Farmworker unions and the ANC have slammed a new “agriculture action plan” in the Western Cape as a “cheap stunt”.
|||Cape Town - Farmworker unions and the ANC have slammed a new “agriculture action plan” by the Western Cape government as a “cheap stunt” to get support for next year’s elections.
Agriculture MEC Gerrit van Rensburg on Thursday announced a 12-point plan.
Farming in areas across the province was brought to a standstill from November to January when workers protested against low wages and poor living conditions.
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant announced in February that farmworkers’ minimum daily wage would increase from R69 to R105 on March 1.
But there have been fears of more strikes as farmers struggle to pay the new wage and cannot afford to take on extra seasonal workers.
On Thursday, Van Rensburg said an integrated approach to service delivery was needed.
“We’ve now decided to put an action plan in place,” Van Rensburg said.
“In the short to medium term, we will embark on a province-wide farmworker survey to get reliable information on farmworkers and their living conditions.
As a result, a database of farmworkers in the Western Cape will become available and reliable information on their household profiles will be generated.”
Other parts of the plan include:
* A youth empowerment scheme, to see matriculants, student interns and unemployed graduates placed with host employers for practical farm experience. These employers would be subsidised for taking in trainees.
* Engagement between farmers and farmworkers, like monthly dinners and meetings. Farmers will also be required to drive to the meetings in the same vehicle as their workers.
* A toll free number, activated from next month, for farmworkers to log grievances over living conditions, salaries and labour matters.
* Farmworker housing. The department is working with the provincial Human Settlements Department to explore agri villages.
* Farmworker structures, to create a platform that will be “the voice” of the farmworkers.
Van Rensburg said no organisation “legally” represented farmworkers in the Western Cape. Unions were “welcome to join the structures.”
Nosey Pieterse, president of the Black Association of the Wine and Spirit Industry (Bawsi), said the plan would fail without input from unions and farmworker organisations.
“This is a cheap stunt to get votes in 2014. We will encourage our members not to support this plan…
ANC MPL on agriculture, Ellen Prins, said the plan was too late: “Why now?,” she asked.
“We’ve been highlighting these issues in the legislature since 2009, and have been ignored.
clayton.barnes@inl.co.za
Cape Argus