SUGAR workers say they’re feeling the pinch.
This after strike deductions left some with reduced salaries and others with no pay at all.
Workers at RCL Foods in Malelane, Mpumalanga, have been on strike since 15 August, demanding a double-digit wage increase.
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The employer’s current offer stands at 5,4%, but the workers said they won’t back down until their demands are met.
Food and Allied Workers Union president Nico Dima said the latest meeting with the employer on 21 August failed to break the deadlock.
“We were shocked because the meeting was requested by the employer, but nothing has changed,” Dima said.
United Association of South Africa’s Malelane chairman Sifiso Chuma said workers were also calling for improvements such as transport or housing allowances to ease their financial burden.
“The employees said they will continue picketing until they get what they want,” Chuma said.
He said workers were frustrated after no-work-no-pay deductions were implemented earlier than they had expected.
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s Malelane regional chairman Maxwell Shongwe said some workers received only a portion of their salaries, while others received nothing after deductions.
He claimed the deductions were made without consultation and said the unions planned to take the matter to the bargaining council.
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RCL Foods said the wage negotiations were being handled at industry level between all South African sugar millers and their employees.
“RCL Foods remains committed to constructive engagement through the established collective bargaining framework,” it said.
The company added that it had made several efforts to reach an agreement, including improving its offer.
RCL Foods said it remained committed to finding a sustainable resolution to the wage dispute.
However, the workers said they’ll continue to strike until an agreement is reached.
