Daybreak workers in Delmas rage over unpaid salaries
“We are asking questions about our jobs and our pay, but to no avail.”
Protests of alleged unpaid workers from Daybreak Farms, on May 5 and 6, remained active on the R50 near Delmas, where a Daybreak Foods Abattoir is situated. The other Daybreak abattoir in the Delmas area is on Main Road in Sundra. Reports streamed in last Friday of violent protestors, hurling stones at cars and blocking all traffic.
“We are asking questions about our jobs and pay, but to no avail. I have requested to collect my tools from inside, but they blatantly ignored me,” one worker, who wishes to stay anonymous, told Streeknews.
Daybreak Foods’ problems seem to have been coming for some time. Recent reports indicated Daybreak Foods, owned by The Public Investment Corporation (PIC), a South African state-owned entity, faced financial difficulties. Word has it that a possible liquidation was in the pipeline.
As reported in previous issues of Streeknews, the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) visited several Daybreak Farms after food shortages resulted in cannibalism among thousands of chickens.
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The NSPCA has further confirmed it will lay criminal charges under the Animals Protection Act. The DA in Mpumalanga called on the NSPCA to intervene and take action against the management of a Daybreak Poultry Farm in Delmas.
That was according to a media statement released by Tersia Marshall, DA spokesperson for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, on April 25.
“This comes after we discovered acts of animal cruelty and neglect on the poultry farm associated with the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs,” said Marshall.
In the latest development, the Department of Employment and Labour released a statement on May 6, which expressed their concern over Daybreak’s financial difficulties.
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“The Department of Employment and Labour, through both the Compensation Fund (CF) and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), has noted with concern recent media reports indicating that Daybreak Foods, an entity in which investments have been made via the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), is facing significant operational, financial, and reputational challenges,” said spokesperson Teboho Thejane.
“The department is engaging with the PIC to seek clarity on the status of this investment and to assess any potential impact on the portfolios of both funds. We will take appropriate measures to protect the interests of our stakeholders and to ensure accountability.”
Thejane emphasised the commitment of the Compensation Fund (CF) and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to ensuring investments made on behalf of workers align with their policies and generate sustainable, long-term returns.
At the time of going to print on Wednesday, the protest action continued, and the SAPS, with the assistance of local security companies, closed the R50 from the N12 and the Samuel Road / R50 T-junction in Delmas.
