Potentially turbulent and conflicting currents among trade union federations have been exposed following an attempt by deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe to calm troubled labour relations waters.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 29 May 2013
Residents of Barcelona informal settlement are living a sanitation nightmare. The company contracted to remove the bucket toilets, Sannicare, has been hit by industrial action and no resolution is in sight.
GroundUp Staff with assistance from Tebello Mzamoand Fergus Turner
News | 29 May 2013
In recent columns I have mentioned the frightening statistic from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that, on a global level, more than 120 million men and women are now without work — and will probably never work again. This week, an updated figure arrived from the ILO: there are now more than 200 million people who are jobless and with little hope of their circumstances changing.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 27 May 2013
The trade union movement is in a state of flux, with concepts such as centralised bargaining and the “winner takes all” approach of majority — 50 per cent plus one — unionism now being challenged. “Agency shop” agreements whereby majority unions take a slice of the subscriptions paid by members of smaller unions, let alone the much bigger question of party political alignments are also being seriously debated.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 21 May 2013
At the best of times, grassroots democracy, without sound communications infrastructure and the distribution of accurate information, can be a messy business. Add to this, dollops of rumour, some perceptions bordering on paranoia, various interest groups promoting different agendas, a history of distrust and memories of recent bloodshed and you have Marikana and much of the platinum belt today.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 20 May 2013
Low-income earners are people who are unemployed or those making just enough to get by on a single or joint monthly income. What do banks really offer these South Africans?
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 15 May 2013
On Monday Cape Town bus drivers ended their strike after 25 days. They had asked for a wage increase of 18% but settled for a preliminary increase of 9.5% which will increase to 10% from October. What does the strike reveal about how poor people get around in Cape Town, particularly for disabled people?
Nkosikhona SwartbooiAndiswa Hala
News | 15 May 2013
South Africa ruffled political feathers in April this year, after it made it unlawful for Israeli settlement products sold locally to be labelled as "made in Israel". All products made by Israeli businesses operating illegally in the settlements must now be labelled according to where they were produced in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This is in accordance with international law and South African foreign policy.
Jonathan Dockney
Opinion | 15 May 2013
That private club of super-rich men, the World Economic Forum (WEF), was back in town this week. In Cape Town to be exact, to persuade, buy up and bully politicians and opinion makers to adopt policies that many trade unionists say are based on the myth that there is no alternative to the present crisis-ridden economic system.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 15 May 2013
There are many challenges when starting a business. Planning and marketing the business, determining prices, and managing the day to day running are not simple tasks. But entrepreneurs in low-income communities face additional challenges when starting out.
Margo FortuneSean Robson
News | 15 May 2013
May Day last week should have been a time for reflection, not celebration; reflection about the potentially dire situation the labour movement now finds itself in. It is a situation brought about by tensions largely resulting from the ongoing global economic crisis that has impacted on every aspect of society. To help with this reflection, Business Report is this week making available copies of my book, Right to Fight, to the first five correct answers drawn from responses to the question below.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 8 May 2013
Politics and personal ambition compounded by some sloppy journalism have clouded and confused the issues surrounding the bitter internecine feud within Cosatu and the governing ANC-led alliance. This has also confused the legitimate complaints that teachers have about the state of education in South Africa and the way the system is being administered.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 30 April 2013
Telkom is being accused of dismissing 23 learner interns without pay. The matter is going to the CCMA.
Mary-Jane Matsolo
News | 3 April 2013
BRICS has come and gone. It has been driven from the headlines by Jacob Zuma using the hopes and aspirations of the millions who vote for the ANC as a means to enrich his narrow circle of crony capitalists through misuse of the SANDF in the Central African Republic. But before the memory of BRICS fades, let's remember the B in BRICS is for Brazil, a country with which South Africa is often compared.
Jack Lewis
Opinion | 3 April 2013
The causes of the poor and the dispossessed continue to be manipulated by politicians
and unscrupulous individuals bent on accumulating power, personal wealth or both.
As a result, there is much cynical use and distortion of the evidence and of statements
emanating from painful occurrences such as the deaths at Marikana or the conflict in
the Boland winelands.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 27 March 2013
The Expanded Public Works Programme aims to create millions of short-term jobs every year while also providing the county with much needed infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and schools in areas that need it.
Amelia Midgley
Opinion | 13 March 2013