The Solidarity union will begin a strike on Monday at Sasol over a share ownership scheme offered exclusively for black staff.
In a statement released on Saturday, the union said it had planned for three weeks of industrial action. It said its 6,300 members were highly trained employees of 'major strategic importance' to the petrochemicals firm.
"We intend to switch off a different section of Sasol each day by means of well-laid and strategic plans," the union said.
Sasol, a world leader in the technology that converts coal and gas to fuel, said last year it would raise its black ownership levels in Sasol South Africa to at least 25% in a R21-billion deal. Under black economic empowerment rules, companies are required to meet quotas on black ownership, employment and procurement as part of a drive to reverse decades of exclusion under apartheid.
"Sasol recently introduced a new staff share scheme, Khanyisa. In terms of this scheme, white workers and foreign nationals are excluded from this 10-year scheme. Khanyisa follows a previous scheme, Inzalo, that did include white employees. Inzalo will now be concluded in the first phase of Khanyisa. However, white persons are excluded from the second phase, which will be the new scheme for the next 10 years. Sasol therefore had a history of inclusion, but now it has a future of exclusion."
Solidarity said it planned to close down Secunda on Thursday.
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