Sour deal — protracted strike at Mister Sweet, marred by violence, enters 11th week

27 Oct 2024

Premier Foods says it will continue to negotiate with the recognised union and workers, but won’t enter talks with a separate and unrecognised union linked with violence and intimidation.

The strike at Mister Sweet in Wadeville, Germiston, has entered its 11th week, after wage negotiations collapsed last week.

Dozens of the company’s workers are on strike, but Mister Sweet holding company Premier Foods says contingency plans are in place, which have allowed operations to continue.

Last week, a new union, the Simunye Workers Forum (SWF), once again accused Mister Sweet of employing unqualified casual staff, who are getting injured on the job.

The SWF, which had split from the United Chemical Industries Mining Electrical State Health and Aligned Workers Union (UCIMESHAWU), declared the strike in August after initial wage talks collapsed at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

The union said a worker lost a finger in the factory’s complex machinery, after operating it without adequate training from the Mister Sweet bosses.

The SWF said Mister Sweet had “collapsed” talks, supposedly because they wanted to discuss a basic wage, but then stuck to their original percentage increase offer. They then also offered workers money to stop striking, in the form of a loan, which would be deducted from workers’ salaries in 2025.

The company stands accused of paying casual workers R3,000 a week to replace striking permanent workers, who earn between R6,000 and R7,000 a month, some of whom had been employed by Mister Sweet for years. “It means Mister Sweet has the money to offer their loyal and hardworking employees of many years standing an increase but prefers to spend the money on trying to break the strike.”

Workers had allegedly been told that the company would prevent them from accessing some of their pension funds through the two-pot system unless they returned to work.

About 150 striking workers had been told to return to work because they were being transferred to the Manhattan factory about 35km from their current workplace. The SWF also said management had begun interviewing casual workers from Workforce Labour Broker for permanent positions, even though the striking workers were still employed and cannot be dismissed for striking.

The union accused Mister Sweet management of refusing to negotiate with the SWF, which it claimed was the workers’ chosen union.

In August, GroundUp reported about a packing worker who lost a finger a few years ago after it got caught in a mixing machine. The worker was allegedly only paid for the month he was recovering at home. He is also said to be currently on strike.

“The casual workers are not qualified to meet the company’s high production levels, and the reports of injuries are proof enough. Premier should just swallow its pride and allow its qualified workers to go back to work and give them better wages,” said Jacob Potlaki, an SWF organiser.

Above-inflation wage increase rejected

Siobhan O’Sullivan, spokesperson for Premier Foods, told Daily Maverick that Premier had reached an agreement with UCIMESHAWU to implement a 7% above-inflation wage increase backdated to January 2024.

“Whilst this was accepted by the majority, some employees rejected the increase, demanding a R19,500-per-month basic wage and a R15/hour increase for workers earning more than R19,500. The matter was referred to the CCMA by employee representatives and no agreement was reached.” The company was then issued with a strike notice on 14 August 2024 and Premier issued a lockout notice for employees participating in the strike.

“An employee forum, which is not a recognised union as per labour regulations, has issued wage demands on the company on behalf of some employees. The CCMA ruled that the company is not obligated to engage with a non-recognised union (SWF).”

While 385 out of a total complement of 602 employees took part in the strike, many employees have returned to work, she said, adding that all employees have access to their funds which are managed by the Sanlam Provident Fund, and that employees must apply directly to the service provider if they want to access the funds. Already, 280 Mister Sweet workers have accessed their retirement savings through the two-pot system.

O’Sullivan said the business continues to operate with a mix of skilled employees and temporary staff, who are offered comprehensive training before they operate any machinery on site.

The manufacturing facility adheres to strict health and safety regulations for employees and food safety, although she admits there have been some incidents where employees have been injured on site.

“Premier is committed to providing a safe working environment for all our employees, in compliance with regulations, whilst ensuring continued supply of products to our customers and consumers in the communities in which we operate. We have and will continue to engage with the employees and the union to resolve the strike. It is regrettable that some employees have resorted to intimidation and violence towards those wishing to continue working.”

Mister Sweet, which manufactures Speckled Eggs, Glow Worms and Vampire Fangs, was founded in 1971 in Primrose, Johannesburg. Premier Foods acquired the business in 2021.

The group, which also owns the Blue Ribbon, Snowflake, Manhattan and Lil-Lets brands, reported growing revenue by 3.6% over the 2023/24 financial year, increasing from R17.9-billion to R18.6-billion by March 2024.

Mister Sweet offset cost inflation in sugar, chocolate and packaging material through price increases.

UCIMESHAWU could not be reached for comment. DM

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Above-inflation wage increase rejected