SA poutry industry to retrench 3000 workers this month as cheap chicken flood market

3000 South Africa poultry workers to lose jobs from end of January

South Africa: About three thousand people employed in the country’s poultry industry are set to lose jobs as companies face stiff competition from foreign suppliers.

Chicken producers Country Bird is earmarking to retrench 1500 workers, while RCL Foods which used to be Rainbow Chicken, has actually started the process of retrenching 1 250 of its workers.

The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu), has called the country’s chicken producers victims of trade arrangement between the South African government and the European Union.

FAWU General-Secretary Katishi Masemola says they are deeply concerned about what’s happening in trade agreements between South Africa and the European Union.

“Here what we are doing is basically making a call to the government to use the powers it has in order to invoke discussions with the European Union commission and get to review this trade arrangements between RSA and EU…one job loss is too many in a country with close to a 40% unemployment rate…”