abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Story

14 Jan 2022

S. Africa: 4,000 Clover workers strike over retrenchments & wage cuts; incl. co. comments

South African agricultural workers and members of the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) plant cabbage seedlings on a farm in Rustenburg.

In November 2021, 4,000 Clover workers from the Food & Allied Workers Union (FAWU) and the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa went on strike over retrenchments and wage cuts. According to the National Organiser of FAWU, Cynthia Joyce, 752 workers union members had been dismissed for refusing to accept a 30% wage cut offered by the company. Furthermore, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi reported about 1,600 workers had been retrenched in 2021, and a further 800 were expected to be retrenched by February 2022.

In January 2022, after eight weeks, workers reported that Clover had agreed to pay workers their overdue bonuses from 25 November 2021. The unions rejected a proposal to cut wages by 20% and instead demanded a 10% increase. The workers vowed to continue the strike until their demands were met, threatening to occupy the Union Buildings.

The SAFTU warned of 2,000 workers losing their jobs in 2022, and called on the Department of Trade and Industry to engage with the Competition Commission to reverse the decision on retrenchments.

Company comments can be found below.

Timeline

Privacy information

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies. You can set your privacy choices below. Changes will take effect immediately.

For more information on our use of web storage, please refer to our Data Usage and Cookies Policy

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Analytics cookie

ON
OFF

When you access our website we use Google Analytics to collect information on your visit. Accepting this cookie will allow us to understand more details about your journey, and improve how we surface information. All analytics information is anonymous and we do not use it to identify you. Google provides a Google Analytics opt-out add on for all popular browsers.

Promotional cookies

ON
OFF

We share news and updates on business and human rights through third party platforms, including social media and search engines. These cookies help us to understand the performance of these promotions.

Your privacy choices for this site

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies to enhance your experience beyond necessary core functionality.