Steers Issues Statement After Video Shows Zimbabwean Manager Allegedly Forcing South African Workers to Do Gardening While on Duty, With ATM Political Party Raising Concerns About Exploitation, Low Wages and Long Working Hours
Steers has released an official statement after a video circulated on social media showing a Zimbabwean manager allegedly instructing South African workers to do gardening and clean outside the restaurant while they were on duty to work inside the kitchen.
It must be clear that, according to the ATM political party, the issue is not about verbal abuse, but about workers being made to perform duties that fall outside their job descriptions. The workers are seen sweating heavily while doing physical labour outside, and then expected to go back inside to prepare food, raising serious concerns about dignity, labour rights, and food safety.
The ATM leadership says this incident reflects a wider problem in the fast-food industry, where workers are allegedly overworked and underpaid. They claim that some Steers workers earn less than R2,000 per month, while even managers are said to earn around R4,000 per month, despite working long hours and carrying heavy responsibilities.
According to the ATM, these conditions amount to exploitation and a violation of South African labour laws. The party is calling for the Department of Labour and health authorities to investiga te, to ensure that workers are not used as gardeners, cleaners and kitchen staff all at once, and that they are paid fair wages and work in safe, dignified conditions.
Steers, in its statement, says it does not allow staff to perform duties outside their roles, insists on compliance with labour laws and food safety standards, and has taken action against the franchise involved, including retraining management and issuing formal warnings.
