Black Business Council: Ketso Gordhan proposed a “racist” PPC board
As if the drama surrounding the goings on at PPC didn’t already read like a soap opera, now you have a very clear and direct accusation of racism.
general secretary
‘Sleepless nights’ over lack of jobs
Lack of jobs are giving trade unions sleepless nights, Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Tuesday.
MUST WATCH: Bhana of Aurora v Solidarity’s Du Plessis; riveting television
Television is sometimes criticised as promoting the superficial; a flag-bearer of the sound-bite; co-creator (with Twitter) of the 140 character generation. But when TV works, no other medium can compare. And today’s CNBCAfrica Power Lunch debate between two warring parties really worked. Entrepreneur Solly Bhana has been painted as an evil crony capitalist responsible for … Read more
Solidarity GS Du Plessis: The good, bad and future of labour relations
NUMSA’s general secretary Irvin Jim has a weird view of the world. He denies his members are involved in blindly obvious intimidation, violence and downright thuggery. Despite the perpetrators being clothed in NUMSA uniforms. Â Then Jim snarls on television that if employers dare lock out NUMSA members, they should expect a “strong reaction”. His constituency … Read more
Pragmatic trade union leadership exists: meet Solidarity’s Gideon Du Plessis
One of Karoo hamlet Prince Albert’s finest, retired labour consultant Bokkie Botha, took a swing at me in the latest Financial Mail – criticising my column on SA’s labour crisis as  “peddling a facile view”. Perhaps he’s right. But living at the sharp edge of business for a couple decades exposes one to realities and unintended … Read more
Solidarity’s SG Du Plessis: The wave of strikes has to be stopped
Like the frog in a pot brought slowly to boil, South Africans have started to accept strikes as normality. This excellent contribution from a trade union leader unpacks the reasons why strikes are becoming commonplace rather than the exceptions they should be. He argues rationally and passionately for a re-assessment of what has gotten the … Read more
Right now labour is SA’s big story with the stark options: the Highway or the Dirt Road
 It’s two decades since I had a brief spell in Corporate South Africa. I’ll never regret those 30 months. Apart from providing seed capital to launch a successful media business, it also afforded lessons that cannot be learnt elsewhere. After leaving ABSA in mid-1996, my close friend Flip Meyer invited me to write a column … Read more