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- The South African Commercial, Catering, and Allied Workers Union said it is on the verge of striking at Makro.
- The union demands a 12% wage increase across the board or an increase of R900, whichever is greater.
- Massmart said it understands that to date just four of Saccawu stores have participated in the balloting process.
- For more finance stories, go to the News24 Business front page.
The South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) said it is on the verge of striking at Makro after wage negotiations with the wholesale giant degenerated into a four-month dispute.
Amongst their demands is a 12% wage increase across the board or an increase of R900, whichever is greater. They are also demanding an R8000 minimum wage, a 20% commission for salespersons, a thirteenth cheque, as well as a moratorium on retrenchments for the duration of the wage deal.
Massmart and Saccawu have had some rocky discussions over wages in recent times. In December last year, Saccawu went on strike at the Massmart group of companies over wages at Builders Warehouse, where the union demanded a R500 increase across the board and rejected an offer of R320.
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The union said in a statement that more than 5 000 Makro employees were preparing to go on strike over the non-resolution of wages and working conditions at the company's warehouses.
"A four-month dispute between Saccawu and Makro over wages and working conditions remains unresolved even with four conciliation sessions conducted by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration [CCMA]," the statement said.
Saccawu said Makro has only offered a 4.5% increase to workers. The union said it finished reporting back to membership around the country and received a mandate to embark on a strike indefinitely.
"The current offer by Makro will not be able to sustain workers and their families to meet even the basic of their household needs. This attitude by the company despite the rising inflation, transport, and energy costs where the bulk of the meagre salaries of our members go, the company resolves to remain intransigent," the statement said.
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Massmart's senior vice-president of group corporate affairs Brian Leroni said Makro did not receive any communication from the union regarding arrangements for a strike.
"Our understanding is that Saccawu is in the process of conducting a strike ballot and that to date just four stores have participated in the balloting process," said Leroni.
Saccawu's strike at Massmart in 2021 ended with a deal that included a R400 or 4.5% increase across the board.
