AFTER a two-week deadlock in talks between Richards Bay’s Foskor management and its employees, an angry group of protesters marched from Bullion Boulevard to the company premises on Friday morning to hand over what they hope to be their final memorandum.
The striking workers have forced Foskor to temporarily shut down all its operations, aside from its sulphuric acid plant, until the employees return to work.
This has reportedly already cost the company millions in lost production.
Chanting ‘Foskor employees must rise’, the Chemical Energy Paper Printing and Wood Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU) members’ list of demands included that their pay slips be altered to a basic salary format, and for employer and employee contributions to appear on their pay slips.
They also demanded 100% bonus payouts and ‘ordered’ management to resolve their issues urgently.
The Richards Bay SAPS and Public Order Policing Unit were present to monitor the crowd.
‘We want these matters to be resolved, including our provident fund and our hourly rates,’ said CEPPWAWU Richards Bay Plant Secretary Njabulo Zondi.
‘We also want the 13th cheque that was paid to the mining division in Phalaborwa.
‘This is not a small issue and we are giving management seven days to resolve our concerns or we will be compelled to intensify and advance our struggle.’
Foskor’s Acid Division Vice President Denish Singh accepted the memorandum on behalf of the company.
‘The company will discuss the issues stated in the memorandum and will have a response within seven days,’ said Singh.
In its previous response to employee demands, Foskor’s management offered to change the pay structure for workers who are in level one to seven criterias, but urged union representatives to consult with their members about the ramifications of this move.
‘The imminent consequences of changing to the desired format mean some employees’ take home (net) salary may diminish due to changes in tax treatment,’ said the company in a statement.
‘Employees need to be made aware that they would pay tax up front for provident fund contributions.’
Management also agreed to develop pay progression criteria relevant to Foskor’s Richards Bay division.
Bonuses, however, are not on the table as Foskor said Richards Bay’s divisional performance did not meet set performance objectives, while its Phalaborwa team consistently achieved their targets.
