Trade union Solidarity warns of protest in Sandton today

The trade union Solidarity is planning a protest in Sandton on Thursday, reports Sandton Chronicle.

According to a statement released by the union, major traffic disruption is expected as members of the union hand over memorandums to both the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Sasol.

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The statement read, “This protest comes in the wake of a dispute between Sasol and Solidarity about the exclusion of white workers from Khanyisa.”

“It is a pity we have to resort to the courts and take to the streets about exclusion based on race. We were under the impression that there was a consensus in South Africa that the absolute exclusion of workers based on race was a thing of the past.

“The Mining Charter paved the way in finding a solution to this issue: After years of negotiation government, trade unions, mining companies and communities agreed that all workers must be included in employee share ownership plans.

“The premise is that workers are workers and that they should not be divided by race. Even the empowerment charter finds Sasol in the wrong. The company, however, chose to break the agreement for commercial reasons,” said Solidarity Chief Executive Dirk Hermann.

“It is very symbolic to have the protest in Sandton, in the heart of a major international and national capital and media interest. It is fitting that Sandton’s roads will be cut off because workers are being cut off from employee share ownership plans.

“This march will put the issue on the international table. We have also decided to hand over a memorandum to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to send a clear message to all companies in South Africa that this type of racial discrimination is not acceptable,” Hermann added.

A convoy of buses and cars are planned to leave from the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria at 8am on Thursday morning. Various smaller convoys will come from other places in the country to join up with them. The protest is expected to begin from Mushroom Farm Park from 11am.

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