CWAO IN THE NEWS

Organisers:
Jacob Potlaki on 082 810 6134
Sydney Moshoaliba on 072 509 3587; 072 550 4550

Mister Sweet Negotiating Team:
Asithandile Jam-Jam on 065 6923738
Solomon Ndaba on 073 706 2633
Lindiwe Maseke on 083 753 5268
S. Ngobese on 066 4754979
Fikile Zwane on 072 462 7077

The strike at Mr Sweet is approaching its second week. Workers began striking on Monday, 19 August. They are picketing at Mister Sweet, Corner of Dekema and Bezuidenhout Roads, Wadeville in Gauteng.

The bosses responded to the strike and workers’ demands by locking workers out. They wanted to force SWF members to accept a three-year wage deal which they reached with a minority union. They threatened workers that they would reduce the amount of their wage increase more and more as the strike continued.

Bosses in general are increasingly responding to strikes by locking workers out. They are determined to push wages and working conditions to the lowest possible level.

On Thursday 22 August, there was a CCMA mediation between SWF and the bosses. The bosses were completely arrogant in this meeting. They came unwilling to negotiate. They accused workers of misconduct and threatened them with dismissal, without providing any evidence.

There is no basic salary at this company. Many Mister Sweet workers have been earning very low wages of R6000 - R7000 per month for 10 years. This although Mister Sweet is owned by Premier Group Limited which last year declared a 23.4% increase in revenue to R17.9 billion. (See https://www.businesslive.co.za/sens/452933/)

This company can afford to pay workers a living wage.

Workers have spoken about their problems at work:

• Some workers have been working at Mister Sweet for 22 years yet they are earning less than workers who have not been there as long.
• The provident fund contributions do not correspond to what is said to be in the workers’ funds. Some workers have been contributing to the fund for 30 years and they have only accumulated R200 000. The rest of the money seems to have disappeared, and these workers are very worried because they are reaching retirement age soon.
• The company has allegedly been moving workers’ money in the provident fund from one fund to another and that is where money is not accounted for.
• Workers say they are not supported to apply for COIDA when they are injured at work.
• Workers doing the same job are paid different amounts and there is no transparent, basic wage.
• An employer representative refuses to negotiate wage increases and threatens workers with mass dismissal when they try to negotiate.
• Workers earn so little that they live in RDP houses even though they are wage-earning workers.
• Some operators are only paid as general labourers or packers.

The workers are demanding a basic salary of R19 500 per month and for those who already earn R19 500 per month, a R15 per hour across-the-board increase.

The SWF condemns the Mister Sweet bosses for trying to impose a wage deal it reached with a minority union onto the SWF members.

The SWF has the right to negotiate wage increases and Mister Sweet is compelled to negotiate in good faith, not just come up with the lowest increase, sell that to a minority union, and then impose that on the rest of the workers.

SWF condemns the Mr Sweet bosses for locking out workers, threatening workers, and negotiating in bad faith. They are trying to use their power to force workers to accept poverty wages. It will not work. SWF will strike until the workers get a living wage.

Category: PRESS STATEMENT | DISPUTES