This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
Sunday Tribune reports that Scott Pitman, MD of Rainbow Chicken, claimed on Saturday that mistrust between government and the private sector has led to massive job losses in the chicken industry.
He was speaking at the signing of a pledge between FairPlay, the SA Poultry Association, the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and RCL Foods in Durban. Pitman said it was painful bidding farewell to 1,350 workers retrenched at the company’s Hammarsdale farm due to “chicken dumping" from the European countries and Brazil. He went on to indicate that the private sector and government have started to improve relations. Pitman claimed that “chicken dumping” had cost the country 5,000 jobs but that if dumping of leg quarters could be done away with, “we can create more than 30,000 jobs.” Trade and Industries Minister Rob Davies was expected at the event, but did not arrive. Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said about 30,000 jobs were at stake. He indicated that Fawu supported the idea by eThekwini municipality of buying the farms concerned, but warned that the process should be transparent and called for retrenched workers to be prioritised for jobs.
- Read this report by Nkululeko Nene in full at Sunday Tribune
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