South Africa: SABMiller’s workers may go on strike next week

Workers at brewery SABMiller PLC may go on strike in South Africa on September 30 if a last minute meeting between the union and company fails to resolve a dispute over wage increases, a union official was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal on September 27.

"On Monday we may begin a strike...if nothing miraculous comes out of the meeting today," said Katishi Masemola, general secretary of the Food and Allied Workers Union.

Mr. Masemola said the union issued a 48-hour strike notice to SABMiller on September 26 after months of talks over wage increases and renumeration packages failed to reach a consensus. He said around 2,000 SABMiller employees could strike in areas from distribution to manufacturing.

South Africa's sluggish economic growth is being threatened by a series of strikes across sectors including mining and auto manufacturing in recent months. On September 27, workers at world's largest platinum producer Anglo American Platinum Ltd. downed tools to protest a plan by the company to layoff 3,300 workers as part of a restructuring.

27 September, 2013