Taking COSATU Today Forward, 2 August 2022 #WomensMonth
Norman Mampane
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#2022YearofWorkersParliament #COSATU Limpopo and Western Cape mobilizing workers and communities for a provincial protest march against the high costs of living and electricity crisis on Thursday and Friday #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
Taking COSATU Today Forward
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Maoo
Our side of the story
Tuesday, 2 August 2022
‘Deepen
the Back to Basics Campaign, Consolidate the Struggle for the NDR and Advance the Struggle for Socialism’
All workers urged to take Covid19 vaccine jabs!
Organize at every workplace and demand Personal Protective Equipment Now!
Defend Jobs Now!
Join COSATU NOW!
Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- The UIF auditing companies that claimed covid-19 TERS monies
- South Africa
Ø National Energy Crisis Committee of Ministers briefs media on National Energy Crisis
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- New ILO estimates show Myanmar remains deeply affected by job losses in first half of 2022
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
The UIF auditing companies that claimed covid-19 TERS monies
27 July 2022
Companies that are not complying with legislation of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) are being dealt with by the Fund.
Phase two of the UIF's “Follow the Money Project" which started this month also has its sight set on employers that have not declared employees and kept Covid-19 TERS monies to themselves instead of paying their workers.
At a breakfast session with employers in Mafikeng, North West, yesterday, 26 July 2022, UIF Commissioner, Teboho Maruping said the Fund is implementing an on the spot as well as an overtime recoupment process.
The former's process will apply where, prior to March 2020, employees were not declared by employers. In such instances, 70% of the two percent contributed by the Fund will be recovered immediately.
“In these cases, only 30% will be recouped over a period of time, from employers. In cases where monies were claimed from the UIF but did not reach the intended employees, 50% will be immediately recouped by our teams," Commissioner Maruping told employers.
This initiative forms part of Phase 2 of UIF's “Follow the Money Project" that has already recovered over R900 million. The project which saw the UIF employ six audit companies to follow all Covid-19 TERS monies to ensure that the correct amount was paid to the workers at the right time.
The six auditing companies are now being bolstered by a team from the Fund, that is currently visiting employers to conduct an internal verification of the declared employees.
“We are checking all the companies that were paid COVID-19 TERS but at the moment we are focusing on the ones that have been the focus of the Auditor General of South Africa. Once that is done we will visit all the other companies that were paid by the UIF.
“When we visit you for the “Follow The Money Project", we are checking the information you declared with us, the number of employees and figures that an employer has declared with the Fund is what we will look at," explained Maruping.
He also spoke about the importance of complying to the Fund's laws. “Employers are obligated by Section 56 of the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA) and Chapter 2 of the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act (UICA), to register and declare their workers to the Fund, as well as pay monthly contributions," Maruping said.
UIF Deputy Director: Compliance, Siphamandla Gumede called on employers to comply with the law. He warned companies about the legal risks they can encounter if they don't comply with the UI Act.
Media enquiries:
Makhosonke Buthelezi
UIF Director: Communications and Marketing
071 491 7236/ Makhosonke...@labour.gov.za
Or
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694 / teboho....@labour.gov.za
-ENDS-
Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
South Africa
National Energy Crisis Committee of Ministers briefs media on National Energy Crisis
1 Aug 2022
Media briefing by the National Energy Crisis Committee of Ministers
Good afternoon Ministers and members of the media,
As you are all aware, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Monday 25 July 2022 where he announced an unprecedented set of interventions to end load shedding and achieve energy security. Load shedding is the single biggest constraint on South Africa’s economic growth. Government is taking bold steps both to address the immediate crisis and to make load shedding a thing of the past. Further, we are mobilising all of the resources at our disposal and will do whatever it takes to achieve energy security. I must emphasise that achieving energy security is our single most important objective as a country, to enable economic growth and job creation.
Our
short-term objective is to reduce the severity and frequency of load shedding through immediate measures to stabilize the energy system. Our long-term objective is to end load shedding altogether.
In this regard, Government will focus on:
1. First, improving the performance of Eskom’s existing power stations; and
2. Second, adding as much new generation capacity to the grid as possible, as quickly as possible.
To
this end, the President established the NECOM – a National Energy Crisis Committee – comprising all relevant government departments and Eskom, led by the Director-General in the Presidency, Ms Phindile Baleni. This structure reports to an Inter-Ministerial
Committee, which will be chaired by the President and comprises the Minister in the Presidency, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, the Minister of Public Enterprises, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment
and the Minister of Trade Industry and Competition. Several actions have already been taken to address the shortfall in electricity supply, which is the main cause of load shedding.
Some of these actions include:
· Changes have been made to the Regulations on New Generation Capacity to allow Municipalities to procure power independently. As a result, several municipalities are in the process of procuring additional power.
· One of the first steps President Cyril Ramaphosa took was to revive the renewable energy procurement programme. This enabled 2205 MW from Bid Window 4 to proceed to construction, the majority of which has now been connected to the grid.
· A further 6800 MW of solar PV and wind power is being procured in terms of the current Ministerial determination. This additional generation capacity will connect to the grid from late 2023. Another 3000 MW of gas and 513 of battery storage will be procured through the next bid windows.
· In 2021, we raised the licensing threshold from 1MW to 100MW. This has resulted in a pipeline of more than 80 confirmed private sector projects under development with a combined capacity of over 6000 MW, several of which will commence construction this year.
· Eskom has established an independent transmission company and is on track to separate its generation and distribution businesses by the end of 2022.
These
are just a few examples of the interventions government has already put in place. However, we recognize that we need to be responsive to the situation as it develops. The severe load shedding which we experienced last month showed that additional actions are
necessary to restore system stability and increase generation capacity.
Today, the Ministers will be unpacking these actions in more detail as well as outlining the next steps to ensure effective implementation.
The plan announced by the President includes five interventions with specific actions and timeframes to address the electricity shortfall:
1. Fix Eskom and improve the availability of existing supply
2. Enable and accelerate private investment in generation capacity
3. Accelerate procurement of new capacity from renewables, gas and battery storage
4. Unleash businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar
5. Fundamentally transform the electricity sector to achieve long-term energy security.
The
NECOM has already begun to meet regularly to ensure that these actions are implemented swiftly. Eight workstreams have been established to ensure coordination across government, and discussions are underway with the private sector and other social partners
to ensure that the best available expertise in the country is brought into this effort. As the President said in his address to the nation: “The crisis that we are facing requires that we should take bold, courageous and decisive action to close the electricity
gap.”
That is our overriding objective as government. I will now hand over to the Ministers to provide further details.
Media
Briefing To Unpack Actions To Achieve Long Term- Energy Supply Link: https://youtu.be/rVmRiQQCUPM (link
is external)
Issued by: Government Communications
International-Solidarity
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New ILO estimates show Myanmar remains deeply affected by job losses in first half of 2022
Bangkok, Thailand | 01 August 2022
Employment remains well below 2020 levels while productivity levels contract further and job quality deteriorates.
Thailand
(ILO News) – Myanmar remains deeply affected by heavy job losses 18 months after the military takeover on 1 February 2021 and two and a half years into the global pandemic, according to new estimates released by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The ILO estimates that 1.1 million fewer women and men are employed compared to 2020, which indicates a small recovery in jobs in the first half of 2022. However, employment remains well below 2020 levels while the quality of jobs is deteriorating. Women are
also more affected than men overall.
In the first half of 2022, labour productivity contracted a further 2 per cent, adding to an 8 per cent contraction in 2021, reversing the strong gains that had been made in years prior to the military takeover.
Labour conditions are deteriorating for many workers with serious violations of labour rights as referred to in decisions of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association, ILO Governing Body and in the International Labour Conference Resolution of 2021.
The situation has taken a toll on enterprises and workers in key sectors. In the garment industry, evidence points to an increase in casual or daily labour, irregular working hours and workers receiving lower pay. ILO research also shows that more widely, entitlements
such as severance pay when workers’ jobs are terminated are also often not granted.
“Eighteen months on from the military takeover, the employment situation in Myanmar remains very difficult. While there are limited signs of job growth, the ongoing erosion of labour conditions and the decrease in job quality is deeply concerning,” said Mr
Donglin Li, ILO Myanmar Liaison Officer.
Further details can be found here .
For further information please contact:
Steve
Needham
Senior Communications Officer
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Email: nee...@ilo.org
The International
Labour Organization (ILO) is
a specialized United Nations Agency bringing together governments, employers and workers from 187 Member States to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.
__________________________
Norman Mampane (Shopsteward Editor)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Street, Braamfontein, 2017
P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct line: 010 219-1348