The Public Servants Association (PSA) has raised serious concerns following a viral video showing Steers employees at a shopping centre in Menlo Park, Pretoria, being instructed to perform gardening duties, an incident that has since sparked widespread public debate about workers’ rights and labour practices.
Although the incident occurred in the private sector, the PSA said the issues raised are of broader significance and speak directly to workers’ rights, occupational health and safety, and compliance with South Africa’s labour laws across all sectors. The union noted Steers’ public admission that the instruction issued by the manager was unacceptable and not part of standard operating practice.
While corrective steps were announced including the issuing of a formal notice and retraining of managers, the PSA said the response does not sufficiently address the seriousness of the matter. According to the association, the incident reflects a deeper concern about the extent to which employees may be instructed to perform duties that fall outside the scope of their employment.
The PSA emphasised that South African labour law is clear: employees may only be required to perform work that is reasonably linked to their job description, skills and conditions of service. While employers may issue lawful and reasonable instructions, such instructions must not fundamentally change the nature of the employee’s work or amount to an unfair labour practice.
Instructing fast-food employees to perform gardening or grounds maintenance duties work for which they were neither appointed nor trained falls outside these legal parameters, the union said. It also highlighted serious occupational health and safety concerns, noting that gardening and grounds maintenance may involve tools, environmental hazards and physical risks that fast-food workers are not trained or equipped to manage.
In terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are required to provide a safe working environment and ensure employees are adequately trained for the tasks they perform. Assigning duties outside an employee’s scope of work significantly increases the risk of injury and contravenes this duty of care, the PSA warned.
The association further cautioned that should an employee sustain an injury while performing duties outside their scope of appointment, legal and financial consequences could follow. These include disputes over compensation, questions of employer liability and prolonged legal processes that may place workers at risk of financial hardship and uncertainty.
Beyond the legal implications, the PSA said the incident raises serious concerns about the dignity of workers and the principle of decent work. Employees should not be treated as interchangeable labour, nor should operational challenges be resolved at the expense of workers’ rights, safety and dignity.
The PSA called on employers in both the public and private sectors to respect clearly defined job descriptions, comply strictly with occupational health and safety legislation, and ensure proper consultation and training before introducing changes to work practices. It added that the incident should serve as a reminder that workers’ rights are protected by law and that deviations from safe and lawful practices carry serious consequences.
The PSA’s comments follow the circulation of a video on social media showing workers dressed in Steers uniforms clearing weeds outside a shopping centre in Menlo Park. In the clip, a passing motorist questions the workers about the task, to which one responds: “Eish, go itsi Modimo fela” loosely translated as “Only God knows.”
A viral video showed workers dressed in Steers uniforms performing gardening duties at a shopping centre in Menlo Park, Pretoria, has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many users accusing the fast-food chain of exploiting its employees.
In the clip, which has circulated widely on X, several men can be seen clearing weeds and doing outdoor labour while still wearing Steers-branded uniforms. When a man driving past asked why they were gardening, one worker replied, “Eish, go itsi Modimo fela,” loosely translated as “Only God knows.”
Following public backlash, Steers acknowledged the video and said the workers had been asked to remove excessive weeds due to delays in landlord maintenance. The company admitted that the task should not have been carried out by staff, describing the decision by the manager involved as a “wrong judgment call”.
Steers said the incident does not reflect standard operating practice at the brand and confirmed that managers at the affected restaurant are undergoing retraining on labour practices and role boundaries. The company added that it is engaging with the landlord to ensure external service providers handle ongoing maintenance, reaffirming its commitment to staff dignity, food safety and compliance with South African labour laws.
[email protected]
Saturday Star
Comments are closed.