West pharmacy workers’ strike still ongoing

Workers at Transpharm, a subsidiary of Shoprite Holdings, in the west of Pretoria have been on strike for about a month demanding salary increases.

It is estimated that the strike is costing the company about R11-million a day.

This as more than 400 employees have downed tools demanding the company increase their pay from R4 500 a month to R12 500.

Transpharm is one of South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical wholesalers and distributors, supplying more than 30 000 pharmaceutical, surgical and veterinary products to hospitals, clinics and retail pharmacies.

The strike in Pretoria has virtually shut down operations, while workers at the Cape Town branch joined the protest on 18 September.

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By Wednesday this week, general industries and workers union president Mametlwe Sebei said the strike was still ongoing at the Transpharm building in Taljaard Street, Hermanstad.

He said that they have not reached a settlement yet; however, they have submitted a letter to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on Monday of their intent to suspend the strike.

“We would like to have a broader discussion to see if we can come to a settlement,” he said.

He said since the submission of the letter on Monday, there must be a 48-hour waiting period before workers could return to work.

“If they refuse to let the workers back in, it would be unlawful,” he said.

He said tensions ran high on Friday after workers were not paid for the time they were on strike.

Shots were fired by the police as protesters barricaded the road with rocks.

Sebei said he felt that the decision by police to fire rubber bullets was not justified.

“There is a difference between a disruptive and violent protest,” he said.

“What the workers did was not violent and thus there was no threat and need to fire rubber bullets at them.”

He said the union was also awaiting a response to a memorandum they submitted to the Department of Health about two weeks ago.

The response was expected later this week.

This follows after about 100 workers marched to the department on 19 September to “order” government to step in and see that their salaries were increased.

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The union handed its memorandum of demands to health sector bargaining’s Maile Ngake, who promised: “to liaise with various stakeholders and report back”.

Sebei said his union felt that their demands were more than reasonable.

“We are not demanding to live in palaces,” he said.

“All we want is enough money to put food on the table, for our children to eat breakfast before school.”

He said workers could not even afford the very same medicines they packed and delivered throughout the country.

He said he felt a right to health was denied to them by the wages they received.

“Our right to health needs to be considered; however, how can it be when we earn mere peanuts.”

Sebei said some workers had more than six dependents who relied on them for food and transportation to work.

“We will not settle for anything less than a decent wage.”

Transpharm had not yet commented at the time of going to press.

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