BL Premium reports that Tiger Brands, which suffered losses of more than R150m due to the unrest in July and is struggling to shake off the effects of Covid-19 and lockdowns, has become the latest major company to be subjected to a damaging strike.
Lungelo Makhathini, national co-ordinator of the African Meat Industry and Allied Trade Union (Amitu), which represents about 1,200 members, reported that the wage strike at the company's confectionery brand Beacon in KwaZulu-Natal started a week ago after wage negotiations reached a deadlock. Amitu members embarked on an indefinite wage strike last Wednesday after the union received a certificate of non-resolution from the CCMA. Employees at the snacks and treats division in Durban also downed tools. The union is demanding a 7% wage, while management has offered 3%. On Wednesday, Makhathini said Amitu would hold a meeting with the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) for the Cosatu affiliates to galvanise Tiger Brands employees in Gauteng to join the strike. “The management has reached out to us to say we should call off the strike so that we can talk. But that doesn’t make any sense. The bottom line is: the strike is indefinite, that’s the mandate,” said Makhathini. Tiger Brands said it was committed “to engaging employees and their recognised representative trade union to find a speedy resolution of the dispute”.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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