Premier wins Labour Court battle over Tulbagh plant retrenchment process
The Labour Court has dismissed a union's bid to halt Premier's retrenchment process, but the future of its Tulbagh cannery remains uncertain amid wider opposition to its closure.
The African Food, Farming, Hotel and Allied Workers Union (AFADWU) lost its bid to halt a retrenchment process at Premier's Tulbagh fruit canning plant in the Western Cape. The Labour Court dismissed the union's urgent application on 6 November, upholding the company's voluntary severance agreements signed by almost all affected employees.
Premier had informed employees in July 2026 of potential job cuts, initiating a facilitated consultation process with the CCMA in August. Nearly all salaried employees and most wage workers signed the agreements, with only one union member not doing so. The court found insufficient evidence to prove the agreements were not freely and voluntarily entered into, nor that Premier failed to conduct meaningful consultations.
However, the ruling does not end the matter for one union member who has not signed. Premier has decided not to reopen the Tulbagh cannery for the 2026 harvest season, potentially impacting 400 workers, 200 farmers, thousands of farmworkers, and five rural communities.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
