Day one of Makro protests countrywide peaceful

Cape Town - Thousands of Makro staff members affiliated with the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) downed tools and kicked off their protest to demand salary increases and better working conditions nationwide.

Locally, participating branches include the Cape Gate, Ottery and Montague Gardens branches.

This follows the non-responsiveness of the Massmart Group towards a 48-hour warning issued on January 25 after months of fruitless negotiations. The union is demanding a 12% wage increase and a two-year retrenchment moratorium for about 5 000 members since mid-2022. A minimum wage of R8 000, a commission improvement from 10% to 20% margin for salespeople are also among the grievances.

This is believed to be the longest strike the union has led against this retail giant and it is hoped that it won’t be in vain.

However, the company remains adamant that the protest has no impact on the business and said it won’t be pushed into making premature decisions.

“Makro has an exceptionally well-trained team of back-up staff who have gained valuable experience and confidence as the result of Saccawu’s repeated strike action during the past four months. As such we do not anticipate trading disruption in the event of Saccawu’s further strike action and will, in line with our recent experience, likely see an increase in productivity,” said Brian Leroni, the senior vice-president for Massmart’s corporate affairs.

“Notwithstanding that the 2022 Makro negotiation cycle has closed, Saccawu has tabled new demands, including a two-year moratorium on retrenchments. This is in addition to their primary demands for a 12% wage increase and doubling of sales commission from 10% to 20%. It’s clear that Saccawu is intent on pushing the parties further apart rather than on trying to find common ground. This appears to be the result of infighting within the union and is consistent with the incoherent and bad-faith approach that the union has taken throughout the 2022 negotiation process.

“Because we have closed the 2022 negotiation cycle, all these demands will now be handled in the 2023 wage negotiation cycle which begins in March,” he added.

Spokesperson for Saccawu, Sithembele Tshwete, said: “We have gone out in full force and we will make sure our action is felt. This is a legal protest with permits to be in and outside the store premises. We have 5 000 members nationwide, with approximately 600 in the Western Cape, all disciplined and in good understanding of the purpose of this strike as well as our principles. There won’t be violence or vandalism; however, our members tend to be provoked and then blamed. We are addressing that in Germiston and Alberton as we don’t want any uncalled for conflicts with anyone.

“Yes there will be those who will choose not to go on strike due to fear that this is a 10-day action and are concerned about their wages. That doesn’t mean they have resigned or are no longer members of the union as per lies spread by Makro. There’s been no resignations since October, but what I can tell you is that Makro has been convincing members to resign and accept their 4.5% offer so they could get a backpay. That was last year when they promised them incentive for December,” Tshwete said.

In response, Leroni said: “We will process 2022 increases, plus backpay, for Makro employees who choose to accept the company offer rather than to rely on Saccawu’s ability to reach a settlement. Many union members agree with this approach and we estimate that approximately 1 000 union members have resigned from the union to accept the company’s offer.”

A staff member confirmed that the company has advised them to resign from the union as it is against their proposal, “but no one agrees to resign.”

• Union, Makro at loggerheads over ongoing wage dispute