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Fawu wants sugar sympathy strike

Johannesburg - The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) said on Sunday that it was hoping to establish a sympathy strike to accompany current protest action in the sugar industry.

"Fawu is mobilising its members in all companies where sugar is utilised as an ingredient - and also those in sugar plantations and cane cutting - for possible sympathy strike action in solidarity [with and as] support to the striking 5530 workers," said Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola in a statement.

Last Monday, sugar refining and milling workers began a strike, asking for a wage increase of 11% across the board, the stipulation of a 40-hour working week and a monthly housing subsidy of R800.

The strikers also want all fixed-term and contract workers to be permanently employed.

At the time Tongaat Hulett [JSE:TON] said it offered an 8.5% increase and that talks were ongoing.

Last week Business Report said operations at the company had stopped and that Illovo Sugar's operation had also been affected.

On Sunday, Masemola said that it hoped that workers from food processing and beverage manufacturing companies would embark on the sympathy strike.

On Monday Fawu and other union members in the industry are set to hold a meeting at TSB sugar in Malelane in Mpumalanga.

Just over half of the workers currently striking are represented by Fawu. The others are members of either the National Sugar Refining and Allied Industries Union, the Union of Artisans of SA, or are not affiliated to any union.

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