Friday. “During the past two days members of TUT management met directly with workers’ representatives and spent many hours explaining the benefits of the agreement reached by the task team on insourcing,” said spokeswoman Willa de Ruyter. “Despite all these efforts, the workers’ representatives
returned to the meeting with a list of new demands and a new agreement, which
in terms of affordability and sustainability, TUT management cannot accede to.”
JRAProtest: Truck tyre set alight * New information indicates that a truck's tyre, not a truck, was set alight in Joburg CBD on Wednesday morning. We apologise for the error. Johannesburg - A large truck tyre was set alight in Joburg’s CBD on Wednesday morning during a protest by Joburg Road Agency workers. Smoke billowed in the air from the burning tyre on Pixley ka Seme Street (formerly Sauer Street), with traffic severely affected. On Tuesday, traffic was also brought to a standstill on parts of Pixley ka Seme Street after JRA workers blocked off traffic with trucks and other vehicles. The workers brandished jackhammers in the air, set fire to
trash and spilled black tar onto the doorsteps of their head office to express
their frustration at what they called pitiful salaries.
Protest over working conditions heats up
Cape Town - Residents of the Siqalo informal settlement, who work for Silver Solutions, a company that collects porta-loos in the area, burnt tyres and blockaded a portion of Jakes Gerwel Drive on Wednesday. The protest was about their working conditions, said Yandisa Pempele. “We are not getting paid well and when we ask the owner Nothemba Ncoliwe, she tells us she doesn’t have money; we can’t even take leave. The little money we get gets deducted,” she said. She said they had been trying to talk to Ncoliwe, but she
refused to listen. Pikitup threatens to dismiss striking workers Johannesburg - Pikitup has issued a stern warning saying it will take action against striking workers if they continue to stay away from work. The striking workers, who are affiliated to South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), are demanding better pay and the immediate dismissal of Pikitup managing director, Amanda Nair, whom they accuse of corruption. Even though Nair was cleared of charges of impropriety relating to a R263m tender in 2015, Samwu has maintained allegations of wrongdoing. Pikitup workers went on an illegal strike on Wednesday – the
fourth one since November 2015. Pikitup strikers clash with cops Johannesburg – The national office of the Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) on Friday urged its regional leadership to allow its members at Johannesburg’s waste management entity, Pikitup, to return to work immediately. Since going on strike over salary increments, Pikitup workers have caused havoc in the city centre by trashing rubbish cans all over the roads. On Friday afternoon, there were reports of clashes between Pikitup workers who were on strike and members of South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) on Rissik street in central Johannesburg, resulting in stun grenades being fired to disperse them. One injury was reported initially, that of a woman who had
apparently been hit by a rubber bullet, and she was taken to a nearby medical
facility.
Illegal’ strikes disrupt Tshwane bus services
Johannesburg - The A re Yeng and Tshwane bus services have been “totally” disrupted by an “illegal industrial action”, the City of Tshwane said on Monday. The City of Tshwane said it would “like to inform both the Tshwane Bus Service and the A re yeng Rapid Bus Service commuters that transport services continues to be disrupted as a result of the current illegal industrial actions by bus drivers and other employees”. The City said the industrial action was a result of a
recognition dispute between the bus drivers affiliated to the South African
Transport and Allied worker Union (Satawu) and the SA Municipal Workers’ Union
(Samwu) who embarked on an unprotected strike since last week Monday.
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