Angry sweet workers ask for help

Many people all over South Africa have stopped buying Wilson Rowntree sweets and chocolates. Over 1000 shops have stopped selling Wilson Rowntree sweets and chocolates.

Wilson Rowntree sweets and chocolates are made in a factory in East London . People are angry with the owners of Wilson Rowntree. They say the owners of the factory were not fair to the workers. This is what happened:

Last year, a foreman at the factory asked these workers to fix a machine. The workers did not know how to fix the machine. The workers damaged the machine. They got into trouble.

In February, the machine broke down again. The foreman told the workers to fix the machine. But the workers said no. They said they were not trained to fix the machine. They did not want more trouble.

The owners of Wilson Rowntree fired the three workers. They fired the workers because they did not fix the machine. Other workers in the factory said this was not fair.

Five hundred workers went on strike. They said the three workers must get their jobs back. The owners of Wilson Rowntree fired the 500 workers.

Most of the workers at the factory are workers of a trade union. The trade union is cJIIed the South African Allied Workers Union. (SAAWU). SAAWU asked the owners at the factory to give the workers their jobs back.

But the owners of Wilson Rowntree did not listen. The owners of Wilson Rowntree did not like SAAWU . They like another trade union. They like a trade union called the Sweet Workers Union. But only a few workers belong to Sweet Workers Union.

The police arrested many workers and their leaders. And Wilson Rowntree hired new workers. It was easy for Wilson Rowntree to get new workers. There are many people without jobs near East London.

In March, SAAWU asked people all over South Africa to help the workers. SAAWU asked people not to buy Wilson Rowntree sweets and chocolates. If people don’t buy Wilson Rowntree sweets and chocolates, the owners of the factory will lose money. When the owners of Wilson Rowntree lose money, they will listen to the workers.