Striking crayfish packers join forces

FOOD and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) members at two crayfish packaging companies in Hout Bay and Saldanha went on strike this week due to a dispute over how workerrelated negotiations need to be conducted.

The factories are Inkosi Keta Marine in Hout Bay, where nine full-time workers and six casual employees are striking, and the Live Fish Tanks (West Coast), where Fawu has 34 members on strike out of a workforce of 50. Inkosi Keta Marine employs 15 people.

Fawu’s national fishing sector organiser, Zolani Mbanjwa, said the strike action came after management at Inkosi Keta Marine and Live Fish Tanks in Saldanha Bay refused to enter into a joint recognition and wage negotiation agreement with Fawu workers. The majority shareholder of both companies is Romano Fernandes.

Alex Simanga, a Hout Bay worker on strike, said Inkosi Keta Marine buys crayfish from fishing vessels and stores it in tanks before packaging it and transporting it to Live Fish Tanks, which also packages crayfish before putting it out on the market, he said.

“We, as Fawu, are pushing for collective negotiations with the two companies. The dispute started when we tried to consolidate the recognition agreement for both companies under one agreement,” said Mbanjwa.

“But the companies refused to enter into the agreement. We have been engaging them since last year.”

Mbanjwa explained that Inkosi Keta Marine’s labour relations manager, Frederi Steyn-Visser, represented Inkosi Keta Marine and the Live Fish Tanks at those talks.

“Two weeks ago we submitted demands for wage negotiations for 2015, and our opening demand was a 25 percent increase at both factories.

“We want to sit under one roof, putting the demands of the workers collectively.”

Their other demands include a 15 percent production bonus, payment for overtime and a review of the two companies’ policies, he said.

Steyn-Visser confirmed the dispute between Fawu workers and the two factories, and said it had been referred to the CCMA for a resolution.

“The Saldanha factory has about 50 workers, and they all decided not to join the strike. We locked these workers (in Hout Bay) out on Tuesday and said if they don’t sign a letter saying the strike is over, they can remain outside. The strike is protected by law,” she said.

“The problem that these guys have is that the workers in Saldanha don’t support the strike. Mbanjwa, however, insisted that Fawu members in Saldanha are also on strike and that he had told members at both factories the letter from Steyn-Visser was misleading, and that they should ignore it.”

Steyn-Visser said: “Saldanha staff say they will accept individual negotiations, but the Inkosi Keta Marine staff feel they want joint negotiations.”

Mbanjwa said the workers in both workplaces were processing lobster, hence the members of Fawu strongly believed in one recognition for both sites.

“The union also filed a dispute on Monday, related to wages and working conditions, which the company has refused to bargain on.”