South African producers are in full support of planned protest marches by Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU)
Food producers in South Africa are in full support of the Food and Allied Workers Union and its planned protest marches set to take place on 24 November in Tshwane to the offices of the European Union Commission, on 29 November to the Legislature in Pietermaritzburg and to Parliament in Cape Town on 30 November.
Management and staff of companies such as Country Bird Holdings, RCL Foods and Astral Foods are also set to join the planned action.
Marthinus Stander, CEO of Country Bird Holdings and chairperson of SAPA's Broiler Organisation has said that "Protection for our local industry is very limited, with no barriers to entry applicable to the European Union as a result of a bilateral free trade agreement."
"This is creating jobs abroad, while shedding jobs in South Africa."
According to Stander, RCL Foods plan to reduce its farming and processing workforce by 1200, which is not the first reduction in staff that has been suffered recently.
"At least twelve businesses have gone out of production in the last few years, and at least three more are in serious trouble," he says. "Most major producers have more cutbacks to come, which will result in as many as 12 000 direct and indirect job losses, to add to the thousands lost so far."
