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Farm Workers’ Living and Working Conditions in South Farm Workers’ Living and Working Conditions in South

Farm Workers’ Living and Working Conditions in South - PowerPoint Presentation

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Farm Workers’ Living and Working Conditions in South - PPT Presentation

Africa Key Trends Emergent Issues amp Underlying and Structural Problems Margareet Visser Institute of Development and Labour Law University of Cape Town and Dr Stuart Ferrer ID: 578783

farm workers support cape workers farm cape support number labour rural producers drakenstein municipality eston areas housing receive ventersdorp

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Slide1

Farm Workers’ Living and Working Conditions in South Africa: Key Trends, Emergent Issues, & Underlying and Structural Problems

Margareet Visser Institute of Development and Labour Law,University of Cape Townand Dr Stuart Ferrer Director of the Agricultural Policy Research Unit, School of Agricultural, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-NatalSlide2

How? Our Methodology

Focussed on labour-intensive industriesTen case studies (consisting of five farms each) in eight provincesIn-depth semi-structured individual interviews with 48 producers and 208 farm workersGroup interviews with 250 farm workers. 90 interviews with key stakeholders across the case studies (industry organisations, trade unions, NGOs, government)Slide3

The state’s approach to agriculture since 1994Engagement with farm workers (RDP)

Extension of labour legislationStrengthening of tenure of security rightsWithdrawal from producers (GEAR)Deregulation of the agricultural sector (e.g. closing down of marketing boards)Less direct support: subsidisationLess indirect support: withdrawal of tariff barriers Producers have become price takers Slide4

Has this policy worked?

The number of farming units have declined by 30% over 10 years) Average solvency of farms has declined to the worst levels in 30 years as debt growth outstripped asset growth.The number of workers have declined by 30% over 20 years)Slide5

Markets have changed….Covent Garden 1968-1974Slide6

Markets today… A Walmart

DCSlide7

Farmers have little control over pricesSlide8

Casualisation has increased

 Sep-08Oct-09Nov-10Dec-11 PSP

S

P

S

P

S

Hex

61

39

33

67

35

65

34

66

Orange

15

85

15

85

12

88

11

89

Total

27

73

22

78

20

80

19

81Slide9

Serious knock-on effects as a result of casualisation

More workers are living off-farmLabour brokering prevalent in labour intensive areasMore internal migrationRural Towns not copingSlide10

More evictions? Difficult to know….A look at Drakenstein municipality

Department of Rural Affairs and Land Reform (DRDLR), Cape Winelands:Number of evictions:Drakenstein Municipality:Number

of

farmers

who have brought eviction

cases

Drakenstein Municipality:

Number

of eviction notices

received

Drakenstein

Municipality:

Number

of

occupiers estimated

to be

evicted

2012

6

31

91

147

2013

No data

11

42

63Slide11

Leave and working hours:We found fairly high levels of compliance

 TotalPerm Season Outliers i.t.o compliancy (PW only)Outliers i.t.o. non-compliancy (PW only

)

Receive annual or pro-rata leave

78%

83%

63%

WC:

98%; Ventersdorp: 95%

Eston and Nkomazi: 67%

Receive paid sick leave

85%

88%

77%

SRV, Ventersdorp, Gauteng: 100

%

Eston: 75%; Nkomazi: 53

%

Work 9 hours (or less) per day

91%

89%

96%

WC,

SRV, Gauteng: 100%

Ventersdorp, Bothaville, Eston: 75-77

%

Receive a payslip during each pay period

96%

98%

91%

 

 

Are paid 1.5x the normal rate for overtime

66%

70%

56

%

SRV: 100%;

WC:

84%

Levubu: 38%; Eston: 50

%Slide12
Slide13

Most WC workers earn less than R130 per day in 2014Slide14

Western Cape and Gauteng workers relatively better off than those in rest of country

2011% less2012% less2013% less

Mphuma

langa

21%

KZN

26%

Free State

24%

KZN

22%

Mphuma

langa

27%

Mphuma

langa

24.5%

Eastern Cape

24%

Eastern Cape

31%

Eastern Cape

30%

Free State

33%

Free State

35%

KZN

30.8%

Limpopo

34%

Limpopo

43%

Limpopo

51%Slide15

More protection and support to workers

Change labour legislation to protect seasonal workersMore legal support and rights training Closer co-operation between the DoL; and ethical trade bodies; unions should start to “ride” standardsImplement policies/plans to extend seasonal workRoll out the Public Works Programmes in rural areas during the off-season Support the establishment of processing facilities and post-harvest facilities that lengthen the seasonSlide16

Bolster producers’ bargaining powerOpen up new export markets

Eliminate non-tariff trade barriersConsider exempting exporting producers from the Competition ActSlide17

Revise Housing Policy

Provide more support for on-farm housing Enter public/private partnerships with producer communities to build more off-farm worker housing;More financial support to rural municipalitiesImprove public transport in rural areasSlide18

Full report available at:www.idll.uct.ac.za

Contact: Margareet VisserUniversity of Cape Townmargareet.visser@uct.ac.za