Sasol workers to down tools on Monday

Solidarity says workers in Sasolburg and Secunda decided to strike because white employees are excluded from the company's staff share scheme.

This will be the first time in the history of South Africa that white employees strike because of racial exclusion. 

According to Solidarity's chief executive, Dirk Hermann, the strike action is a result of a newly introduced 10-year staff share scheme, Khanyisa, which excludes white workers and foreign nationals.

"In practice the new scheme implies that a Sasol employee with 30 years' service at Sasol will receive nothing while someone who has worked at Sasol for only three months will receive share value of R500 000.

"The draft Mining Charter also stipulates that white employees may not be excluded form staff share schemes. Therefore, Sasol's scheme is in direct violation of the mining empowerment charter and the general practice at mines." 

Several protest marches are also planned from Monday. 

"We have already planned for three weeks of industrial action. Our 6 300 members are highly trained employees of major strategic importance to Sasol. We intend to switch off a different section of Sasol each day by means of well-laid and strategic plans," says Hermann.

Solidarity plans to close down Secunda on Thursday. 

"We are getting overwhelming support from the community. We expect hundreds of people from the community to join the Sasol employees in a mass rally. There are even businesses who said they will close so that they will be able to participate,” says Hermann.

Solidarity is also calling on South Africans not to fill their tanks at Sasol petrol stations this coming Wednesday in support of the Sasol employees.

Meanwhile, Solidarity will also approach the courts to force Nedlac to grant members permission for a sympathy strike.