Saccawu spokesman Sithembele Tshwete said the union had organized pickets at Massmart outlets across the country.

• South Africa’s trade union for commercial catering and allied workers began its strike at Massmart stores on Friday with picket lines.
• Massmart CEO Mitch Slape said the company had engaged for many months with Saccawu management, only to be blocked.
• Cosatu tweeted its support for the consumer boycott.

While the South African Union of Commercial Catering and Allied Workers (Saccawu) called its strike at Massmart retailers on Friday, the union is also considering side strikes and broad consumer boycotts.

The union announced plans to strike at Massmart last week, with plans to frustrate operations in no less than 229 Makro, Game, Makro Fruitspot, Builders Warehouse, Builders Express, Builders Trade Depot, Builders Superstores, Rhino Cash and Carry, Jumbo Cash, and Carry and Cambridge stores across the country.

The problem is the procedure followed when Massmart laid off 335 employees at Game stores under Section 189 of the Labor Relations Act earlier this year. The labor court gave the union the opportunity to appeal the dismissal proceedings.

Saccawu said there was also a dispute over wages and working conditions at Massbuild (Builders Warehouse and its other brands of building materials) and that workers demanded a general raise of R500.

Massmart deplored the union’s intimidation in the run-up to the strike.

The company also said it has contingency plans to avoid disruption and that less than 23% of Saccawu members support the industrial action.

The company told Fin24 by email that the protests were sporadic on Friday, peaking at 36 pickets by mid-morning, compared to 413 stores we operate across the country, with picket activity dropping dramatically as we go along. as the day wore on.

Saccawu spokesman Sithembele Tshwete said the union had organized pickets at Massmart outlets across the country.

Tshwete added that there had been no movement from the employer in terms of demands and therefore the strike was likely to continue into next week, including Black Friday. Over the weekend, Saccawu will deliberate on whether he will launch a consumer boycott.

“They were part of our pickets across the country. Cosatu and SACP supported us. Cosatu urged its affiliates to support us on the picket lines. Over the weekend, we are discussing how to support and organize a consumer boycott, “Tshwete said.

On Friday, Cosatu tweeted its support for the consumer boycott of Massmart stores.

Tshwete said the union was ready to suspend industrial action if Massmart was willing to change wages at Massbuild or layoffs at Game, but if the employer was not receptive, the union would appeal to organizations in the civil society to support a consumer boycott.

Tshwete said the picket lines were peaceful and there were no crossings of picket lines or intimidation by the union or its members.

Massmart’s senior vice president for corporate affairs Brian Leroni said Saccawu’s approach had not been helpful in the context of the many constructive partnerships required to achieve an inclusive economic recovery in South Africa .

This planned strike action coincides with a time of year when Saccawu members will potentially have higher household expenses due to holiday season spending. It is also a time when Massmart employees can generally win. high sales commissions due to increased foot traffic in our stores, ”Leroni said.

Leroni said the strike certificates, which were submitted to Massmart late Tuesday, covered areas of alleged conflict, including a 10% pay rise at Builders, although some Builder employees are keen to accept the lender’s offer. business by 4%, rather than continue. to hit.

“These are issues that could cost striking Saccawu members up to 25% of their November salary, given they could go on a weeklong strike, as is sometimes mentioned in recent statements. public union, “Leroni said.

Massmart CEO Mitch Slape said the company had engaged for many months with Saccawu management, including with the help of the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commission with proposals, before to be blocked.

“Emergency strike action plans have been implemented to ensure the continued smooth operation of our stores, which includes the mobilization and deployment of experienced contract employees from Massmart who are familiar with our store processes”, Slape said.

An order from the South African Labor Court of Appeal issued on Monday, which Fin24 saw, allowed an appeal of Saccawu’s claim against Game’s dismissals, which the Labor Court upheld.

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