CBC Milco bought clover and is now closing the plant to import dairy from israel

 

The owners of Clover, David and Dorit Wertheim also have the franchise for Coca-Cola and many other bottling brands for distribution in Israel.

 

More than 4,000 GIWUSA and FAWU workers at the Clover dairy industry company in South Africa have been on strike since November 22, 2021. The company is the largest distributor of milk products and is now owned by the Israeli billionaire Wertheim family that controls the Central Bottling Company CBC in Israel and Milco which bought the company in South Africa in 2019. Both SAFTU and COSATU unions and the Palestinian solidarity movement in South Africa opposed the sale at the ANC government Competition Tribunal.

 
The sale went ahead despite the challenges from both SAFTU and COSATU along with the Palestine solidarity movement that the company had engaged in illegal monopoly practices in Israel and also was involved in supporting the occupation of Palestinian land by the bottling company and the Wertheim owned Mizrahi Bank which is the third-largest bank in Israel.
 
John Appolis, the General Secretary of the General Industrial Workers Union of South Africa GIWUSA talks about the fight to stop the CBC Milco buyout of Clover and what the company demanded after it took control. He also reports on the plan by the company to shut down plants and production at Clover facilities from inland South Africa and import products from Israel from CBC plants in Israel. The owners of Clover, David, and Dorit Wertheim also have the franchise for Coca-Cola and many other bottling brands for distribution in Israel.
 

The union is calling for the company to be nationalized and for it to be run as a co-operative with the workers in control. Appolis also urges trade unionists and workers throughout the world to support their struggle.

This interview was done on 12/28/21.

Additional media:

The Union Busting War Against South African Clover Workers By Israeli Billionaire Family
https://youtu.be/u0BjYZeEmpQ

Clover cancels Christmas to punish striking workers https://www.newframe.com/clover-cance…

SA Occupy Israeli Owned Clover to Defeat Factory Closures, Job Losses, and Wage Cuts
https://imemc.org/article/south-afric…

Members of GIWUSA and FAWU strike for a decent annual wage increase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNDpK…

Day 2 – Members of GIWUSA and FAWU strike for decent annual wage increase
https://omny.fm/shows/metro-fm-talk-w…

Striking South Africa GIWUSA and FAWU Clover members call for the nationalization of Clover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awQUr…

Striking GIWUSA and FAWU members are calling for among other things, the nationalization of Clover South Africa’s largest dairy company forced to shut down the plant after workers test positive for COVID-19
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/0…

Clover SA workers march to the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria: Charles Phahla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zep1C…

South Africa 2021 NUMSA Engineering Strike, Contract Labour & Capitalism with Phakamile Majola
https://youtu.be/PEAgvJ3I6Uo

Israel Zim Line Hit With Pickets In 2010-ILWU 10 & 34 Workers Stand Against Israeli Apartheid
https://youtu.be/2Gp503j9WSk

WorkWeek
https://soundcloud.com/workweek-radio

Production of Labor Video Project
https://labormedia.net