Press Statement dated 13 September 2018
A ruling on whether 180 000 members of Solidarity has the right, in terms of section 77 of the Labour Relations Act, to go on strike in solidarity with Sasol employees and to protest racial exclusion as contemplated in employee share schemes will be given in the South Gauteng High Court tomorrow.
Solidarity presented its argument in support of the application in the same court today.
According to Anton van der Bijl, head of Solidarity’s Labour Law Services, the trade union has brought the application to enable all Solidarity members to voice their protest in solidarity with the Sasol strikers. “This matter is about including employees irrespective of their race. Employees should not be judged and divided solely according to their race for the purpose of employee share ownership share schemes,” Van der Bijl said.
“This matter is now going beyond Sasol, affecting about 180 000 of Solidarity’s members across various major industries in South Africa,” Van der Bijl said.
Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act gives workers the right to participate in legal protest action for the sake of socio-economic interests.
Members of the media are invited to attend the court proceedings.
Venue: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
Time: 12:30
Date: Friday, 14 September 2018
Issued by Anton van der Bijl, Solidarity’s Head of Labour Law Services