Employers, employees, and social media - 15 May 2012
By Rod Baker, content directorAccording to Johan Botes, director in the employment practice at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr business law firm, an employer may be able to fire an employee who has slagged off the company, or an individual or two, on some social media platform. However, employers might be on shaky ground if they demand from an employee, or an applicant for employment, their personal, private usernames and passwords.
So, employers need to be aware that legislation protects employees against social media prying, and issues in that area need to be handled with great care.
Back in 2010, the DA awarded a tender to advertising agency TBWA/Hunt Lascaris to centralise communications. Questions were raised about the deal, and now Theunis Botha, leader of the Christian Democratic party, says Western Cape premier Helen Zille must resign after the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found the tender award to be provisionally invalid.
In a boost for manufacturing, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies will today be launching a R5.8bn manufacturing competitiveness enhancement program (MCEP). The program is aimed at addressing the South African manufacturing industry's ability to compete against imports and against its competitors for other export markets.
Here are two trick questions for you: What have the BRICS members got in common? Answer: coastlines. Which is the odd man out? Answer: us - because we're the only member of BRICS that does not have a merchant fleet.
In fact, we don't even have a single ship... not one... to carry our imports and exports - and it's costing this country billions every year to use foreign-owned ships to carry goods to and from SA.
Henrie Geyser, our Obelix in the driver's seat, unleashes his inner Frenchman and waxes romantic over the new Citroën DS5, which he reckons might have a little German influence and is the kind of car that demands a second look. And a third.
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