| Job shedding continues unabated 27/07/2010 |
Another 61 000 South Africans became unemployed during the second quarter of 2010, according to employment figures released by Statistics SA. Fin24 reports that according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, SA’s unemployment rate increased by 0.1% during the period to 25.3%, following the first quarter when 161 000 people became jobless. Director-general for population and social statistics Kefiloe Masiteng said: ’We cannot determine at this stage how many jobs were created for the 2010 World Cup, but we might see those coming through in the third quarter labour force survey.’
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Full Fin24 report
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| No pay yet for FIFA volunteers - 15/07/2010 |
Two hundred World Cup volunteers turned up at a city office expecting to be paid on Wednesday, but left empty-handed except for a Zakumi mascot and a certificate, notes a report on the IoL site. ’I enjoyed the whole FIFA thing, but this has ruined the experience for me,’ said downhearted Cecilia Martens. However, a LOC official assured them that they ’would not be robbed’ of their money. The volunteers had gone to collect their stipend - R100 a shift - but there was outrage and raised voices when they were told by LOC officials that they would have to wait until next week for their money, which was to be loaded on to bank cards.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Employers more lenient during WC - 30/06/2010 |
More than just a worldwide party, the 2010 World Cup can be a tempting distraction for many workers in the host country. In South Africa, many employers have been rather lenient, allowing their workers to watch and attend football matches in the first World Cup to be staged in Africa. ’Where possible, employers tried, especially when the South African team was still playing, to allow workers to leave earlier if they could,’ said Gert van Deventer, a spokesman for the Federated Employers Organization of South Africa.
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Full report in The Times
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| WC creates 50 000 permanent jobs - 28/06/2010 |
The 2010 World Cup could create up to 50 000 sustainable jobs and for those who secure temporary work the experience gained could be invaluable for getting work in the future. According to Busihness Report, Gillian Saunders, the principal of Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions, said that between 20 000 and 50 000 sustainable jobs could be created in South Africa as result of the World Cup. This is in line with the 50 000 jobs created during the 2006 event in Germany.
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Full report on the Business report site
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| Growth reports misleading - 23/06/2010 |
The employment figures released by Stats SA made a mockery of reports of economic growth, trade union Uasa said. Spokesperson Andrι Venter said the 2010 World Cup stemmed the flow of job losses only temporarily. Once the tournament was over, employment numbers would decrease at a faster rate, notes a Mail & Guardian report.
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Full Mail & Guardian report
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| WC guards fired - 15/06/2010 |
About two thousand disgruntled security guards, watched closely by riot police, handed in their uniforms and received their pay outside Moses Mabhida stadium on Tuesday, two days after violent scenes at the World Cup venue. Sport24 reports that police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of protesting guards, unhappy at the level of pay they were being given, after Germany’s victory over Australia on Sunday.
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Full Sport24 report
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| Rea Vaya drivers back at work - 15/06/2010 |
Rea Vaya bus drivers will go back to work following their ’illegal’ strike that left hundreds of soccer fans stranded at Soccer City, the company said. ’After a lengthy meeting...an agreement was reached which will see a return to work of drivers of both the ordinary commuter service and the 2010 event services this morning,’ Clidet chief executive officer Jackie Huntley said. Sport24 reports that Clidet is the company which manages Rea Vaya.
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Full Sport24 report
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| ’They only gave us R190!’ - 14/06/2010 |
Durban police vowed to arrest those who led the protest at Moses Mabhida Stadium. ’We are busy investigating and we believe that some will be arrested soon because they are known,’ Brigadier Phindile Radebe said. According to the Associated Press about 300 security stewards protested about low wages after the game between Germany and Australia.
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Full IOL report
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| Unions threaten to strike during WC 10/06/2010 |
South Africa’s public sector unions have rejected a government wage offer and could strike during the 2010 World Cup, union officials said. According to Business Report, the unions represent about 1.2m nurses, police officers, teachers and government officials and on Wednesday rejected government’s 6.2% wage offer, demanding an above inflation 8.5% salary increase. ’If the conciliation efforts fail next Friday, we will have no choice but to strike in the middle of the World Cup,’ said Manie de Clerq, secretary-general of the Public Servants Association.
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Full story in Business Report
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| WC absenteeism may cost SA R750m 10/06/2010 |
The excitement is palpable as South Africans adorn cars, homes, offices and themselves ahead of the World Cup kick-off tomorrow. But business is pondering the impact on its bottom line as staff are all atwitter about teams, parties and matches. The evidence points to a rather heavy toll. During the 2010 World Cup firms in South Africa could lose R750 million and in Britain £1bn (R11bn) as productivity nosedives. But companies in the UK may do well to recall how they handled the event four years ago, a lesson for local firms.
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Full story in Business Report
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| Calls for early knock-off for big kick-off 08/06/2010 |
Cosatu is urging all businesses to close at 1pm on Friday afternoon for the opening of the 2010 World Cup, notes a report on the IoL site. The opening ceremony at Soccer City in Johannesburg was scheduled to start at 2pm. But, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry said while most companies would be more flexible for the event, it would not be practical for all sectors to close shop at that time.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Jobs for the unemployed 03/06/2010 |
Thanks to an initiative undertaken by generic wine marketing body Wines of South Africa (WOSA) to train wine waiting staff nationwide in time for the games, people who might otherwise have found themselves struggling to find work, are not only employed for the soccer season but have been equipped with SETA-accredited certification to begin a career in the hospitality industry.
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Full Wine.co.za report
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| WC volunteers can’t wait for kick-off 03/06/2010can |
They will be at the games, but their attention will be on those in the stands, notes a Cape Argus report. A total of 600 Capetonians have given up their time to ensure that fans get to stadiums, fan parks and hotels safely and on time. They will be deployed at the airport, fan parks, park-and-ride facilities, the stadium and along the fan walk.
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Full Cape Argus reportCape
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| Employers urged to be accommodating 02/06/2010 |
Local companies have been urged to adopt measures to ensure that employees do not take dishonest ’sick leave’ during the 2010 World Cup, says a Cape Argus report. Kate Straude, a senior associate at Webber Wentzel, says employees may skip work to watch the games, or miss work the day after a game because of hangovers. She notes that dishonest sick leave led to billions of pounds in losses to UK companies during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
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Full Cape Argus report
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| Threat of ’massive strike’ looms - 28/05/2010 |
Trade union federation Cosatu has not ruled out the possibility of a strike during the 2010 World Cup over high electricity tariffs, The Herald reports. ’We do support the country’s efforts to hold a successful World Cup ... but we cannot be asked to be the only ones to consider a ceasefire,’ general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said at a media briefing on Friday after a meeting of the Cosatu leadership. ’Nobody must say, ’Hold on, there are visitors around, don’t do anything about this matter’. Our struggles ... are bigger than the World Cup.’
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Full report in The Herald
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| Govt workers free to support Bafana 27/05/2010 |
The government is backing a decision to allow public servants time off work to watch Bafana Bafana play in the 2010 World Cup reports iAfrica. SA Football Supporters’ Association (Safsa) said Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe had confirmed the government’s decision to support Safsa’s request to allow public servants three hours leave before all Bafana Bafana matches. ’On behalf of the football-loving nation, we wish to extend our gratitude to our government’, Safsa said. Safsa said the government was the first employer to back its request, but it hoped that the private sector would also support the initiative.
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Full iAfrica report
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| Strikers weigh new pay offer 26/05/2010 |
Striking transport workers said they may accept a new pay offer that could end a three-week work stoppage that has severely disrupted trade weeks before the country hosts the 2010 World Cup. Signs of progress in the showdown between the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) and logistics group Transnet came a day after a court order barred another industrial action by electricity workers. The transport strike has dented exports of metals, cars, fruit and wine to Europe and Asia, as well as imports of vehicle parts and fuel. The ruling African National Congress has pressed both sides for a quick solution, warning the dispute could destabilise the World Cup.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Internal marketing can save millions during WC 26/05/2010Internal |
BizCommunity.com reports on internal marketing campaigns designed to challenge absenteeism during the World Cup. The 2010 World Cup is expected to cost the SA economy a hefty R750 million through absenteeism. Evidence suggests that one in every three employees will take ’sick’ leave during the month long tournament. Internal marketing campaigns can ’make a massive difference in staff morale and ultimately decrease absenteeism within your organisation’ says Carmen Lerm, CEO of FusionDesign.
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Full BizCommnuity.com reportFull
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| Eskom strike called off 26/05/2010 |
A planned Eskom strike has been cancelled according to a FromtheOld.com report. Eskom won a court order against the National Union of Mineworkers, who had planned to strike over pay. Around 16 000 workers were set to strike just before the 2010 World Cup, but now they will have to wait. South Africa is already under heavy pressure due to the Transnet strike. Reports suggest farmers have lost over R1billion because of failed exports. An Eskom strike could have disrupted the power supply to the 2010 World Cup causing significant embarrassment for South Africa.
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Full FromtheOld report
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| Strike could set ports back half a year 17/05/2010 |
It could take as long as seven months for South African ports to get back to normal after the strike by Transnet workers, which has brought port operations to a halt, cost the country millions and threatened aspects of the 2010 World Cup. David Bertram, operations manager fleet safety officer for the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), said their operations were at a standstill and they were limping along. ’They (Transnet) are working with a skeleton staff. It will take no less than three months to get back to normality, but realistically it will be about five to seven months.’
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Full story in Business Report
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| COSATU and LOC in discussion 13/05/2010 |
COSATU and the 2010 LOC have been in discussion for a while now, in relation to the procurement of local products that will create more local job opportunities for South Africans. The sentiments and commitments from both COSATU and the FIFA office in Zurich are on record, and the parties take the opportunity to call on all South Africans to get behind the 2010 World Cup and promote local procurement.
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Full Cosatu report
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| WC volunteers start arriving 13/05/2010 |
Volunteers who will be involved at various stadiums during the 2010 World Cup are raring to go just less than a month before the finals begin, notes a Daily Dispatch report. Already Diego Juan from Argentina has arrived in South Africa as a volunteer from abroad. ’I’m happy to be here. This is a beautiful country and I want to be part of the World Cup, that’s why I applied to be a volunteer,’ the Argentine said. According to Onke Mjo, the 2010 World Cup volunteer programme manager, Juan is one of 20 volunteers from Argentina and 50 more from Mexico arrive soon.
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Full Daily Dispatch report
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| Strikes hit SA 1-month before WC 11/05/2010 |
Port and rail workers in South Africa have walked out on strike, exactly one month before the 2010 World Cup is due to begin in the country. As many as 18 000 workers represented by South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) walked out at the state-owned transport company Transnet, notes a Breaking Travel News report. As a result of the action, a new Johannesburg fast commuter bus service initiated ahead of the World Cup kick-off on July 11th has been suspended.
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Full Breaking Travel News report
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| BA plans strike ahead of WC - 10/05/2010 |
Cabin crew at British Airways announced plans to strike for a total of 20 days in May and June, ending two days before the 2010 World Cup starts in South Africa, notes a News24 report. BA warned that the unprecedented scale of the walkouts over a 23-day period would cause ’extensive disruption for potentially hundreds of thousands of customers over a busy period’ and may affect travellers to South Africa for the month-long 2010 World Cup.
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Full News24 report
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| Free tickets no consolation for workers - 04/05/2010 |
They built the stadium that will host the 2010 World Cup final and were rewarded for it with free tickets, but many construction workers are worried they will soon lose their jobs. Many were in high spirits at Soccer City as FIFA and the World Cup local organisers took the first step towards fulfilling their promise that 27 000 workers who took part in the construction of the host stadiums will get free tickets. Among the workers at Soccer City was Gertrude Sibiya. Although proud to have contributed towards building the eye-catching stadium and grateful for the free tickets, Sibiya said she was worried that she would soon be jobless.
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Full report in The Star
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| Mopani worms to create jobs during WC 19/04/2010 |
The Mopani worm, the delicacy of the people of the north, is earmarked for selling the country and creating job opportunities during the 2010 World Cup.
The Sowetan reports that the project includes the large-scale commercialisation of mopani, which will be used to produce various products from polony and bread to tinned stew. The Greater Giyani Natural Resources Development Programme (GGNRDP) will support the development of small, medium and-micro enterprises in the natural recourses sector.
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| WC volunteers raring to go 18/04/2010 |
Pinky Naicker has mastered the Diski dance but she still has more to learn as training for volunteers for the 2010 World Cup in KwaZulu-Natal kicked off.
Naicker was one of 1 517 people selected out of hundreds of thousands who applied to be volunteers. The Citizen reports that the three-day programme focused on getting to know South Africa and Durban, and specialised training in the various sectors that volunteers will be required to work in.
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Full report in The Citizen
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