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May 27 2012 11:21
There's a price war raging between South Africa's cellphone networks after Cell C lowered the rates of its prepaid calls by more than 34%.
May 28 2012 07:53
The City of Cape Town has spent R175m running the Myciti bus service since the Soccer World Cup compared to an income of R35m, a report says.
May 27 2012 13:09
The oversupply of golf estates has claimed another victim.
Cape Town - Former Finance Minister Trevor
Manuel, now head of the National Planning Commission in the presidency, did
not mince his words. He called business leaders "cowards", plain and simple.
He also had some uncompromising things to say about the unions.
Addressing a crowded meeting discussing the future of South Africa at
the World Economic Forum on Africa on Thursday, Manuel seemed to indicate
that the country's labour unions were too powerful, and big business did not
stand up to them. "There is no counterweight in society if you have cowards
in business," Manuel said. "You have to have counterweights or you don't
make progress."
Manuel also criticised the readiness of the unions to run to Section 77
of the labour relations act to conduct socioeconomic strikes. The section
allows a union to take an issue to Nedlac, and if Nedlac fails to resolve
it, the law allows a union to strike about it.
The most recent example of what Manuel was talking about has been in the
Western Cape, where the provincial branch of Cosatu has been in dispute with
the premier Helen Zille over the all-male cabinet she appointed. Cosatu has
now taken the issue to Nedlac under the Section 77 provision.
"If you use this weapon too often you blunt it," Manuel said. "The
socioeconomic strike is a blunt axe. It's useless."
He addressed the leaders of business present in the room, who included
Pat Davies, the chief executive of Sasol, and Paul Hanratty, the managing
director of Old Mutual, saying: "You don't have to keel over every time
someone stands up and says 'I disagree'."
Davies tried to remonstrate with the minister, arguing that not
everything business leaders do is done in public. He also insisted that when
businesses did give in to their union demands, it was often at the express
request of government ministers. "I have had cabinet ministers phoning me to
pressure me into solving these issues," he said.
And he made it clear that "you have to pick your battle ground" if you
intend to stand firm.
- I-Net Bridge