Posts tagged with 'retrenchments'

 

SA in crisis while ANC eats cake, celebrating its 108 years

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The ruling Anc party,was holding a rally in Kimberley celebrating its 108 years.This celebration, which is usually accompanied by a jovial mood of song and dance by party leaders, members and supporters, happens during a time when the country has been plunged into several crises of epidemic proportions. Can the ANC really afford to celebrate? Can it afford to pop Champagne during such difficult times faced by the country?

Poverty levels are accelerating, inequality is deepening, unemployment levels have reached the highest percentage of 29.1% in the last quarter of 2019, the highest recorded by Statistics SA since 2008, with 9.6 million South Africans currently unemployed, 8.6 million of these being black.

The economy is battling to recover from a technical recession, with the country constantly facing a threat of being given junk status by rating agencies.

One of the major crises facing the country is the power utility Eskom, which has struggle
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SAA: More unions want to strike after Gordhan’s attempt at wage and severance dispute fails

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In support of Numsa’s strike, and in opposition to the view of ANC minister Pravin Gordhan, more unions have indicated that they will join the strike.

The circumstances in which SAA currently finds itself have left the state-controlled entity in unsustainable status, and the entry of Pravin Gordhan has increased the bitterness and power building on both sides.

Gordhan’s attempt to settle the dispute over wages and retrenchments failed, thereby extending the strike, which would mean millions of Rand per day to losses for the already bankrupt entity.

There are apparently insufficient funds to pay the staff at the end of November, and the huge debt burden will not come to an end without a radical intervention.

True to their actions, the unions once again help push the entity further into the abyss with their unrealistic wage demands.

Numsa also expects SAA not to apply any retrenchments, which means that the national airca
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SAA strike costing R52 million a day and with a bankruptcy record it could mean the end of the entity

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More than 3000 workers affiliated with Numsa and Sacca downed tools at SAA on Friday over a wage dispute and plans to cut more than 900 jobs, costing the airline about R52 million a day.

The interim chief financial officer of SAA Deon Fredericks, said the strike was pushing the struggling airline to unsustainable levels. “If this strike continues, we are running the risk of putting SAA out of business,” Fredericks said.

Even though they are working with Mango Airlines to accommodate as many customers travelling on domestic services as possible and refunding passengers their flights or travel with other airlines.

SAA is facing a crippling onslaught by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca). The national air-carrier is threatening the unions with legal action if they fail to retract comments that the safety of passengers cannot be guaranteed.

Over the weekend, Numsa said any
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‘Mother of all strikes’ ready to paralyze SAA as union hints at ‘total shutdown’ if national carrier cuts a fifth of staff

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Numsa and Sacca already have a strike certificate as they accuse management of threatening them with retrenchments and call for the SAA board to be scrapped.

As if their financial dire straits and the plan that they would have to retrench about 900 people were not enough, the national carrier South African Airways (SAA) is also facing the threat of a strike, which would see its entire fleet of planes grounded. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) yesterday released a joint statement in which they condemned SAA for informing workers of its intention to restructure and retrench workers through a media statement.

On Monday, acting CEO Zuks Ramasia said: “It is difficult to estimate the number of employees who may eventually be impacted. No final decision will be taken until the consultation process is concluded. However, it is estimated that approximately 944 employees may be aff
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Mining groups lay down workers due to heavy financial losses, SA economy troublesome while unemployment rate continues to rise

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The Sibanye-Stillwater mining group retrenched 3,450 of its workforce in gold mines, which is nearly half the number expected.

An updated report on the reduction of its workforce, especially the Beatrix and Driefontein gold mines, points out that the decision was necessary after the five-month strike after consensus was reached on retrenchments.

Only one shaft in the Driefontein mine continues to produce, which indicated that nearly 6,000 permanent workers and 800 contractors would be retrenched at Beatrix and Driefontein.

The heavy losses of the mines eventually resulted in 3,450 permanent workers being retrenched, as well as 550 contractors.

Driefontein’s number 8 remains in production with only about 970 workers and 55 contractors.

-Read the original article in Afrikaans on Die Vryburger
This report does not necessarily reflects the opinion of SA-news.

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Rolling Blackouts on the cards as AMCU threaten secondary strike , AMCU represents about half of coal mine workers in SA

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The tussle between Sibanye-Stillwater and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has reached new heights.

The trade union, whose membership also includes coal mine workers, has teased a secondary strike and this could affect load shedding too.

Why is AMCU set to embark on a secondary strike?
AMCU president, Joseph Mathunjwa, made it abundantly clear that the upcoming strike has to be felt on a national scale. The plan is to render the entire country to a complete standstill.

This, according to Mathunjwa, is the only way to make the government — particularly the Minister of Mineral Resources, Gwede Mantashe — heed their calls for a moratorium at Sibanye-Stillwater.

Mantashe, on Thursday, revealed that his department would be engaging with the gold producer after it revealed its intentions to retrench more than 6 000 workers.

Mathunjwa expressed his disgust with this, criticising Mantashe of catering
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