Photo by: Duane Daws
Gas provider Afrox on Wednesday said normal services would resume after its striking employees returned to work this week.
The month-long Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union- (CEPPWAWU-) led strike, which saw about 10% of the Afrox workforce down tools on March 24, had been suspended without agreement.
Wage negotiations between Afrox and CEPPWAWU stalled after Afrox proposed to standardise grades and salaries, upon union agreement.
After “amicable” talks, Afrox’s offer was accepted by the South African Chemical Workers Union in early March, but rejected by CEPPWAWU, which then initiated a go-slow and overtime ban on March 19, followed by the full work stoppage on March 24.
Effective contingency planning and the “optimum use” of nonstriking personnel had, to a degree, offset the impact of the strike on the JSE-listed group’s customer services levels.