Economic And Sector Bytes – September 2010
 Claim By Solidarity Trade Union
Solidarity Trade Union is claiming that LAFARGE is planning to retrench 13% of the workers at its Lichtenburg plant. The Cement Producer indicated it planned to retrench about 80 of its 600 employees by the end of October, blaming the shrinking Construction Sector and the rising costs of electricity Solidarity said.
South Africa Does Poorly In Competitiveness Study
The World Econmic Forum publishes an annual Global Competitiveness Report. The 2009/10 was recently published and 139 countries were ranked. Compared with the previous report, South Africa has fallen 9 places to 54th position. In particular, the country scores poorly in 135th position for rigid hiring and firing practices and is ranked 131st for a lack of flexibility in wage determinations and 132nd for poor labour-employer relations.
Basil Read Aims To Become A Global Construction Group
JSE listed Basil Read remains committed to become a global construction group with a R10 billion in annual turnover by 2013 but anticipates making only small strategic acquisitions during the balance of 2010. Marius Heyns, the Group Chief Executive said the Group would continue to actively pursue growth, both organic and acquisitive, to build a company of critical mass for shareholders and remained committed to its stated turnover target. The focus was on strategic acquisitions that did not require a lot of cash or debt.
Simplified Municipal Bills Called For
A new study by the Water Research Commission has found that ordinary consumers, even highly educated ones, struggle to understand municipal accounts. They seldomly have the ability to accurately determine how much water or electricity they use every month. Municipal accounts could be used as a tool for consumers to understand and reduce consumption said a spokesperson for the Commission. The study recommends that municipal accounts should be standardised , be clear and understandable which will help understanding usage patterns resulting in saving of time and money.
Kwazulu-Natal Lags On Provision Of State Housing
Dependencies on Social grants was greater in KZN and the Eastern Cape yet in KwaZulu-Natal only 8.7 % of households lived in state-subsidised housing , the lowest in the country, according to the general household survey released by Statistics SA. The study also found that only 24.9% of KZN households in informal and traditional dwellings had access to water. Compared with people living informal or traditional households in KZN, those in state- subsidy housing fared better. The survey found 72.6% of them had access to piped water, 60.1%had access to a flush toilet and 89.9% had electricity.
Pieter Rautenbach |
