Dischem strike over but union promises to return with demands
JOHANNESBURG – Employees who were involved in the strike are expected to return to work on 10 April.
Although Dis-Chem and National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw) have recently reached an agreement to end the four-month-long strike with very little achieved, the union has vowed that the struggle is far from over.
The spokesperson for Dis-Chem Caryn Barker revealed in a statement that the two parties had reached an agreement on 27 March to end the strike. Employees who were engaging in the strike are expected to return to work on 10 April. Employees embarked on a strike since November last year following another brief strike that took place in January.
“The last four months have been extremely difficult for everyone involved, particularly our employees and their families. We look forward to returning to a normalised environment,” said Barker.
The union was calling for a minimum wage of R12 500 and an annual increase of 12,5 per cent for all employees earning above that amount. Furthermore, the union was demanding annual bonuses which equal the salaries earned.
“The agreement has seen the withdrawal of all the demands made by Nupsaw. For its part, Dis-Chem has agreed to pay pro-rata bonuses to qualifying employees who had not received these as a result of the strike,” said Barker.
The payment will also take into consideration the strike period in January last year and November and December.
The national organiser for Nupsaw, Solly Malema, said the union walked out with the victory of securing a review on bonuses of employees who had a final warning and according to the company policy, were no longer eligible for bonuses.
Previously, Dis Chem refused to go on the table with the union because it had not reached the 50 per cent threshold in membership numbers. Malema said the recent engagement with the company was also a victory for them.
“The 50 per cent plus threshold is not a problem for us. We will reach and exceed it as we are making progress in provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal. Once we have met the threshold, we will put those demands on the table again,” he said.
Barker further said that Dis-Chem would take disciplinary action against the striking employees who committed acts of misconduct during the strike. Malema said the company had a right to call for disciplinary hearings as much as they had a right to discipline and protect its members. However, he said the union was ready for any action that the company would take. “The moment they issue charges, we would embark on a national march and declare a total shut down,” added Malema.
Do you think the union’s demands were reasonable and why?
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