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The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) Western Cape Province call on all its members in the Province to support our affiliate the Commercial Stevedoring, Agricutural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU) in their fight to improve the living and working conditions of farm workers.

 Our campaigns meeting on Saturday 14 September resolved to mobilise workers across all affiliates as well as progressive working class formation to support the march called by CSAAWU on 21 September to the Norwegian and Swedish consulate to highlight the plight of farmworkers. Farm workers are an integral component of the economy and the food system in South Africa.

Yet they are amongst the poorest, marginalised, most vulnerable and exploited group of workers. They are confronted on a daily basis with violations of labour rights, evictions and casualisation.

Human Rights Watch presented its report: “Ripe with Abuse – Human Rights conditions in South Africa’s Fruit and Wine Industries” in 2011 and found that many farm workers worked without access to water or toilets; were exposed to toxic pesticides without the proper safety equipment; earned among the lowest wages in South Africa. Workers on farms were often given substandard housing, and they and their families were vulnerable to evictions without any place to go if they were forced off the land. Most farm workers were denied paid sick leave as required by law.

Nothing has changed since then. In Fact we would argue it has gotten worse for farmworkers.

We support the General Secretary of CSAAWU, comrade Trevor Christiaans, when he says.
”The life and labour of farm workers is considered cheap.”
He goes on to say the following in support of his statement: -
“Farm workers are paid a hunger wage of R18 per hour. - More than a million farm workers and their families have been removed from farms.
On rainy days farm workers are sent home without pay. - Women are no longer permanently employed and are paid less than men for the same job. -
Many farm workers do not get the necessary protective work clothes when working with toxins such as pesticides. - Occupational health and safety laws are not complied with on farms.”

As SAFTU We note with concern that for the past 12 years and more, Csaawu have brought farm workers’ grievances to the attention of the government, farmers and the international world that endorses ethical trade codes.

The international community can no longer benefit from the exploitation and slave conditions of farm workers in South Africa and must take joint responsibility. We therefore support the march of 21 September 2019 to Norwegian and Swedish Consulate offices to call on the international wine monopoly such as Systembolaget in Sweden, Vinomopolet in Norway and Alko in Finland to use their power to help create better working conditions for farm workers in South Africa.

The purpose of the march is to stop exploitation, low salaries, farm evictions and slave labor on farms. Labour brokers and piecework just worsens the poverty of farmworkers As SAFTU We call on all our members , supporters and progressive organizations to support the march in large numbers on 21 September 2019

Issued by SAFTU WC