Workers at sauce manufacturer strike for R4 per hour increase

Close to 100 workers protested outside the factory of Ribas Manufacturers on Friday morning. Their protected strike against the manufacturer of sauces and condiments, such as tomato sauce, mayonnaise and mustard, started on 28 June. But negotiations between workers and management are deadlocked.

The workers are affiliated with the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA). The Ribas factory is in the industrial area of Cleveland, east of the Johannesburg city centre.

The strike began after management offered a R1.75 increase, bringing the hourly wage to R27.58. Workers through their union are demanding a R4 increase, as well as an additional ten-minute tea break.

“The employer over many years has been granting these employees a minimum wage increase,” said Sipho Linda, an organiser with GIWUSA. “We have tried to engage further with management but they indicated that they have issued us with a lock-out notice.”

A lock-out is when an employer excludes workers from the workplace to try to compel them to accept a demand.

Workers were joined in solidarity by representatives of other organisations including the Socialist Youth Movement, Workers and Socialist Party, 350.org and the Marxist Workers Party.

The protestors were also buoyed by the arrival of Zwelinzima Vavi, the General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU). He joined the picket line to offer his support and solidarity.

“Just imagine, these workers are saying that they are working ten hours a day and they only get a 30-minute break for lunch. We are going to write a letter to management as SAFTU and request an urgent meeting. It’s a shame that 30 years into democracy workers are earning these low wages. This explains why we are one of the most unequal countries on earth,” said Vavi.

Striking workers say they will remain resolute until their demands are met.

GroundUp has sent emails and attempted to call the management of Ribas but has not yet received any response.

 

Zwelinzima Vavi, the General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), came to the picket line to offer solidarity.

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