_{WHO SHOULD JOIN?}

• _{All workers in the service sector (commercial, retail, distrib-ution, hotel, catering, wholesale, banks, financial institutions, assurances and insurances).}

_{WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN?}

• _{To improve your working conditions, become part of the united formidable working class struggle}
• _{to defend and protect themselves and fight for a decent standard of living;} 
  
• _{to build a democratic, just, non-racial and non-sexist society free of all forms of 
  exploitation and oppression;} 
  
• _{to struggle for the abolition of the Capitalist System and for the establishment of a 
  Classless Society.}

South Africa Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) is a registered trade union, currently with 107 553 members and organising in the private services sectors. Such sectors are comprised commercial (wholesale, distributive and retail), catering, tourism, hospitality and finance (banks, assurance and insurance), with majority of such membership in the wholesale and retail trades.
SACCAWU was founded as CCAWUSA (Commercial, Catering & Allied Workers Union of South Africa) in 1975. SACCAWU was then the culmination of a merger with Cape Liquor & Catering, Hotel & Restaurant Workers Union (HARWU) and Retail & Allied Workers Union (RAWU) in 1989 responding to a clarion call in the 1985 inaugural Congress of COSATU to, through mergers, consolidate unions in such mergers to realise the principle/policy of one union in one industry. SACCAWU is a national union with eight regions and over five hundred locals countrywide. Our Head Office is situated at 11 Leyds Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. SACCAWU registration number is LR2/6/2/135.

held on the 18th to the 20th of July 2007 at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg

SACCAWU convened its National Bargaining Conference on the 18th to the 20th of July at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, in Boksburg. 130 delegates representing members from all corners of the Republic of South Africa, from Cape Town to Musina and from Durban to Port Nolloth converged, in the City of endless opportunities,  to assess the impact of the Union’s bargaining and organising strategies as well as campaign work.  These esteemed delegates were joined by representatives of fraternal Unions from Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Lesotho and Mozambique amongst whom we have bilaterals and close co-operations relations and international solidarity network. The Conference was also addressed by COSATU, THETA, the DTI, as well as the NEDLAC – Labour Convenor on aspects predetermined by the Union to be of relevance to the Conference. Delegates engaged in frank and robust debates and shared their diverse experiences at the workplace and then formulated detailed proposals that are summarized in this declaration. The Conference emerged with a clear set of recommendations which seek to position the Union for complex challenges of our unfolding transition from racial tyranny to a better life for workers and the poor. (The recommendations are annexed herewith).

We have note with concern that despite the fact that our members at Dis-Chem have been on strike and the picket-line for more than two weeks, the media has not been covering this industrial action. We have issued numerous press releases and have received no coverage, but for the very rare reporting by a very few radio stations and even less by the print media. This trend is of concern because this is tantamount to silencing the voices of the workers and their struggles.

SACCAWU MEMORANDUM TO DISCHEM PHARMACIES MANAGEMENT

We the members of SACCAWU; supported by other progressive Civil Society formations; are gathered here today to demonstrate against the Company’s failure and/or refusal to negotiate with our duly mandated representatives and meet our fair, reasonable and just demands. Whilst our Union is sufficiently representative the Company still refuses to negotiate with our Union of choice despite advice contained in the Advisory Award issued by a CCMA Commissioner.