Coca-Cola strike partially resolved
According to Coca-cola they are optimistic that the rest of its employees will return to work soon, especially as its offer of a 7 per cent across the board annual wage increase remains on the table,
Over 30 per cent of striking Coca-Cola workers are back at work. This is according to spokesperson Nathalie Hendricks. The Coca-Cola Fortune workers from the Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Northern Cape and some parts of Mpumalanga have been at loggerheads with the beverage company for over a month.
An agreement was reached with the workers’ union Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU). However, some of the workers were not satisfied with the terms of the agreement. The matter was referred to the CCMA last month.
“The company is optimistic that the remainder of its employees will return to work soon, especially as its offer of a 7 per cent across the board annual wage increase remains on the table,” said Hendricks.
She goes on to say that it is disappointing that the union seems unwilling to understand the need for optimisation to secure the future of the business and jobs in the current tough economic context, leading to its rejection of a generous offer that would have seen some of its members receiving an approximately 17% increase as linked to optimisation to deliver the required productivity.
“Productivity changes implemented at Coca-Cola have all been made in an effort to mitigate the effects of a particularly difficult operating environment,” said Hendricks. “For several years the brewery has been unable to achieve price increases on our products approximating inflation.
“This has also involved, among others, changes to the shift system. All the changes have been widely consulted in advance over a period of a year with both worker representatives and the individuals affected.
“Where we have introduced changes to the shift system, we have consulted with the affected parties in advance and offered reasonable alternative positions to those who wished not to work a different shift.” With this, the company has been able to retain jobs, benefiting everyone involved.
