Little shop of horrors
A small business, employing local people and paying well in excess of the minimum wage, was forced to retrench all its staff — due to onerous conditions imposed by a sectoral bargaining council
27 February 2020 - 05:00
For 15 years, craftsman Stuart Douglas has been making high-end wooden cabinetry and furniture from his farm studio high up in the Franschhoek valley.
His small business, Douglas Built, hadn’t turned a profit for three years, but the environment was calm and collegial, and allowed Douglas to follow his passion of working with wood. He also employed eight workers from Groendal, the local township, paying them well in excess of the minimum wage — or, he did until late last year, when the Western Cape Furniture Bargaining Council entered the picture...
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