SACCAWU+Statement+on+Shoprite+Checkers+Strike+060911

SACCAWU, Mon 2006/09/11 12:50 PM
=Press Statement on Shoprite Checkers Strike=

It is almost a month since the Shoprite Checkers strike commenced from inception the company solicited the help of the members of the SAPS who since then openly collaborated and victimised workers. In particular the white members of the SAPS are openly harassing workers.

Amongst the tactics applied in this collaboration has been constant fermenting of violence through provocative methods. Once workers’ emotions became aroused the company as planned ran to the Court and misled the Court with fabrication of violence and fears, in order to be granted an order restricting workers to picket distances away from company premises. The serious untransformed and non impartial judiciary manifested itself as, the Judge gave this restraining order displacing workers and setting them against a variety of other property owners or businesses, with whom they have no dispute.

In some instances this 25m court order caused workers to be in the middle of the streets, thus in direct conflict with traffic and metro police, whilst in some instances placed them in front of other businesses with whom they have no dispute. Many workers as the result became victims of physical attacks by other business, including deliberate bumper by a car, shot at and stabbed. Despite laying of charges in all these instances we still have to be informed of an arrest.

When we began challenging this Court order, the company pretended to be willing to settle to the extent of exerting pressure for the invoking of a section 150, Ministerial intervention. However, throughout the CCMA section 150 hearings the company displayed disrespect for the CCMA and the CCMA Commissioner, arrogance towards the Union and threw tantrums, citing violence as an excuse for not willing to engage with the Union. In these instances, the CCMA section 150 hearing became a clear futile exercise, whilst the company abuses the plight for job creation and poverty alleviation; elevating itself to the Minister of Labour and whoever cares to listen as busy with jobs creation but not telling that they are perpetrators of casualisation and cheap labour with no due regard whatsoever for workers, except Whites and Directors who are compensated in millions of rands like the CEO currently granted about R90 million.

On realising that some SAPS members are no longer prepared to be abused, the company had since engaged services of the notorious provocative Red Ants, to violate and abuse these workers. These Red Ants had on the morning of the 7/9/2006 ambushed the unsuspecting strikers with crow-bars, leaving many seriously injured, especially the women; apparently to avenge the attack on their colleagues who went to buy dagga in the township the previous day. Though the SAPS were conducting the identification parade at this moment is not clear whether they arrested.

In some instances management has been given access to workers who are held in Police Stations / Police Holding Cells to interrogate the randomly arrested workers to dispose affidavits that implicate the Union in the company’s earlier vow to sue the Union should the strike go ahead and cause losses to their sales and/or damage to property. An eventuality the company and Police through the strike are manifesting and ensuring that it eventually becomes realisable. Some police members have been seem openly bribed with groceries, especially in the Western Cape and the KZN regions.

Despite appeals and letters to both the Minister of Safety & Security and his Commissioner, neither acknowledgement nor response has come our way, whilst on the one hand the Judge supposed to resolve the impasse on strike and picket rules seems indecisive and reluctant to expedite the process, giving the company enough time to maneuver and set up workers for arrests and weakening of the strike and as a result after more than two weeks subsequently referred the matter back to CCMA (Judgement enclosed for easy reference). This is so despite tensions and violence fermented through Court Order coerced trespasses on other property as directed by 25m away from Shoprite Checkers.

The union is more than ever, resolute and devoted to ensure that justice is done and workers are afforded a fair share of the profits they toilingly and painfully generated.

We are also taking this Company and others like it such as Woolworths and Karan Beef to the COSATU 9th National Congress to be awarded the prize of the Worst Employers, as well as a sustainable programme against them beyond the COSATU Congress and the Strike for complete transformation or had to wither away. Whilst supported by many, including organisations like APF such support is not so evident nor vigorous from COSATU, except some few affiliates who come to our meetings when invited and some COSATU Provincial leadership. We equally appreciate significant support of many Communities who are heeding a noble call to boycott Shoprite Checkers

Issued by: SACCAWU NOBs & Shoprite Checkers Strike Committee.

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 * Bones Skulu**
 * General Secretary**
 * 011 403 0852**

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