Workers who report to John Steenhuisen, the minister of agriculture, have gone three months without pay. They are having trouble taking care of their families and paying for basic living expenses without pay, and many of them have spoken out about it.
“We don’t know why we haven’t been paid,” one worker said, requesting anonymity. We have enquired, but have not received a satisfactory response. We continue to show up for work each day, but our fundamental necessities remain unmet, and this is incredibly distressing.
Since they have depleted their savings, some workers are turning to loans from relatives and friends just to make ends meet. They are concerned about the length of time this issue will drag on without a solution.
We have bills to pay, groceries to buy, and my children’s school fees to pay,” another worker shared. This is getting out of hand. Our inability to support our families makes it impossible for us to continue working.
Employee morale has been impacted by the delay in salary payments as well. Multiple employees have expressed a lack of motivation, with a few even contemplating quitting their positions altogether. The difficulty of obtaining new employment in the present economic climate, however, has left many people feeling trapped.
A brief statement was issued by Minister Steenhuisen’s office in response to the increasing concerns. The statement acknowledged the issue but did not provide any immediate solutions. Payment delays have been brought to our attention, and we are collaborating closely with the Treasury to find a speedy solution. Workers are feeling the effects of this, and we are doing all in our power to get them paid as soon as possible.
Workers are still worried and unsure of when they will get their past-due wages, even though this statement has been made. At this time, many people are just waiting for the issue to be fixed as soon as possible.