GroundUp reports that hundreds of workers have been on strike since 24 May at Dynamic Commodities, an export fruit and ice cream manufacturing company operating from the Coega Industrial Development Zone in Port Elizabeth.  

The workers, who are contracted by labour broker firm Outsource, are demanding an increase in their wages and an improvement in working conditions.  Thokozani Nogoqa of the Security Officers Civil Rights and Allied Workers’ Union (Socrawu) said:  “We are angry that Outsource does not want our members to organise in their factory… The bone of contention is the working conditions of the workers.”  Amongst other grievances, he claimed that employees were working for over 12 hours in fridges, but the company refused to provide special clothing.  It also did not provide transport at night.  Cronje Van Zyl of Outsource said the union did not have organisational rights as it was registered in the security sector and not certified for food production.  According to Van Zyl, the dispute was over a provident fund and the dismissal of an employee.

• Read this report by Joseph Chirume in full at News24

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