Saccawu – an affiliate of Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) – said over 30 000 of its members will be marching and picketing in various locations around the country, against unilateral changes Shoprite made to its employees’ working hours. Second Deputy president of Saccawu, Mike Tau, says the matter dates back to 2015 when the food retailer first wanted to change its full-time employees’ working hours to what Tau described as “awkward” working hours. Provisions for transport were never made, says Tau, thus compromising the safety of the employees.

The union’s demands include the reinstatement of 23 Sandton Checkers employees in Johannesburg, who were dismissed after protesting the same working hour changes.

Cosatu, in turn, has pledged its support for Saccawu’s planned protest. Cosatu spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla insists that the nationwide protest against Shoprite tomorrow is not just about demanding that the 23 dismissed employees be reinstated. Pamla says the protest against the food retailer is mainly about demanding changes to be made to the difficult working conditions Shoprite employees across the country find themselves working under. All workers across all Shoprite centres in the country are affected by the changes to working hours, says Pamla. He says that all the workers are having their hours reduced, which means that they will be earning less money. Pamla goes on to ask “why is it that the company that has made so much money on the back of workers, want to punish those workers?”

In central South Africa, Saccawu members will be marching in the Bloemfontein and Klerksdorp central business districts (CBDs), while picketing in other “scattered” areas in central South Africa.

Click here for more OFM News