02 October - Labour

In today’s show, we spoke to Zimbini Mangele – Project Manager at Ikhaya Trust Centre. The centre situated in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch, was established in 2002, when a small group of residents saw a need in the community. Ikhaya Trust Centre is owned by the Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust and aims to bridge the division between various communities in the greater Stellenbosch district. The trust focuses on sustainable projects in cultural and artistic development, educational sponsorship for children, and developing entrepreneurial skills and self-sufficiency for Kayamandi residents. We spoke about the Ikhaya Trust Centre and how they intend on empowering residents in becoming self sufficient. For more information visit their website on http://www.ikhayatrust.co.za/ or call the centre on (021) 889 8774.

We also heard from Advocate Murray Zimbla – from the Institute for Best Employment Practise. The practice is contracted by Labour protect, which is an organisation that provides information on various labour related issues. When it comes to the topic of retrenchment, many people are confused about how it differs from being dismissed. We spoke about retrenchments and employees rights after he or she has been retrenched. If you would like more information on retrenchments, you can visit http://www.labourprotect.co.za/

We were also joined by Laura Phillips, Tara Weinberg and Tariq Desai – they are members of the UCT Students and Workers Alliance. The UCT Students’ and Workers’ Alliance is formed by a group of students and workers who have come together to support the workers’ struggle at UCT. One of their aims is to work towards creating a strong student-worker connection. They told us more about what they do. For more information contact them Laura on 084 426 0669, Tariq on 083 775 5621 and Tara on076 787 2966 alternatively send an email to uctswa@gmail.com

Our last interview was with Jonathan Foster_Pedley – Director of the Smart Strategy course which will be run by the UCT Graduate School of Business this month. The UCT GSB Executive Education unit, had a global top ten rating in 2005 and 2006 from the Economist Intelligence Unit, and in 2007 was listed by the International University Consortium for Executive Education (UNICON) – the leading global body for the advancement of executive education – as one of six leading business school innovators. The course aims to give attendees a rounded understanding of strategy and of the skills and confidence to become effective strategists in practice. We spoke about the Smart strategy course and how strategic thinking leads to the running of a more efficient business. email Junita Abrahams to abrahams@gsb.uct.ac.za or call (021) 406 1323 for more information.