Multinational Power vs Workers' Rights: SACCAWU’s Battle With Massmart Is a Continental Warning
Introduction: A Battle Beyond the Shop Floor
What happens when one of the world’s biggest retail corporations meets a determined trade union in post-apartheid South Africa? The answer is unfolding in real-time, as the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU), backed by the country’s largest labour federation COSATU, takes on Massmart, a subsidiary of US retail giant Walmart.
This isn’t just a South African dispute. It’s a window into how multinational capital, weak legal protections, and anti-union practices are threatening workers’ rights across the African continent.
Who Are the Key Players?
SACCAWU, founded in 1975, is one of South Africa’s oldest and most militant sectoral trade unions. It represents workers in the retail, hospitality, and service sectors; industries often dominated by precarious employment, low wages, and poor working conditions. With nearly 100,000 members, SACCAWU is also an affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
COSATU, South Africa’s largest trade union federation with over 1.8 million members, was a key force in the anti-apartheid struggle and remains part of the governing Tripartite Alliance with the African National Congress (ANC). While its political links have at times been contentious, COSATU’s role in defending collective bargaining, especially in the private sector, remains critical.
Their opponent, Massmart, is the African arm of Walmart, which acquired a majority stake in 2011. Massmart owns retailers like Game, Makro, and Builders Warehouse. Walmart has a global track record of resisting unionisation, favouring corporate-controlled “open door” policies over independent worker organisation.
The Strike, the Sackings, the Lawsuit
In 2021, SACCAWU embarked on a legally protected 14-month strike after Massmart refused to negotiate meaningfully over wages and working conditions. The strike ended in 2023 with a CCMA-brokered three-year wage agreement. But the fight didn’t stop there.
Post-strike, Massmart dismissed nearly 600 workers, many of whom had participated in pickets and protests. SACCAWU called the dismissals retaliatory. Massmart claimed the workers engaged in violent acts; a narrative that has often been used by corporations globally to delegitimise strike actions.
In an aggressive move, Massmart filed a R9.4 million lawsuit against SACCAWU, blaming the union for alleged damage during the strike. When the Labour Court denied SACCAWU’s leave to appeal the damages ruling, the union approached the Constitutional Court, arguing that the strike was protected and the lawsuit a form of union busting.
COSATU’s Stand: A Line in the Sand
COSATU responded with full support for SACCAWU. In a strongly worded statement, the federation denounced Massmart’s “vindictive behaviour” and accused it of trying to criminalise the right to strike; a foundational principle of democratic labour relations in South Africa.
This dispute comes as COSATU itself faces internal criticism over its close ties to the ruling ANC. But in siding with SACCAWU, it is sending a message: it will not stand by as private corporations attempt to roll back constitutional labour rights.
A Warning for the Continent: Walmart’s Anti-Union Playbook
Walmart’s behaviour in South Africa mirrors its practices globally. In the United States, the company is infamous for firing workers involved in unionisation drives, hiring anti-union consultants, and shutting down stores where unionisation succeeds.
In Africa, the stakes are even higher. With weak enforcement of labour law, high unemployment, and growing corporate influence, multinationals often act with impunity, outsourcing risk to subcontractors and isolating workers from union structures.
The SACCAWU-Massmart case is thus a litmus test for the future of retail labour rights in Africa. If Walmart can punish a lawful strike and sue a union in South Africa, the continent’s most progressive labour jurisdiction; what happens in countries with less robust protections?
Conclusion: Union Power Is Under Attack; But Workers Are Fighting Back
The struggle between SACCAWU and Massmart is not over. The Constitutional Court’s decision will set a precedent not only for South African labour law, but also for how multinationals engage with African unions.
But regardless of the court outcome, the lesson is clear: organised labour must remain vigilant and unified. The right to strike, to bargain, and to exist cannot be left to the goodwill of corporations.
As more workers enter precarious, retail, and platform jobs, SACCAWU’s struggle becomes everyone’s struggle. And as COSATU rightly reminds us: when you attack one worker, you attack us all.