About 600 Woolworths workers face retrenchments or early retirement if they choose to not sign the new flexible-hour contracts.
Human resource officers from Woolworths visited stores in KwaZulu-Natal last week to inform fixed-shift staff that in order to accommodate the company's 365-days-a-year trading policy staff would be switched to flexible shifts, the Star reported on Monday.
The newspaper said the company had 20 000 permanent employees countrywide for their 400 stores, and about 3% of its staff nationwide are on 8am to 5pm fixed-shift weekday contracts.
Chief operating officer Sam Ngumeni told the Star affected workers had been given three options: to change to a permanent contract with flexible hours and conversion payment, leave with voluntary severance payment or for those over 50, take early retirement. – Sapa