More industrial action looks set to hit South Africa tomorrow as 1,500 Dutoit Agri workers begin an official strike in the Western and Eastern Capes.

From 1pm, members of the Food & Allied Workers Union (FAWU) will go on strike in a dispute over pay and working conditions at one of South Africa's largest produce exporters and packers.

Employees in the Western Cape are demanding a 9.5% wage increase while Dutoit is offering an 8.25% increment. The dispute centers around a pay gap between Eastern and Western Cape workers.

"Our members are also aggrieved over the huge wage gaps between workers in the Western Cape as opposed to those working at Langkloof in Humansdorp, in the Eastern Cape," says FAWU spokesperson Dominic Martin.

According to FAWU, employees in the Western Cape earn around R1,200 (US$84.73) per week, while those at Langkloof earn the same amount in a fortnight.

"We see this as pure and utter discrimination. In order to reduce the wage gap, employees in Humansdorp are asking for a 10.5% initial wage increase.

"It is totally unfair to our members who work for the same employer performing the same job.

"FAWU members are also on strike over the company’s proposal to grant new employees a pathetic 2% contribution towards the provident fund, while permanent union members are already at 5% with the employers contributing the other 5%."

This follows weeks of bitter and disruptive strike action at another leading fruit company in the Western Cape in September and October when FAWU members downed tools at apple and pear packing and storage company, Ceres Fruit Growers. This was finally resolved on Oct. 13 following weeks of negotiations.

Earlier this week, 2,000 workers from the organic banana producer Umbhaba in Mpumalanga went on strike in a dispute over worker rights.

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