The wage strike at leisure and hotels group Sun International entered its fourth week on Monday amid calls by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) to boycott the group.
On Tuesday, Cosatu said that it was urging South African music promoters to dump Sun International’s Carnival City as a venue for music concerts on October 29 and 31 where international music stars are scheduled to perform.
Last week Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi — who is also a member of the 2010 Fifa World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) — successfully urged the LOC to shun Sun International’s Sun City as a venue for its meeting.
The group’s human resources director Joe Lukwago-Mugerwa confirmed on Tuesday that the LOC cancelled its meeting last week but no reasons were given. He added that the music concerts this weekend at Carnival City “are going ahead as planned”.
More than 2 400 striking workers led by Cosatu affiliate, the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu), are demanding a 10% wage hike while Sun International put forward 6,5% at a recent meeting between the two parties.
“We remain willing to agree to engage with Saccawu to try and resolve the dispute,” Lukwago-Mugerwa concluded. — I-Net Bridge