Landbou reports that since 27 June some 700 employees of the dairy processing company Parmalat have been locked-out of the company’s premises in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
This has come after members of the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) commenced a protected wage strike. Union members in Gauteng are not participating in the industrial action. Chris Vermeulen, the company’s HR executive director, said the lock-out would last until the strike was officially over. The dispute between the parties revolves around wage increases, as well as the determination of employees’ annual and monthly long-term incentives bonuses. Parmalat has apparently offered wage increases of 7.3%. The union originally demanded 12%, which was reduced to 9% and then to 7.5% (back paid to 1 May, with an additional 0.5% from 1 July). Parmalat rejected the union’s latest position. The dispute over incentive bonuses revolves around what applies to unskilled and semi-skilled employees in relation to employees on higher grades. (Loosely translated from Afrikaans)
- Read this report by Nan Smith in full in Afrikaans at Netwerk24 (limit on free access)
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