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Fin24 reports that after experiencing a strike at its Pieman's operations in August amid double-digit wage demands, RCL Foods is now facing a fresh and indefinite strike at its baked goods business, Sunbake.
The General Industries Workers' Union of SA (Giwusa) announced a strike at Sunbake's operations in Polokwane starting on Monday. Giwusa is demanding a R600 increase in wages across the board, scrapping of the sales commission in favour of overtime, and a medical aid scheme with 50% of contributions by the employer. The union claimed in a statement that Sunbake employees worked for an average wage of R4,700 before deductions, "yet they cannot afford to regularly buy the bread they bake". The statement went on to note: "A basic food basket costs R4,800, which is more than the Sunbake RCL workers' wage before deductions." The union also demanded that all jobs be graded with the country's "high cost of living and chronic poverty" in mind. According to RCL Foods, the union's demands, which include a cash increase, overtime and transport allowances, equate to an average employee cost increase of 19%. "In the context of food businesses facing extreme inflationary pressures, ongoing load shedding and rising cost of living impacting most South Africans, including our employees, RCL Foods remains committed to ongoing engagement with our employees to reach a wage deal that will strike a balance between their interests and our duty to supply affordable food to our consumers," the company said.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24
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