Checkers employees left their workstations for the streets on Thursday afternoon to protest over low salaries, safety and working conditions.
They stood in front of the main entrance of Eikestad Mall which had been locked to prevent them from entering the building. This did not stop the employees from chanting and singing struggle songs including Solomon and Amalungelo etu.
Checkers workers protest in front of Eikestad Mall. PHOTO: Alundrah Sibanda
The employees told bystanders, customers and Checkers about the conditions which had led them to protest over a megaphone: “This company is abusing us. We are working late. We can’t get paid overtime. We are working on Sundays. We can’t even get double. We’re getting normal on Sundays”.
One employee said that the workers had approached the company about getting raises in their salaries but they refused to listen to the workers’ needs, so the protest was their second resort.
“We can’t even have public holidays. On Christmas Day, we must open the shop for them to have a lot of money at home while we’re suffering, earning R16,50 an hour,” the worker speaking into the megaphone added. She said that the workers’ poverty led the company to impose these conditions on them.
Checkers workers take their protest to the streets. PHOTO: Cally Ballack
The protesting workers shared the sentiments of the one on the megaphone, “This company of Shoprite Checkers is paying us peanuts money. We are earning R16,50 per hour and they are reducing the hours.
That means at the end of the month, it’s only 128 hours that we must work for. The money that we’re working for is less than R2 000,” said an employee Checkers Eikestad Mall.
She added that low wages are a problem across shops including Checkers, Shoprite, Usave and Hungry Lion.
Checkers workers protest in front of Checkers Dorp Street. PHOTO: Cally Ballack
The workers said that they stand in solidarity with employees that have been dismissed in Checkers shops in Gauteng. “They already fired 23 people in Sandton, Johannesburg… They are making unilateral changes for all the workers,” another employee said.
Checkers workers believe that their safety is at risk on the days when they work until night time. “The late shift that they are working, they are saying if you work late shift, you must organise your own transport.”
One protestor’s sign displayed the face of an alleged worker from Checkers who had been stabbed on her way home after working the late shift.
Protesting Checkers worker holds up sign showing colleague stabbed after work. PHOTO: Alundrah Sibanda
Inside Checkers Eikestad Mall, customers continued to shop for groceries with the tills manned by plain clothed temporary workers and the shop’s managers. The plain clothed workers on the Checkers floor were closely monitored by security guards.
One protesting worker said that the temporary workers had started working at Checkers on Wednesday and they were earning R25 per hour.
Checkers Eikestad Mall managers refused to comment on the matter and calls to the Shoprite/Checkers head office in Brackenfell went unanswered.
Checkers employees were back at their work stations on Friday and are still waiting for a response from their employer.