9 September 2026
Workers at Tongaat Hulett protested outside the company’s offices north of Durban on 19 August. Archive photo: Tsoanelo Sefoloko
Sugar workers are to return to work following a four-week strike for higher wages. Employers agreed to raise salaries by 6%, back dated to April.
Workers, who downed tools on 17 August, were demanding a 13% wage increase against the employers’ offer of 5.4%. Tongaat Hulett employees protested outside the company’s offices north of Durban last month.
The agreement follows lengthy negotiations through the Bargaining Council. Workers from several sugar producers were represented by the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).
FAWU organiser Sibonelo Mbuyazi said employers had also agreed to pay six of the days that workers were on strike, he added.
Avinash Gobind, the acting managing director for Tongaat Hulett’s SA operations, confirmed the agreement as a result of negotiations at industry level.
“Employees have been asked to return to work and resume normal duties from 9 September. As we return, safety remains our first priority. We recognise this has been a challenging period for our employees, their families and our business, and we thank employees for their cooperation as we work together to restore normal operations,” said Gobind.
Mayvis Gabela, a sugar cane farmer and representative on the SA Canegrowers’ Congress, said the strike had a knock-on effect on farmers. She said cane that was cut before the strike started could dry out and rot.
Sugar cane farmers are already struggling with rising costs, said Gabela. “We are buying fertiliser from Ukraine, and it is so expensive because of the war.
“The strike really had a bad impact on farmers,” she said.
