Disgruntled trade union members embarked on a strike at Far North Superspar in Louis Trichardt this week.

"We are striking for an increase in basic salary, night shift allowance, and payment for holidays and even Sundays. The supervisors get money on the 15th of the month to suppress us. They tell us ‘do this, do that’. We don’t want them to get money two times a month," said Mr Alfred Mukwevho, local shop steward of CCRAWUSA (Care Centre, Catering, Retail and Allied Workers Union of South Africa) on Monday, September 10. Around 30 union members were picketing.

Mr Luke Enslin, owner of the Superspar, confirmed that the union wants a R300 across-the-board wage increase. "There is no way that we can pay that. We are prepared to disclose the financial statements, but they are not interested," Enslin said. Around 55% of the staff members belong to the trade union. "Not all the union members are striking and none of the supervisors is on strike," Enslin said.

The internal ruling that supervisors get a bonus of R150 in the middle of the month has already been terminated, confirmed supervisor Mr Michael Mabasa.

Striking workers gathered some 30 metres away from the entrance to Spar. On Monday, Spar management were preparing to obtain a court interdict to prevent the workers from picketing closer than 50m to the shop’s entrance.

Mr Justice Nenweli of CCRAWUSA in Pretoria was present on the scene.

"I am happy that we have followed the right procedures. We obtained the authority to picket from the Makhado Municipality and the Department of Labour. We as a trade union must satisfy our members’ needs and we follow the right procedures, like no intimidation and so on."

Nenweli was also satisfied with the fact that the police and municipal traffic officials were present. He was not too bothered about the 50m rule.

"The company sent a letter from their lawyer. We have nothing to do with that. We have a right to picket," Nenweli said. He confirmed that the strike was local and not regional.

Nenweli said that the strike should have started on September 7 but, due to a delay on the side of the municipality, the strike started on the 10th. "We’ll picket until we resolve the issue," Nenweli said.

On the second day of the strike, the numbers of those picketing seemed to have thinned out a little according to Superspar’s owner. Temporary workers fill the positions of those on strike.

It is the first problem of this nature since the Far North Superspar opened in July 2006.