Ceres strike ends with 8.25% wage hike

THE SIX-week strike by Ceres farm workers in the Western Cape has ended, with the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) accepting an 8.25 percent wage increase for its members.

Katishi Masemola, Fawu’s general secretary, said most of the workers would return to work today and the rest were expected on Monday.

Masemola said though some of the demands the union had put forward had not been met, the agreement on the wage hike had paved way for further negotiations on the outstanding issues.

“The demands we had when we went on strike have not been met, but at least the improvements the company had made as their final offer have ensured that we got something out of this strike action,” said Masemola. “We believe we are on the right track, and farm production should resume as soon as possible.”

The Ceres Fruit Growers said the end of the strike would bring relief to thousands of farmers who had lost millions in revenue as a result of the industrial action.

Ceres Fruit Growers’ managing director, Francois Malan, yesterday confirmed that an agreement had been reached with Fawu, putting an end to the strike.

“We have a big challenge to get our operations back on track and to get to work,” Malan said.

“Ceres workers are more than R7m poorer in lost wages because of the unprotected strike and this action has also cost Ceres Fruit Growers and its workers about R10 million.

“We will assess the material damage caused to our business in due course, but more importantly, we need to re-establish a good working relationship with all our staff,” he said.

Ceres is one of the country’s prime exporters of apples and pears to overseas markets. The strike, which began last month, brought production to a complete standstill as workers blockaded roads and prevented trucks from entering or leaving the stalls.

The police had reported incidents of violence and arson in the region and said they had arrested almost 20 people as the protest escalated into large scale intimidation.

The end of the strike was in the best interests of all parties, said Malan.

“I think it is in the interests of the community, employees and the company. I think we have an agreement that is positive for everybody. Everyone can return to work” and we can carry with our lives now.

Hortgro, the national umbrella body that represents the deciduous fruit industry, said the end of the strike would restore the economic viability to the fruit sector in South Africa.

Hortgro executive director Anton Rabe said the fruit industry could now focus on winning back some of the markets it had lost during the strike.