GroundUp reports that about 150 workers from Dis-Chem and Blue Ribbon Bakeries, as well as union officials, marched to Cape Town’s central police station on Wednesday to protest about police treatment of striking workers last year.  

They also marched to the Department of Labour (DoL).  The marchers, from labour federation Saftu and two of its affiliates, Fawu and Nupsaw, handed in a memorandum calling for an official investigation into police behaviour and for the DoL to intervene at Dis-Chem and Blue Ribbon Bakeries.  Workers at both companies have been on strike since December.  Nupsaw members at Dis-Chem are demanding a minimum wage of R12,500, an annual increase of 12.5% and a guaranteed annual bonus.  Fawu members at Blue Ribbon are demanding a 10% salary increase and funeral cover.  Saftu provincial secretary Andre Adams claimed workers had been “shot at and detained”.  In December, the unions handed in the same memorandum at the police station and the department.  They said if their demands were not met they would march every month.

• Read Lucas Nowicki’s report in this regard in full at GroundUp

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