South Africa: Coca-Cola ABI workers on strike

Members of the Food and Allied Workers’ Union [FAWU], the IUF affiliate in South Africa organising Coca-Cola workers, are on strike since December 22 at ABI Coke, the soft drinks division of South African Breweries (SAB).

Dec. 28, they resolved to intensify the strike following the failure to reach agreement during the negotiations facilitated by the CCMA on the 24th December 2009. The company was not prepared to concede to the union’s demand for 9.5% wage increment and to place moratorium on the use of labour brokers through a programme of Owner-Driver scheme. The union could not accept the company offer of changing shift patterns to fall within weekdays and pay overtime on Saturday on condition that we agree to their 7.8% wage offer and accept the use of labour brokers.

The union believes workers demands are reasonable and noble and that company must meet them. The first is the 9.5% wage increment. Secondly, we hope to see the company placing moratorium on the continued practice of enlisting labour brokers guessed as owner-driver economic empowerment scheme in which the original driver is sold a truck and the rest of that truck crew are retrenched and employed at far less favourable conditions and wages.
Lastly we hope the company will accept that the current shift patterns that makes 45 hour working week to overlap to Saturday where workers are not paid overtime will be unconditionally changed without linking it to other areas of dispute.

Meanwhile, the union and shop stewards are consulting workers at the SAB’s beer division and other subsidiaries  as well as workers in other Coca-Cola bottlers in South Africa such as Vulpre Water and Appeltiser to be ready for waging a sympathy strike.

The IUF is closely monitoring events and will keep Coca-Cola workers all over the world informed about this crucial fight for better working conditions and against the practice of growing abuse of casual employment relationships disguised as worker empowerment.