ABI strike ends

2010/02/09

The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) on Monday accepted a wage increase offer from Amalgamated Beverage Industries, ending a seven-week-long strike.

"We are most pleased that we have reached an agreement with Fawu which ends the strike at ABI," the company's managing director John Ustas said in a statement.

"We will now focus on welcoming those employees who went on strike back to work, ensuring that we fully normalise our operations and develop our future relationship with the union.''

Workers were expected to return to their jobs by Wednesday. Those who did not would be participating in an unprotected strike.

According to the agreement, wages and benefits would increase by 8.3 percent. The minimum wage would go up to R7235 a month, an across-the-board increase of 7.8 percent.

The strike by about 2700 employees, for a 9.5 percent salary increase, started on December 22.

Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said the union would report back to its members on Tuesday and advise them to return to work on Wednesday.

"The agreement was signed at 8.30pm today [Monday] and now we just have to endorse it," he told Sapa.

"On the wage increment, the offer we agreed on was 7.8 percent, which was what management offered when the strike started. It did not change. But what we did manage to achieve was the overtime pay on weekends and public holidays."

Ustas said the education grant would increase from R275 to R350 a month, the Christmas voucher double to R400.

Both parties agreed to discuss the use of labour brokers and owner-drivers before the end of March.

ABI is the soft drinks division of SA Breweries.

Workers allegedly involved in violence during the strike would face disciplinary hearings, Ustas said.

"In terms of discipline for strike-related misconduct... workers who are alleged to have committed acts of misconduct which may result in dismissal will, subject to ABI's disciplinary code and procedures, be suspended with pay pending the outcome of their disciplinary enquiry.

"It has been agreed with Fawu that an independent third party will be brought in to chair all disciplinary enquiries into allegations of strike-related misconduct," Ustas said. (Source: Sapa)