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GroundUp reports that more than 600 workers have downed tools at Mister Sweet Factory in Wadeville, Germiston, demanding a minimum wage of R19,500 a month.
The strike began on Monday, 19 August and workers protested on Tuesday outside the factory. They say they will continue striking until the employer meets their demands. Most are members of the Simunye Workers Forum. Mister Sweet, which was acquired by Premier Foods in 2021, makes sweets, including gums, jellies, marshmallows, and chocolates. The union is demanding a basic salary of R19,500 per month and a R15 an hour across-the-board increase for those who already earn that amount. The company is offering a 7% wage increase, which has been rejected by the workers. . The forum claims workers have no basic salary and have been earning “very low wages” of R6,000 to R7,000 per month for the past 10 years. They claim that workers from other branches earn much more. Striking workers said their work is risky and they do not earn enough to make it worthwhile. Nthabiseng Nxumalo said she had worked for the company for 12 years, and had been earning R6,000 a month “for as long as I can remember”. Premier’s spokesperson Siobhan O’Sullivan dismissed allegations that workers had never received a wage increase, but said the current wage demand was “unrealistic”. “Ongoing engagement has and will continue to take place,” she indicated.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kimberly Mutandiro at GroundUp
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page