Staff Reporter
About 250 workers at Sky Country Meats in Thaba Nchu could be headed to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after they downed tools Friday evening demanding a COVID-19 risk allowance equivalent to 25 percent of their salaries as well as improved health conditions.
But in a written response to The Free Stater, the company’s labour agency, Labourstop, said the strike was illegal as the union did not give adequate notice ahead of the industrial action.
Among their demands, the workers want to be paid a COVID-19 risk allowance of R1 250 or 25 percent of their salaries backdated to March this year.
They want the allowance to be paid until the country has no lockdown restrictions in place.
No coronavirus cases of have been reported at the meat processing company.
In a statement, the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) said its members went on strike at 6pm Friday after negotiations on risk allowances and COVID-19-related matters broke down.
“Our members at Sky Country in Thaba Nchu have commenced a protected strike . . . this after negotiations regarding risk allowances and COVID-19-related matters broke down,” read part of the statement issued by SACCAWU Free State and Northern Cape regional secretary Jerry Mmoneri.
The workers, through the union, are also demanding the provision of safe, sanitised and reliable transport during the lockdown period.
They also want commitment from the company that it will support them and their families if they contract the coronavirus and that there won’t be any loss of income.
According to the statement, the negotiations, which started in June, had failed to reach an amicable conclusion as the parties failed to reach an agreement.
The union said it was disappointed with the attitude of the employer towards the negotiations as the company acted in bad faith by seeking to divide the workers.
“The collapse of the negotiations comes as a result of the arrogance of management who cheekily decided not to attend the CCMA hearing which was intended to resolve the dispute.
“It is also important to highlight that the company . . . has in the past managed to divide workers and undermined their representative trade union and this they have started to do again,” added the statement.
SACCAWU emphasised that it only embarked on the industrial action as a last resort and that it followed all prescripts of the law.
Asked how realistic their demands were given the current state of the economy with many companies complaining of reduced business while others have started laying off workers, Mmoneri said Sky Country Meats had actually experienced a boost in business since the start of the national lockdown.
“This company is one of the food producing companies which since the announcement of the lockdown have managed to increase production and have not been affected by the economic downturn which came as result of lockdown,” Mmoneri told The Free Stater.
He said the proposed percentage increase was informed by the fact that the workers earned low salaries of about R4 100 per month.
However, Labourstop managing director Marlene Linstrom, speaking on behalf of Sky Country Meats, said in a detailed written response that in April, the union suggested that the workers be paid a COVID-19 allowance of R1 000 which was agreed upon and paid out.
Linstrom said the union then made an about-turn and started demanding more.
“Thereafter the union was unsatisfied with the amounts paid and further demanded that the company arrange sanitised transport for all employees and that accommodation and quarantine facilities be arranged for employees and their families in the event any party should contract COVID-19, at the company’s expense,” said Linstrom.
The parties, according to Linstrom, engaged with each other on several occasions in an attempt to resolve the dispute at hand, which unfortunately led to a deadlock and the matter was referred to the CCMA.
“Due to the fact that the Act requires picketing rules to be agreed upon, the matter has been set down for determination on the 14th of July 2020 before a CCMA commissioner for the determination thereof.
“It is also important to mention that the employees embarked on an illegal strike before the 48 hours’ notice for a legal strike had lapsed or the picketing rules to be finalised,” said the Labourstop MD.