Cosatu is supporting the strike by NEHAWU at Alpha Pharm, 15 Radnot Street in Parow Industrial. About 200 union members are out on strike complaining about unfair labour practices that have seen the employer paying them starvation wages and also refusing to give the black workers the same medical benefits as white workers.  The workers will stay out on strike ,until they get the proper wage increase and the company to stops its discrimination tendencies with regard to medical aid benefits.

The company has employed scab labours to replace the striking workers, theses scab labours have no knowledge of the safety requirement for packaging medicine. This increases the chances of these untrained scabs easily putting incorrect medication in packages that can lead to illness or death of consumers. Cosatu calls on the company to urgently stop these unsafe practises that endangers patient’s lives, through wrong medication.  Should the strike not be settled by Friday 29th of July 2016, Cosatu will call on consumer boycott of all Alpha Pharm products.

Cosatu also calls on its members on suppliers companies of Alpha Pharm to stop supplying, due to health risk emerging from Alpha Pharm

Issued by COSATU Western Cape