Wage agreement reached in Clanwilliam

Rooibos production is primarily concentrated in a small section of mountains in the Clanwilliam area.Photo Supplied

Rooibos production is primarily concentrated in a small section of mountains in the Clanwilliam area.Photo Supplied

Published Jan 15, 2013

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Clanwilliam, Western Cape - Farmworkers in Clanwilliam have reached an agreement that might signal the end of the farmworkers' strike in the Western Cape, Cosatu said on Tuesday.

“We are now close to resolving the dispute sooner rather than later,” Congress of South African Trade Union provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich told reporters.

He believed the agreement was a substantial step forward in the negotiations.

The Clanwilliam farmers had agreed to a wage of R105 a day, and those workers who had participated in the strike would not be victimised.

The agreement had been accepted by most farmworkers. Ehrenreich said the deal could serve as a model for the rest of the province, if AgriSA agreed to it on Wednesday.

Western Cape farmworkers went on strike last year to demand their daily wage be increased from R69 to R150, and that a coherent land reform programme be implemented.

The strike was suspended in December, but resumed on Wednesday last week.

At least 167 people had been arrested since then. On Monday alone 42 people were arrested, mainly for public violence. - Sapa

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