9 Jul 2013

Legal

Can you engage effectively with your employees?

Technology has turned the world in which we live upside-down, says Lia Marus and asks: how can you effectively engage your employees?

Still on the employee front, a mining framework agreement has been signed, unfortunately without the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).

The mining sector has been hit by unreasonable wage demands and it seems as though some in labour are oblivious to the damage they are doing to the industry.

No business can afford unreasonable wage demands... something has to give: either the company goes under, and everyone loses their jobs, or it cuts staff and an unfortunate number are out on the street, and/or it takes the mechanised route - and that still leads to fewer jobs.

No-one is saying miners should work for a pittance, but demanding astronomical increases is just plain stupid.

Hoof would have thought of it... 10 top media personalities took to the Twitterverse to help raise funds for the charity of their choice in the #BeTheStud campaign - and they made a difference for charity.

Our tame motoring editor Henrie Geyser is a heady blend of city chic and country charm, so it's no wonder he sees those same qualities in the Volvo CC.

Rod Baker, Content Director

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Weekly top stories

How badly do we eat?
[Neil Kirby] There is currently a range of proposed legislation to assist South Africans with eating properly. The regulations and statutes range from the control of foodstuffs for infants and the manner in which these products are advertised and packaged, the levels of salt in certain foods and the planned control of advertising and labelling of alcoholic beverages. Read more >>
Beware of Facebook con artists - Finance Ministry
Happy Birthday in Wonderland
[Prof Owen Dean]

Legal
Taxpayer bound by grounds of objection
[Heinrich Louw] Whether or not a taxpayer is bound by his grounds of objection against a disputed assessment has been the subject of two recent judgments. Read more >>

Carbon tax, a select few or a social cost
[Patrick Forbes] What do all these papers and policies on carbon tax actually mean for small to medium enterprises and the person in the street? Read more >>

Cellular companies must protect clients' personal data
With the promulgation of the Protection of Personal Information Bill (POPI) later this year, the protection of consumers' personal information is becoming increasingly important. In light of the increase in cellphone banking fraud in South Africa, this has become particularly relevant for companies in the telecommunications space. Read more >>

How consumer data protection legislation will impact on your business
South Africans have been hard at work for six years and are now putting the finishing touches on our first comprehensive data protection laws, aligned closely with those currently under debate in Europe. Read more >>


Commercial Law
Extra tariff imposed on imported chips
[Amanda Visser] Importers of frozen potato chips in SA, as well as producers in Belgium and the Netherlands in particular, have suffered a double setback after the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) imposed a provisional safeguard duty of 61.42% on the product last week. Read more >>

Lapsing two-year "grace period" under the Companies Act, 2008
[Yaniv Kleitman] The so-called two-year "grace period" under the Companies Act 71 of 2008 in respect of companies' memoranda of incorporation ("MOI") and shareholders' agreements, lapsed on 1 May 2013. What does this mean and what are the risks for companies who have not undergone the exercise of updating their constitutional documents and aligning them with the Companies Act? Read more >>

Taxation Laws Amendment Bill published
The National Treasury published the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill and the Tax Administration Laws Amendment Bill on Thursday (4 July) for public comment. Read more >>

Santam fined R200k for contraventions
[Phakamisa Ndzamela] SA's largest short-term insurer Santam has been fined R200‚000 by the enforcement committee of the Financial Services Board (FSB) for contravening certain provisions in the Short-Term Insurance Act. Read more >>

Senwes, Competition Commission consent order approved
[Pia Harvey] A complaint referred to the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) in 2006, which dealt with allegations of anticompetitive business practices on the part of Senwes Ltd (Senwes) relating to grain storage tariffs, resulted in a drawn-out legal process that passed through the Competition Appeal Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) and, eventually, the Constitutional Court. Read more >>

Less liquidations due to business rescue procedure
Figures released by Stats SA on 24 June 2013 indicate a drop in the number of liquidations in May 2013 by 51.7% compared to May 2012. This is largely due to the business rescue procedure, which assists struggling yet viable companies. Read more >>

Happy Birthday in Wonderland
[Prof Owen Dean] Warner/Chappel Music, a music publishing company in the United States, claims and exerts copyright in the ubiquitous song "Happy Birthday To You". It requires that royalty payments should be made to it each and every time this song is sung or used in public. Read more >>


Criminal Law
Beware of Facebook con artists - Finance Ministry
The Ministry of Finance has warned the public against accepting any requests from fake Facebook accounts purporting to be those of Minister Pravin Gordhan. Read more >>


Labour Law
View from Botswana
[Aadil Patel] On 16 May 2011, a total of 2934 public officers employed in essential services throughout Botswana were dismissed for failing to comply with an industrial court order. Read more >>

Pay rise for taxi drivers and hospitality staff
[Johan Botes] The Minister of Labour has announced an increase in the minimum remuneration payable to employees engaged in either the taxi or the hospitality sectors. The salary increase is effective from 1 July 2013, and follows hot on the heels of the increase in the general Earnings Threshold communicated by the minister recently. Read more >>


International

Top retailers, unions to inspect Bangladesh factories
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Seventy top retailers have pledged to improve worker safety and allow inspection of all of their garment factories in Bangladesh within nine months under a pact signed with unions after a deadly factory collapse, a statement said today. Read more >>

China accuses Tetra Pak of abuses
SHANGHAI, CHINA: China is investigating global packaging giant Tetra Pak for "abusing" its dominant market role, an official said last week. This is the latest in a series of probes aimed at foreign companies operating in that country. Read more >>

Bolivia flight barred from parts of Europe
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: Bolivia will file a complaint to UN chief Ban Ki-moon over a move by several European countries to block President Evo Morales's plane from flying over their airspace, the Latin American nation's envoy said Wednesday (3 July). Read more >>


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