theTrade Tatler reports:

SACCAWU have come out guns blazing in a nasty legal strike in which they’re accusing Pick n Pay – in fairly general terms, it must be said – of racist employment practices. These include an alleged tendency to rehire retired white staff, discrepancies between what black and white staff are earning, particularly among junior management, and the perceived fast tracking of white ‘casual’ staff over experienced black employees. More nastily still, workers also allege that CEO Nick Badminton made racist remarks some ten years ago, and SACCAWU is demanding that these must be withdrawn. SACCAWU has persistently turned down or ignored PnP’s invitations to meet and discuss the issues. Strike action involving 20 000 staff took place around the country last week, with more planned in Cape Town on Friday. The Big Blue has taken out full-page ads in influential newspapers repudiating SACCAWU’s claims and rapping the union over the knuckles for this mischief.

Comment: Chairman Ackerman is regarding the whole thing as a hurtful slap in the face, for which given his liberal record, he has some justification.

Business Day 10/12/09