Labour dispute turns sour for eight disgruntled sugar-cane farm workers

Durban — Eight former sugar-cane farm employees have taken their former employer to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after they were dismissed in December.

The disgruntled former employees claim that their dismissal was unfair and that they bore the cross of speaking out against mistreatment at the River Bend Farm in Richards Bay.

One, Mandlakayise Zincume, said he and seven others were dismissed in December after they complained about their low wages for two years.

“I started working as a labourer at the farm when the current owner, Mr Angus McDonald bought it in 2020. Everything seemed okay until 2021, when he started paying us less than what we had agreed on. In December he dismissed all the workers who spoke out on the low payments and irregular working hours,” he said.

Zincume said they were also made permanent for a year and that the contract was changed back to short-term employment without prior notice in 2021. He said they then decided to seek representation from a union.

Another former employee, Mzwenhlanhla Ngwenya, said: “I worked three years as a driver but earned R162 a day. The employer would also expect us to work on public holidays and Sundays without any extra pay. He also did not want to consult us before changing our working agreement. When we complained about the exploitation, he dismissed us,” he said.

Lawrance Nsibande, African Meat Industry and Allied Trade Union (Amitu) leader, told the Daily News that the eight former employees were dismissed after complaining about working hours and wages that were not on the agreed contract.

He also condemned the alleged unfair dismissal.

“After 30 years of freedom in this country, we have employers who pay employees below the minimum wage, which is shocking,” he said.

Gary Hill, financial director of the farm, said that the allegation that Mr Angus McDonald had been paying employees below the minimum wage were incorrect.

“Mr Nsibande has made this allegation against us many times. We have proven him wrong again and again, both at the CCMA and with visits from the Department of Labour. Since Mr Nsibande is left with no leg to stand on, he has decided to come to the newspaper. We have over 150 workers on the farm. Do you really think we could convince all of them to work below the minimum wage? Of course not. They will down their tools and stop working on the very same day. If any employee has an issue with their payslip or any other query, our HR office is always open to them,” said Hill.

Hill said each department also had a manager or induna to whom staff could report issues.

“With a large farm, it is, sadly, not easy to keep every single staff member happy. We do have dismissals from time to time, but I would say it is not above the norm or average for a farm of this size. After the Christmas period, we did terminate the services of a few employees for various reasons, each reason unique to the particular employee. We believe we have followed the law, but if not, we will be happy to face the CCMA and take their ruling. We have had pleasant dealings with the CCMA and they help us to correct our mistakes if we are found to treat employees unfairly,” he said.

However, Nsibande said none of the management from the farm appeared at the CCMA in Richards Bay on February 22.

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Daily News