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The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson met with national agricultural unions and representatives from the Department of Labour to find an urgent and collective solution to the current  unrests unfolding in the agricultural sector in the Western Cape.

The Minister’s intervention was to reiterate her objective to bring normality and stability to the agricultural sector in general and to De Doorns in particular.

The farmer unions unequivocally stated that they were not keen to discuss the matter of wages at this stage, but they preferred to negotiate with their workers on an individual farm-to-farm basis. The farmers indicated that their workers have already returned to work as of this morning.

According to the unions, their problems were solved and there was no need for a process to be facilitated by the Minister.

The Minister will approach the Minister of Labour, as the custodians of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, to institute a commission on the basic conditions of employment for farm workers and on sectoral determination for the industry.