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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] offers its unwavering solidarity support to our sister union, the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union [SACCAWU] on their 10-Day strike against Makro commencing on Friday, the 24th March 2023. 

The national strike by SACCAWU comes after the union had issued a strike notice to the company following the collapse of protracted wage negotiations. As NEHAWU, we fully support the decision of SACCAWU to withdraw its labour demanding better wages and working conditions. Equally, the strike is about defending collective bargaining and the rights of workers from a management that has a callous agenda of liquidating SACCAWU.

The Massmart Group has for a long time subjected workers to unbearable working conditions, slave wages, victimisation and union bashing. Recently, the Makro Management unfairly dismissed nearly four hundred (400) workers, who are fighting for their rights and defending collective bargaining. This clearly demonstrates that the company has no regard for the plight of workers and more importantly does not respect the labour laws of this country. 

As NEHAWU, we believe that the demands by our sister union are both genuine and reasonable. We call on Makro to accede to the demands for an improvement in wages and working conditions which include the following:

• Across the board increase of R900.00 or 12% whichever is the greater
• Minimum Wage R8000.00
• An improvement of Commission from 10% on margin to 20% margin for Sales Person
• Increase in Category 3 working hours from 160 to 195 per month
• 13 Cheque to be made separate from the December salary
• Uniform Allowance R100.00
• Moratorium on Retrenchments for the duration of the agreement

Lastly, as NEHAWU, we fully support the 10-Day strike by SACCAWU against Makro.

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat