The protracted strike at Premier FMCG’s Mister Sweet factory in South Africa has finally ended with a pay deal spread over three years.
An agreement with workers was reached on Friday (1 November), bringing a halt to industrial action that has plagued the Wadeville, Germiston site since 19 August as staff fought for a minimum wage and a pay increase.
Premier, which also produces the Manhattan, Champion, Frutus and Candy Tops brands at Germiston, had managed to keep the plant running during the strike but had to bring in temporary staff.
While some of the striking workers, represented by the UCIMESHAWU and FAWU unions, had returned to work having previously agreed on a 7% pay deal in April, back dated to January, others had rejected the offer.
Some 385 of the 602 employees at Germiston rebuffed that offer and took strike action in August, represented by the Simunye Workers Forum (SWF). However, Premier confirmed last month it did not consider SWF to be a recognised union and so the company declined to negotiate.
Still, a settlement has now been agreed, with striking staff set to return to work on 11 November.
“Premier is pleased that agreement has been reached with striking employees and is focused on business continuity, food and employee safety, whilst reintegrating employees back into the business,” the Mister Sweet maker said in a statement.
“During the course of the strike, the temporary employees benefited from ongoing training and learned new skills, which we hope will enable them to find permanent positions within the broader food and snacking industry.”
SWF confirmed the details of the three-year pay deal.
A 7% increase for “operators” and 6% for “general workers” for 2024. And in 2025, 6% and 5%, respectively, followed by the same-sized raise in 2026.
A statement was issued by SWF on Sunday (3 November), which mainly chose to focus on the previous accusations lodged at Premier.
“Mister Sweet lost a great deal of money during this strike in attempting unsuccessfully to maintain lost production,” SWF said.
“We thank the many organisations and individuals who supported the strike and consumer boycott of Mister Sweet products. The SWF will draw up a balance sheet of the strike and draw the necessary lessons.”
