11 September 2026
Workers strike at Masterpack in Johannesburg. Photo: Seth Thorne
Workers at Masterpack have been on strike since Monday. They are demanding a 9% wage increase and bonuses. About three dozen workers picketed outside the company’s Johannesburg offices and factory on Friday.
Wage negotiations reached a deadlock on 21 August. The striking workers consist of approximately 30 members of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) and 21 from the Allied Workers Union of South Africa (AWUSA).
Sipho Linda, an organiser for GIWUSA, said negotiations with the Bidvest-owned company collapsed because workers “could not accept less than a 9% wage increase” across the board.
According to GIWUSA, management countered with a tiered split offer, including a 6% increase for workers earning under R12,000, 5.5% for those earning between R12,000 and R15,000, and 5% for those earning above R15,000.
But Linda said this “is not enough to live on”, noting that some staff earn around R5,000 in monthly take-home pay.
Workers said that before covid, salaries increased by between 7% and 8%. But since then, they have only increased by around 5%.
“The salaries for general workers, who are the engine of the company, are not helpful in an economic situation where the cost of living continues to go up,” said Linda.
Workers also want shift allowances and the reinstatement of annual bonuses, which have not been paid for six years.
Striking employees, mostly machine operators, told GroundUp that past retrenchments have increased the workload and physical demands on remaining staff. Staff now have to operate multiple machines.
One general worker, who asked not to be named and said she was a mother of two said they were fighting for “a living wage”.
“Their profits are huge. School, transport and food have gone up so much, but we are given peanuts,” said the worker.
There is set to be a meeting between union representatives, Masterpack and commissioners of the bargaining council on 23 September.
Masterpack did not respond to our queries by the time of publication.
