19 February 2008
Maputo — The wildcat strike by some 600 seasonal workers at the Xinavane sugar plantation in Maputo province is continuing, although without the violence that marked the outbreak of the strike last Friday.
According to a report in Tuesday's issue of the independent newsheet "Mediafax", the company management met throughout Monday to discuss the strike and its implications. The management spokesperson, Zito Machava, declined to give reporters any details of what was discussed.
No representative of the work force was present at the meeting, because the seasonal workers had summarily sacked the commission they set up to negotiate on their behalf.
Hopes that the workers, who are demanding a wage increase of over 100 per cent, would return to their posts on Monday were dashed, and the strike continued. There was a strong presence of the riot police, particularly around the sugar factory and the homes of the managers, to deter any repetition of the weekend violence, when strikers smashed windows, overturned furniture and destroyed computers.
The clashes of Friday and Saturday resulted in injuries to 20 people, five of whom had to be transferred to Maputo Central Hospital.
88 per cent of the shares in the Xinavane company are held by the South African Tongaat-Hulett group, and the remaining 12 per cent by the Mozambican state.
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