Retrenched poultry workers top summit's agenda

Thokosane Thabete was retrenched in January.

During the summit, a ‘Cry for Action’ petition was finalised to be sent to President Jacob Zuma and Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies. The petition, with over 8,000 signatories so far, calls on the government to act against dumping, to recognise the misery caused by dumping-related job losses and to act urgently in the interests of those whose incomes are at risk.

“This has been a very successful gathering and it has exceeded our expectations,” said FairPlay founder, Francois Baird. “We set out to address the plight of the thousands of South Africans who have lost their jobs because of dumping. Each job lost is a family in misery. Most of them have no other means of support and finding new work, especially in rural areas, is very difficult in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.

“We came here with a number of important objectives, and we have achieved them. It has been very rewarding to see how people from across the spectrum – unions, NGOs, academics and industry representatives – are committed to find workable solutions to assist those most affected by dumping.”

Baird stressed that the solutions were not only about money. They would include retraining of workers and upliftment programmes where hard-hit communities could work on income-generating projects. Enterprise development and sustainable income generation will be a key focus of the support sought.

“FairPlay will serve as a conduit through which suggestions and proposals will be directed to the people who can help. We call on all South Africans to add their voice – whether they can offer a job opportunity to a retrenched worker, a bursary or study assistance to the child of a retrenched worker; training to reskill workers who have lost jobs or merely to add their name to the Cry for Action petition. It is within everyone’s reach to do something.”

Keynote address by Judge Goldstone

Justice Richard Goldstone, an international jurist and former Constitutional Court judge, who is a FairPlay patron, delivered the keynote address. He said that the government should act to prevent predatory dumping, which he defined as dumped imports designed to kill the local industry.

“If the facts establish predatory dumping – that the party or parties dumping have as their motive or one of their motives the destruction of South African competitors – then the rule of law and fair play in trade dictate that on moral and legal grounds action should be taken.

“It would indeed be in the interests of the government to take such action against a practice that is doing damage to a very important industry and potentially causing a significant loss of employment for thousands of workers.”

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Retrenched worker shares her story

Thokosane Thabete, who had worked in the chicken industry for 30 years before she was retrenched in January, shared with Summit attendees her concerns as an unemployed mother who cannot continue to provide an education for her children.

“My son is now in his first year of tertiary education, but without a job I cannot provide for him for next year. Where will he go? Will he join the youngsters on the street who hang around because they don't have jobs? The spectre of crime and drugs in a community who has suddenly fallen on hard times due to mass retrenchments is a real worry for me and my neighbours.”

Using CPA to define origin

Among the plans that emerged from the Summit was an undertaking to look into the Consumer Protection Act and its provisions in terms of food labelling, as dumped imports often end up in shops without having its origins clearly specified, which have implications for food safety.

In his closing address, Marthinus Stander, CEO of Country Bird, South Africa’s third-largest chicken producer and an executive member of the SA Poultry Association, said if bird flu can be contained, and with swift and decisive action by government to prevent continued dumping, the South African chicken industry could grow instead of contracting.

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“If Government acts, we can halt or reduce future retrenchments. The reality is that the effects of the retrenchments that have already taken place will remain with us. Coordinated action to help those most affected would remain a priority.”

Thanking participants for their input, he told them their work was far from over it has only just started.