E-Malt.com News article: South Africa: SABMiller’s beer division to join striking colleagues at the soft drinks arm

Workers at SABMiller PLC's beer division in South Africa will join striking colleagues at the soft drinks arm in a protest march to the company's Johannesburg head office Wednesday, their labor union was quoted as saying by Dow Jones on January, 27.

The workers plan to hand over a memorandum to SABMiller Chief Executive Officer Graham Mackay calling on him to intervene in the wage strike at the Amalgamated Beverage Industries unit that began Dec. 22, the Food & Allied Workers' Union said.

"Failure to do so will lead to members of FAWU in [the] beer division embarking on an indefinite full-blown strike action in support to ABI workers, and that workers in operations of SABMiller the world over will embark in solidarity support actions," the union said in an emailed statement.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions, a political ally of the ruling African National Congress, separately said General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi would join the beer and soft drinks workers in the march.

ABI has offered workers a wage increase of 7.8%, which it has said amounts to an 8.3% rise including benefits, while the union is holding out for a 9.5% increase.

ABI said earlier this week about 1,100 workers - less than a third of its workforce in the country - remained on strike, and all manufacturing plans are operating and deliveries are taking place as normal.


27 January, 2010