EFF slams Bidvest for ‘painful slave conditions’

The EFF has slammed Bidvest for being “directly in contravention of the spirit and the letter” of South African labour laws and the constitution after the party’s leader Julius Malema took some time to hear workers’ complaints ahead of a recent flight out of O. R. Tambo International Airport.

The party issued a recent statement in which they lambasted the umbrella corporation’s handling of their airport staff who presented Malema with a list of qualms about their employment conditions. The employees work for BidAir which is a passenger handling company contracted by the airlines.

Among their complaints is the fact that they earn between R3,000 and R7,000 despite being with the company for decades in some cases, as well as the fact that they allegedly receive no medical assistance, even when they are injured on the job.

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The party went on to list a number of other complaints laid by the workers, such as; the cook who is not allowed to taste the food she makes, the meagre food rations they receive per 9-hour working day, and the constant camera surveillance they claim to be under as a means to observe their behaviour in accordance with these rules.

The EFF also called out unions who they claim do not lead the workers to strike even when they have been issued certificates to do so.

“We call on Bidvest to end its abuse of workers. We call on them to give workers due compensation, including for injuries sustained at the workplace. They must end the intrusive surveillance and allow chefs to eat the food they cook, drink company water, and do so in the same kitchens they work in” stated the EFF.

The party stated that they will be meeting with the company’s management to see to it that these demands are met.

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