Also in the news: LinkedIn reveals 25 top companies to work for in South Africa.
The CEO of Amplats says women fear for their safety in mines, a bus strike threatens to disrupt the Easter weekend, PepsiCo launches R1.6 billion BEE trust and LinkedIn ranks the top 25 SA companies to work for.
Anglo American Platinum CEO says women don’t feel safe in South African mines
Moneyweb reports that Natascha Viljoen, chief executive officer of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), says women don’t feel safe working underground in South African mines.
A report from Rio Tinto Group in February exposed the gravity of the problems women face in the industry. The investigation found that more than a quarter of female workers had experienced sexual harassment and almost half of all staff have been victims of bullying. Sexual harassment in the elevators or ‘cages’ has been a problem for years in South Africa.
Viljoen said while the abuse of women was also a societal issue, the mining industry had to take responsibility for addressing the challenges it faced, adding that, “We can be very impactful on how we address these issues in society and in our physical design of the workplace.”
Bus strike looms prior to Easter weekend
A nationwide strike in the bus sector looms ahead of the Easter holiday.
The Citizen reports that wage talks between employers and five unions collapsed at the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBC) in February.
The SA Bus Employers Association (SABEA) and the Commuter Bus Employer Association (COBEA) have been accused of refusing to “negotiate in good faith” by disclosing their income from government subsidies.
The unions have made a wide range of demands, including that workers earning R7,800 per month be moved up to R12,000.
PepsiCo sub-Saharan Africa launches R1.6bn BBBEE employee share ownership scheme
Food and beverage company PepsiCo sub-Saharan Africa has launched The Bašumi Trust, its BBBEE employee share ownership plan (ESOP).
BizCommunity says the establishment of the trust forms part of the public interest commitments made to the South African government at the time of PepsiCo’s acquisition of local Pioneer Foods in 2020. PepsiCo owns global brands including Pepsi, Lay's and Doritos.
PepsiCo SSA CEO Tertius Carstens indicated the company is committed to supporting the broad socio-economic imperatives of employment, empowerment and talent development through the R1.655bn ESOP.
LinkedIn reveals 25 top companies to work for in South Africa
Professional networking platform LinkedIn has published its sixth annual top companies list, with South African companies included for the first time.
Taking the number one spot is Standard Bank Group followed by FirstRand Group. WPP came in at third and Nedbank in fourth place. Others in the top 25 include Coca Cola, Discovery and Unilever.
To be eligible, companies had to have at least 500 employees as of 31 December 2021, and employee attrition no higher than 10 percent over the prior 12 months.
The companies were selected based on a combination of research and unique member data, focusing on workplaces where professionals can ‘grow their careers’.
