Cape Town - Unions have condemned farm and forestry employers who are not complying with the latest minimum wage for workers.
As another fuel price increase looms, they say farmworkers will be one of the groups hardest hit.
Read: Minimum wage to go up in farming, forestry
In February the Department of Labour announced that from March the daily wage for a farmworker who works nine hours a day will be R128.26, up from R120.32.
The hourly rate of R13.37 will increase to R14.25, the weekly rate of R601.61 will increase to R641.32 and the monthly rate of R2 606.78 will increase to R2 778.83.
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant recently said she was aware that “most” farm and forestry employers were not complying with the increase in the sector and cautioned against disingenuous practices, as it “flies in the face of the drought relief funding that government provides to them”.
“Most of these employers are reportedly paying workers far less than the current stipulated minimum wages in this sector.
“The reasons advanced by these employers are attributed mainly to the drought currently experienced by farmers. One of the undertakings made by farmers in receiving drought relief assistance from government is that they will retain workers during these drought conditions,” Oliphant said.
The provincial Economic Opportunities Department last week threw drought-ravaged farmers in the province a R23 million lifeline. Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde said a R1.2 billion loss to the wine and fruit industries was estimated.
Women on Farms Project director Colette Solomon said from reports they had received from women working on farms in De Doorns, Paarl, Wellington, Stellenbosch and Rawsonville, many farmers were not adhering to the new minimum wage.
The project works to strengthen the role of women who live and work on farms, through socio-economic rights-based and gender education, advocacy and lobbying.
Rural Agricultural and Allied Workers Union chief negotiator Nosey Pieterse called for farmers to be severely penalised if they were identified as intentionally not paying farmworkers the correct amount.
“It is disgusting to know that even though farmers are getting relief from government that they are not paying workers the minimum, at least.
“The minimum wage is already so low and farmworkers can hardly do anything with the money. If they do not get paid more and the price of fuel increases, they are going to be hit, and hard,” Pieterse said.
Food and Allied Workers’ Union general secretary Katishi Masemola said farmworkers’ wages would be eroded even faster with the new fuel increases.
“We are happy that the minister has publicly condemned farmers for doing this, because when we do so we are accused of politicking and raising emotions,” Masemola said.
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