Premier Foods workers anxious about losses should factory close down - EWN

Workers at Premier Foods said they stand to lose more than just an income if the factory closes, warning they will also lose access to essential services.

On Wednesday, they picketed outside the Fruit Products Western Cape plant in Tulbagh after retrenchment consultations between the company and unions reached a deadlock.

Seasonal worker Anele Gabela, who has worked at the plant for the past seven years and supports a household of five, has revealed that workers are worried about accessing Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) benefits, as there is no UIF office in Tulbagh.

He added that many essential services, including banking facilities, are only available in Ceres, about 30 kilometres away.

"You have to go to the hospital, sometimes it’s an emergency, you are unemployed, you can't ask someone to drive you to the hospital. What are you going to pay them with? And for SASSA [South African Social Security Agency], going to Home Affairs.