South Africa: SABMiller says workers strike won’t affect production

South African Breweries (SABMiller) on October 30 said a strike by the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) in Gauteng won’t affect production.

The company says consumers don’t have to worry about a possible beer shortage this festive season.

Fawu members in Gauteng have been on strike for exactly a month, but their colleagues in coastal areas have returned to work.

SABMiller spokesperson Robyn Chalmers says the company’s contingency plan has minimised the impact of the strike.

“At this stage, we have seen no shortage in terms of beer. We don’t anticipate that there will be any shortage of beer going into the peak season.”

Workers are demanding a wage hike of nine percent, while the company is only offering seven percent.

Members are also protesting against a new performance-related payment system.

Fawu is calling for the system to be scrapped altogether, saying it believes its members deserve more money.

The union represents about 1,000 employees.

01 November, 2013