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Johannesburg - The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has called on consumers to boycott Coca-Cola for four hours a day in support of soft drink workers picketing in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese called on South Africans who consume Coke to stop buying Amalgamated Beverage Industries beverages between 13:00 and 5pm every day to force the company to adhere to workers' demands.
"The arrogance displayed by SA Breweries' ABI management is reflective of their intentions to maintain and perpetuate the old apartheid Bantu income inequalities in the midst of massive poverty," Ngobese said in a statement.
This followed a march by 700 ABI workers, affiliated with the Food and Allied Worker's Union (Fawu), at the company's Pretoria plant on Tuesday following collapsed talks with management.
Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said the strike was part of increasing pressure on SA Breweries' ABI to meet workers demands of a 9.5% wage increase, a 45-hour working week and overtime pay.
They also wanted a moratorium on the use of labour brokers.
Since last week Tuesday, workers countrywide have been on a strike threatening to run the country dry of Coca-Cola.
The union threatened to intensify its strike after it failed to reach an agreement during a meeting on Thursday. It called on workers from SAB's beer division and other subsidiaries to join them in a sympathy strike which could increase the number of protesters from 3 500 to 8 000.
ABI said it had received support from non-striking employees, and that only 938 of its workforce of 3 766 workers were on strike.
The employer has not changed its final offer of an 8.3% wage increase.
It said that the strike would not run the country dry of Coke as the majority of stock had already been moved into the trade and much of the distribution took place through owner-run outlets.
- Sapa
