In the last two magazines we told you how 6,000 workers lost their jobs at Sasol. They were fired in November last year because they joined the big stayaway.
After the workers lost their jobs, Sasol would not talk to the Sasol workers’ union the Chemical Workers Industrial Union. They said that the workers were fired and that was that.
The union fought back. Other unions in South Africa and overseas stood with the Sasol workers’ union. And now, five months later, Sasol made an offer to the union.
Sasol said that they will take back most of the old Sasol workers who still want their jobs. They will take 4,200 out of the 6,000 they fired. They will also give the union more rights than they had before. The Sasol bosses will talk to the shop stewards from the union. The shop stewards can take workers’ complaints to them They can have union meetings during work hours and they can use Sasol phones for union business. Sasol will also give the shop stewards 10 days off a year to learn about union business.
Before the union agreed to Sasol’s offer, they called a big meeting of all their shop stewards. They came from factories all over South Africa. The shop stewards said the union must agree to Sasol’s offer. They said that the union must use the offer to get all the other Sasol workers’ their jobs back .
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