National strike at food export board
Workers demand 8.5% increase
About 20 employees of the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) picketed outside the head office in Plattekloof on Wednesday, as part of a national strike over wages.
The workers are demanding an 8.5% salary increase and an increased car allowance.
Ettienne Rahl, an employee for 17 years and chairperson of the trade union Solidarity in the PPECB said the workers had been negotiating since January, but management had only offered a 7% increase.Â
The PPECB offers âquality certification and cold chain management services for producers and exporters of perishable food productsâ.
Tina-Louise Rabie, marketing and communications manager, said the companyâs offer was in line with inflation forecasts. She said agriculture had been severely impacted by the drought in 2016 âand we expect this trend to continue in 2017.â
According to Rahl, the strike will have a huge effect on exports of food and the workers are hoping that exporters will put pressure on management. âWe are intending to disrupt the business as much as possible, to force them to sit down and listen to our demandsâ, he said.
But Rabie said âcontingency plans have been put in placeâ and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had promised to assist.
The offices affected were Langkloof, Sundayâs River Valley, Montague Gardens, Tzaneen, Gauteng Centre, Ceres, Groblersdal and Nelspruit, said Rabie.
Rahl said last year they had managed to secure car allowances for staff but workers wanted these raised. Some workers travelled more than 18,000 km a year and âthose guys are not benefitting in the current systemâ said Rahl. Workers wanted the allowance raised from R3,200 to R3,900 and a higher kilometre rate.
Workers used their own cars and sometimes did extensive travelling, âand they are not getting reimbursed for thatâ, said Rahl.
The workers plan to strike until Friday and then to proceed with a âgo slowâ if an agreement has not been reached.
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