South Africa: The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) said its victory against the world's second largest brewer SABMiller (SAB) at the Cape Labour Court on Friday sent a clear message that companies could no longer retrench workers in a haphazard way. The union said it was vindicated in its claim that SABMiller (SAB) had retrenched workers in a "willy nilly" manner, Business Day posted on September 7.

Acting judge Patrick Gamble - in the Cape Labour Court - found that SA Breweries had wrongly dismissed 115 employees.

"The union resources are overstretched. We hope common sense will prevail on SAB not take this matter to appeal. If they so decide to appeal, the union will have no choice but to ask communities that buys SAB products to intervene here in South Africa and also seek solidarity from workers internationally through bodies that are affiliated internationally."

Fawu added that it hoped SAB would not want to send wrong signals to all countries in which it had made acquisitions. "This is a lesson to employers to stop with the 'willy nilly' approach but to comply with the provision of the Act." The union said 54% of its members would be compensated by nine months pay and 61 will be reinstated retrospectively. SAB has been ordered to pay the union the cost of the suit.

08 September, 2004