Coca-Cola SA latest company to announce retrenchments
Coca-Cola South Africa has announced that it will lay off 680 employees as part of planned restructuring.
The beverage maker says the job cuts will mainly affect administrative, distribution, and support staff at bottling plants and regional offices.
At the same time, the company has promised severance packages and outplacement support as part of the move to boost efficiency.
However, labour unions, including the National Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA), have voiced their anger, warning that it will only worsen the country's high unemployment rate.
This is the latest in a series of retrenchments announced by the likes of Glencore, Ford SA, and ArcelorMittal.
According to trade union Solidarity, the retrenchment notices the trade union received in the past month directly and indirectly affect about 350,000 people.
“Solidarity expects this number to increase drastically within the next three months and is now asking that other trade unions, employers and community organisations also declare disputes with the government,” the union’s CEO, Dirk Hermann, told a media briefing on Wednesday.
Solidarity has declared a dispute with the government at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) amid the wave of retrenchments.
The trade union believes the dispute declaration will force the government to enter into a conversation on measures to stop the job losses.
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