RECOGNITION BATTLE
Turf war between door-factory unions turns deadly
Solid Doors gets court relief as Cosatu affiliate Ceppwawu and Amcu battle for control of its workers
A turf war between the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu), a Cosatu affiliate, and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has resulted in the deaths of two people and a messy labour dispute between door manufacturer Solid Doors and more than 1,000 workers. Amcu’s battle to be recognised at Solid Doors has also resulted in more than 1,000 workers at its Ekandustria, Tshwane, factory being fired and the facility closed. This week, the company obtained a court order to stop former employees from coming within 600m of its premises. The interdict, which was unopposed, was granted by the High Court in Pretoria. The workers claim they were unfairly dismissed and 839 of them are challenging their dismissals in the Labour Court in Johannesburg. In court papers, Solid Doors director Neil Clack said the dispute stemmed from the company’s refusal to recognise Amcu as it had a collective agreement in place with Ceppwawu. Following a ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.