SACCAWU serves Massmart with protest notice

The protest action is threatened against Massmart subsidiaries Macro and Massdiscounters.

"We have accordingly served both companies with 48-hour notices for protected protest action on the 24th of July," it said.

It further warned that union members were more than ready to embark upon indefinite strikes should the company fail to meet its demands after the 24 July protest action.

The union said the protest action was a sequel to unresolved disputes against these two major companies within the Massmart stable.

"We currently have an unresolved wage dispute against Makro whilst we have an unresolved dispute concerning unilateral change to terms and conditions of employment against Massdiscounters," the union said.

"We also have two other disputes against Massdiscounters that have since been referred to the CCMA. These dispute concern wages and other conditions of employment as well [as] failure by parties to agree on amendments to the Relationship Agreement."

The union said current wage disputes at Makro and Massdiscounters demonstrated the company's insensitivity to the plight of workers who had over a number of years contributed to the group's growth.

"The company cannot justify its failure to meet our reasonable demands given its good performance over the past few years. Whilst the wage dispute against Massdiscounters has already been referred to the CCMA, we have not yet received a date for conciliation," it said.

"At Makro we have already been to the CCMA and have a certificate which confirms that the dispute remains unresolved. Members within Makro are not demanding heaven an earth but are demanding an increase of 460 rand per month or 8.5% whichever works out greater," said SACCAWU.

The Union said it was also demanding a ban on labour brokers.

"We are also demanding that the company should do away with its 40-hour 7-day rolling week which includes normal pay for Sunday work at its Silver Lakes store."

Meanwhile group corporate affairs executive at Massmart Holdings, Brian Leroni, said the group had received communication of the proposed strike action.

"Our understanding is that the action will go ahead and we have, accordingly, implemented the necessary contingency plans to ensure that trading at our stores will continue as normal," said Leroni.

Leroni said that Makro had been notified that SACCAWU members employed by the company would engage in one day of protest action on 24 July.

"This will include a union-led march to Durban City Hall. The Sunninghill protest march would not take place as planned, but had been replaced by a protest march in central Johannesburg.

"The action results from a wage dispute in terms of which Makro has tabled a final increase offer of 460 rand per month. This represents a 15.4% increase on the chain's minimum wage and a 9.6% increase on the average wage of SACCAWU members."

The action results from a dispute about a company decision to replace its existing clock card system with a thumbprint verification system, the benefits of which include improved ability to control time keeping fraud, he said.

Leroni noted that SACCAWU had argued that the decision to implement this new technology, which was similar to that used at SACCAWU's Johannesburg head office, constituted an attempt to unilaterally change employment conditions at Game.

"The system was introduced 20 months ago in November 2007 and has been adopted by 15,305 employees including SACCAWU members," he said.

"A number of staff at five Game stores have refused to use the new system. The matter is before the Labour Court where judgement is still pending," he added.

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