Pick n Pay has distanced itself from a strike that occurred at the Pick n Pay franchise store at Northcliff Square on 3 April. About 30 employees stood outside the store and chanted loudly on the morning of Good Friday. Pick n Pay spokesperson Tamra Veley responded on 7 April, that the store is merely a franchise, and not part of the Pick n Pay corporation. “These employees are not PnP employees,” she said.
“This is a franchise store, not a PnP corporate store. The employees are thus those of the franchisee…” She added that the strike was an illegal work stopage, and the dispute was around a proposed change in shifts. “The franchisee will continue to engage with employees on this issue,” she added. The owner of the store refused to speak to the media.
A source at Northcliff Square, who will not be named for job security, said that only about one quarter of the workers at the store were striking. Resident Maxine Hulett said that although the small crowd was not aggressive, they were”quite loud”, and police arrived at around 11.45am to ensure non-violence.
