Fin24 reports that the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu) has opted to suspend plans to strike at all of Massmart Group's companies over a dispute at Makro, and will attempt to seek an arbitrated solution instead.

Saccawu had said last week that it would get members at five other Massmart companies to hold sympathy protests as workers at Makro continued their campaign for major wage increases. But instead of a 15,000-strong protest at Game, Builders Warehouse, Rhino, Fruitspot, Shield and Jumbo, the union has joined Makro at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) to seek a negotiated solution to the wage impasse. Among other things, the union is demanding an across-the-board increase of R900 or 12%, whichever is the greater, a minimum wage of R8,000, an increase to the commission on sales of 20%, and a moratorium on retrenchments. Saccawu spokesperson Sithembele Tshwete advised that the union and Makro would be spending much of this week in an arbitration process at the CCMA, rather than going ahead immediately with the planned action. Massmart’s Brian Leroni indicated that the company and Saccawu would hold a follow-up meeting at the CCMA on Tuesday afternoon.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24

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