Tongaat staff strike in Zim

A Tongaat Hulett sugar cane field in Zimbabwe. Picture: Supplied

A Tongaat Hulett sugar cane field in Zimbabwe. Picture: Supplied

Published Nov 30, 2015

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Johannesburg - More than 16 000 workers from the Zimbabwe division of South African sugar giant, Tongaat Hulett, have gone on strike over wages.

Tongaat owns vast sugar estates and the Hippo Valley sugar mills and processors in south eastern Zimbabwe.

Its workers in Zimbabwe are currently paid a minimum of $170 a month (about R2 380). President of the Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Workers Union, Freedom Mudungwe, said they need a minimum wage of $300 (R4 200) but Tongaat insists it will only increase wages by $5 (R70) a month.

Mudungwe claims Tongaat Hulett's employees in Zambia and South Africa branches are paid more than double what Zimbabwean sugar workers receive.

“We engaged our employer and they are willing to give us just $5. Other Tongaat employees in neighbouring countries are being paid way more than what we are getting,” Mudungwe said.

Tongaat Hulett communications manager Adelaide Chikunguru told local media that Tongaat's minimum wage was among the highest in agriculture and agro-processing companies in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has used the US dollar as one of its currencies since its own Zimbabwe dollar became worthless in 2009 because of hyperinflation.

Tongaat's offer of an increase of only $5 per month is largely meaningless in Zimbabwe terms where groceries and other goods are far more expensive than the equivalent in South Africa.

AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY

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