EFF march with unhappy Meadow Feeds employees

The EFF West Rand Labour Desk led a march on June 21 to deliver a memorandum to Meadow Feeds.

The march was organised by the regional co-ordinator Tebogo Moloi and the employees of Meadow Feeds.

According to Moloi, the march aimed to deliver a second memorandum to the company after they delivered a previous memorandum during a picket on April 16.

Moloi stated the march was to resubmit the memorandum since the company did not respond the first time. He claimed that the second memorandum entailed a list of demands. Their goal was to sit down with the management, a delegation of employees and the EFF.

About 500 people attended the march, according to Moloi. He added that the company workers wanted to arrange the march, even though residents joined out of sympathy. A police officer was also in attendance to make sure it was done amicably.

“The management showed extreme arrogance, indicating that the employees experience the same arrogance. However, the march can be classified as successful since the company decided to fix the issues by July 1,” Moloi said.

Moloi claimed that the company’s main issue is how it treats employees.

“The company employs workers for almost 30 years on a contract basis to exploit them. The company overworks employees through night shifts. The company uses deadly chemicals that are dangerous to employees. It has not bought personal protective equipment for the past two years, yet the employees are using harmful chemicals,” Moloi explained.

The Randfontein Herald has since reached out to Meadow Feeds and their Human Resources manager Amanda Coetzee confirmed that the EFF had given a memorandum on April 16, however, the company sent a response to the EFF West Rand regional office on May 3.

In response to the arrogance which Moloi spoke of, Coetzee stated that the EFF tabled their grievances and they were duly noted.

“Meadow Feeds never agreed that any of their grievances were valid or that any changes would be made. Meadow Feeds only agreed to hear their concerns,” Coetzee claimed.

She has responded to what the EFF states are the main issues at the company.

“Meadow Feeds utilises independent contractors to perform services that the company does not consider to be its core business. This is an industry norm. Meadow Feeds complies with the Basic Conditions of the Employment Act in terms of the maximum allowed overtime and paid shift allowances.

Coetzee claimed all chemicals they use, complies with the relevant regulatory bodies regarding their application in the food industry.

“Certification to these standards allows the chemical manufacturer to use the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) certification mark on the label which assures that the products are safe to use on food contact surfaces.

“The statement regarding the personal protective equipment (PPE) is untrue. All employees are supplied with PPE and may not report for work without the appropriate PPE. The company would like to add that the EFF is a political party and not a labour union. There are forums under which any concerns can be raised by our contractors, their employees, or our staff,” Coetzee concluded.