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Fin24 reports that Heineken Beverages SA has approached the Labour Court to interdict ongoing strike action at its Gqeberha plant in the Eastern Cape.
This follows more than 100 workers embarking on a strike on last Friday amid frustrations over changes in work shifts and unpaid overtime. According to Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) member Siyathemba Nothununu, negotiations between the union and Heineken reached a stalemate after the beverage company changed from a two-shift schedule to a three-shift system. According to Nothununu, workers were previously able to work a 44-hour work week from Monday to Friday and received overtime and double pay for Saturday and Sunday work. Now, workers have been split into three working groups every 24 hours, with reserve workers being left on standby for week and weekend work. Nothununu said those who worked on the weekend have not been paid overtime, with workers now demanding a change back to the previous shift schedule. "We used to work from 07:15 to 17:00, Monday to Thursday, and then 07:15 to 14:30 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Now, we have a four-day compressed work week from Monday to Thursday," said Nothununu, adding that the shift changes had been done with minimal consultation. Heineken refuted that it had not engaged extensively on the proposed changes.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Na'ilah Ebrahim at Fin24 (registration required)
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