Fawu marches to SAB offices

Johannesburg - About 300 members of the Food and Allied Workers' Union (Fawu) were marching to SABMiller's Johannesburg office on Wednesday to hand over a memorandum of grievances, Amalgamated Beverage Industries (ABI) said.

"ABI, the soft drinks division of the South African Breweries, will today receive a second memorandum from the Food Allied Workers Union [Fawu] which has members on strike at some ABI depots," ABI said in a statement.

"SAB can report that a call by Fawu for SAB beer workers to embark on a solidarity strike to support ABI strikers, and to participate in the march, has not come to fruition.

"It is estimated that a total of three Fawu shop stewards in the beer division are currently participating in the march.

"Other than that, all SAB depots and regions are reporting 100% attendance and business is continuing as usual."

Earlier, Fawu said a number of workers from SAB's beer division would join the march.

Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said if ABI failed to meet the demands outlined in the memorandum, it would lead to Fawu members in the beer division embarking on a full-blown strike.

On Tuesday, ABI showed journalists images of violence and intimidation, allegedly by striking workers.

ABI estimated that damage to property and vehicles during the month-long strike ran into hundreds of thousands of rands. More than 70 cases of intimidation of employees were recorded.

ABI delivery trucks were fire-bombed and stoned and more than 100 strikers were arrested after clashing with police. Formal charges with the police, including attempted murder and assault, were laid.

ABI is offering an across-the-board wage increase of 7.8%, and a wage and benefits increase of 8.3%. Fawu wants a 9.5% wage increase. During the latest round of talks at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, the union said it was willing to drop its demand to 8.5%, which the company would not agree to.

The strike began on December 22 last year.

- Sapa