Heineken workers on an indefinite strike in Gqeberha

About 80 workers of Heineken Beverages South Africa are on an indefinite strike at the company’s Gqeberha plant. The peaceful strike started on Friday, 16 August, after management and members of the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu), failed to agree on a new work shift regime.

Workers are unhappy that they are forced to work on weekends but are not paid overtime consistent with the country’s labour regulations. They say Saturday is regarded as a normal working day while getting paid one and a half day wage on Sunday instead of a double wage.

‘Conditions are far worse
since Heineken took over’

The workers, most of whom worked for Distell South Africa before it was bought by Heineken Beverages in 2021, expressed anger and nostalgia that their conditions are far worse now and wish Heineken had never taken over.

“The issue of overtime was just imposed on us. These changes came with no consultation. The bone of contention is that the company takes Saturday as a normal working day while Sunday is not regarded as a double working day. “We were never sufficiently consulted about the overtime issue. It was just imposed on us,” said Fawu shopsteward, Siyathemba Notununu, adding that trouble started in 2022 soon after Heineken bought Distell SA.

“The company did not comply with a court order after buying us from Distell South Africa which stated that the conditions of the employees should be better, not be less favourable. Some of our colleagues we worked with at Distell South Africa have since resigned because they could not tolerate the appalling working conditions at Heineken Beverages SA,” said Notununu.

Spokesperson for Heineken, Millicent Maroga denied the allegation by the striking workers that they were not adequately consulted. “We refute allegations claiming that we have not consulted as we have engaged colleagues and unions extensively on these proposed changes and explained it in detail to affected groups. The Fawu strike notice does not specify a clear demand, but we’ve been engaging with the union on the return to a three-shift system. Shift patterns are determined by our operational requirements in response to the needs of our customers and consumers. The move to a two-shift system was always temporary and the return to a three-shift system is now operationally required.”

“While we fully respect the right to strike in accordance with the law, we believe this strike is unlawful and have therefore approached the Labour Court for an interdict.”

Notununu told Elitsha, “The main reason to strike is the unilateral changes that have been happening in the company. However, we withdrew the case at CCMA after it promised to settle the issue with us peacefully. We then resumed with the case after the company dug in its heels. This is why we are peacefully striking.”

Heineken work environment ‘toxic’ and impoverishing

Fawu shosteward, Nolubabalo Sidinana said she has reached the tail end of suffering because her salary is now far below what she got from Distell SA as a general worker. Sidinana explained her plight: “As a single mother of two children, I am struggling to provide for them with basic necessities because instead of my salary getting increased, it has dropped. It used to be better when we were working for Distell South Africa because they were paying us accordingly and the working environment was fabulous.

“We are living at a time when the cost of living is increasing with each passing day but our company has the joy of reducing the salaries instead of matching the current cost of living standards. My plea to the company is that they should improve our salaries and benefits.”

The company says it has approached the courts to interdict the strike. Photo by GroundUp/Ashraf Hendricks.

Another shopsteward who works as a grade seven plant operator, Thembelani Maqhina is angry that his colleagues working in the same position as him in the Sedibeng plant in Gauteng are pegged at grade eight and earn more. “The working environment is very toxic given lots of unlawful actions the management is doing. For example, the CCMA ordered them to comply with our demands but the company is stubbornly refusing to do so. They are saying that the shifts are there on a temporary basis and that such shifts are offering employment to local residents.

“We disagree with that because they are using our members employing them on a three-months contract instead of taking them permanently. This is just exploitation of workers. So we’re working in an unfriendly environment,” Maqhina said.

Heineken’s spokesperson said they “remain optimistic in finding a mutually satisfactory and speedy resolution to this matter and have put in place measures to ensure the safety of all our colleagues while we minimise disruption to our operations.”

Notununu vowed that the strike will continue until their demands have been met.