Clover has approached the Labour Court to declare the strike over wages unprotected after workers marched across the Johannesburg CBD this week and stripped store shelves of its products as part of their boycott strategy.

The strike is now in its ninth week. Members of the Food and Allied Workers’ Union and the General Industries Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) have called for consumers to stop buying Clover products until their demands are met.

In documents Business Day says it has seen the company approached the court on an urgent basis seeking to interdict the boycott campaign, pending a separate court process expected to start today, when it will seek an order declaring the strike as unprotected.

Clover wants the court to restrain a group of seven union leaders from encouraging or inciting union members and members of the public to disrupt the business operations of any of its customers’ business operations.

Clover insists there was nothing untoward about the deductions it made from employees’ 13th cheques, reports City Press.

It explained that the deductions were part of the no-work-no-pay principle. The bonuses were paid on Friday as ordered by the CCMA last Monday, but applying the no-work-no-pay principle meant that some employees received much less than they were expecting.

Full Business Day report

Full City Press report

Giwusa has released a statement alleging Clover workers were shot with rubber bullets by private security at the Clayville branch on Tuesday.

‘They fired from within the premises of the company when workers were meeting to discuss issues. This was unprovoked,’ the union said.

City Press reports that it said several employees sustained injuries.

‘It is clear that Clover has staged this shooting in order to support an urgent application for an interdict which will be heard in court (today). Cheadle Thompson & Haysom will be representing Giwusa,’ it added.

Full City Press report