PnP strike: 20 000 to take part

Johannesburg - Over 20 000 members of the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (Saccawu) will take part in strike action against listed retailer Pick n Pay, the union said on Thursday.

"After a lengthy process of negotiations to address the problems of racism at the workplace and a failure on the side of the company to respond satisfactorily, workers obtained a certificate to embark on protected industrial action," Saccawu said in a statement.

Members would embark on strike action on Friday.

Saccawu said workers were concerned about the "over-representation" of whites and white women in senior positions.

The union alleged there was racial discrimination at the company in that employment contracts for whites were extended beyond retirement age.

Pick n Pay had failed to take appropriate action against white managers found guilty of racist practices on the shop floor, it said.

The union also alleged that racist remarks were made by company CEO Nick Badminton.

"Protest marches will take place in all major centres in the country except for Cape Town where permission for the protest march has been refused by the SAPS... it will now take place on December 18, 2009."

Saccawu said all protest marches would start at 10am on Friday and would culminate in the handing over of a memorandum outlining the issues and demands from workers.

In Bloemfontein workers would march from Hoffman Square to Pick n Pay's Brandwacht store while in Durban the protest would begin at West Street and end at the Durban City Hall.

In Johannesburg protesters would march from Rhodes Park in Kensington to Pick n Pay head office in the same suburb while in Port Elizabeth they would meet at Fourth Avenue and march to the company's Walmer Park offices, Saccawu said.

Pick n Pay responded by saying it would put contingency measures in place to ensure minimum disruption.

- Sapa