A breakdown of the Makro strike so far
The strikes arose from the fact that the workers demands were not met.
MBOMBELA – Striking Makro workers joined local Cosatu protest action on Wednesday. The strike was one of many which constituted the nationwide Cosatu action against state capture and job losses.
According to Saccawu official, Crosby Mathumbu Makro workers joined the Cosatu strike because of a number of shared aims.
Business continued as usual at Makro.Strike action flared up at Makro Riverside on September 23. A protest also took place at Makro four weeks ago. Makro workers were unhappy that their pay increase was under seven per cent.
Last Saturday certain customers claimed they were locked inside the store. A customer, Marcel Eloff said
“Two guys not wearing Makro uniforms took the keys from the gate security, locked the gates and then ran away.”
Another customer, Shaun Wilson, who was also at Makro at the time said:”We arrived as the gate was reopened. We drove through and left through the back gate. The situation just felt hostile.”
The strike continued on Tuesday in a section of the parking area after workers’ demands had not yet been met. Police were called to the scene but the workers were peaceful.
A Makro spokesman said, “Makro can confirm that the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) has declared a wage dispute that has resulted in industrial action. Contingency plans have been implemented to ensure uninterrupted trading in our stores, all of which will remain open.”
The spokesperson then went on to say: While we are disappointed that we have not been able to reach an agreement, we remain committed to working with Saccawu to resolve this dispute in a constructive manner. Makro’s minimum wage is the highest in the retail industry and our current wage offer, which includes the introduction of a new profit-share scheme, compares very favourably to recent wage settlements in the sector.”
