Sugar workers end four-week strike

Sugar workers have returned to their jobs after a four-week strike demanding higher wages. The employers agreed to a 6% salary increase, effective from April, surpassing the workers' initial demand for a 13% wage boost. The dispute began on August 17th when Tongaat Hulett employees halted work outside the company's offices near Durban.

The dispute was eventually resolved through discussions with the Bargaining Council, involving workers from multiple sugar producers represented by the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). The union's Sibonelo Mbuyazi reported that the employers additionally agreed to compensate the workers for six days of strike action.

Tongaat Hulett's acting managing director, Avinash Gobind, confirmed the agreement, stating that staff were to resume normal duties on September 9th. Safety was emphasized as the top priority during the return to work. Mayvis Gabela, a sugar cane farmer and representative from the SA Canegrowers’ Congress, noted the strike's adverse impact on farmers.

The strike's early cessation of sugar cane harvesting could lead to the spoilage of cut cane. Gabela highlighted the farmers' financial struggles, particularly with rising costs of fertiliser imports from Ukraine due to the ongoing war. The strike had a significant negative effect on the farming community, she emphasized.