Press Statement by FAWU on the Unilateral Public Pronouncement by Minister of Labour regarding the current Farm Workers Strikes

The Food and Allied Workers' Union [FAWU] found the statement by the Minister of Labour to demonstrate lack of urgency and decisiveness, whilst sending a discouraging message to ALL those involved in finding a lasting solution to the strike actions within the Agricultural sector.

The unilateral stance adopted by the Minister will only harden farmer owners' attitudes, leading to intransigency on their part, and equally strengthening the resolve by farm workers to return back to strike come the 4th December 2012.

The Minister is making such public pronouncement in the mist of poor or lack of compliance to the various pieces of labour legislation in farming sector and virtually no enforcement by her department.

It is unacceptable for a Minister, who was not around but abroad when stake-holders took initiative to meaningfully engages in talks, to be insensitive to such a process of engagement without familiarizing herself with current status of discussions. While the Minister is technically correct in her narrow raw interpretation of the law, she should have asked why stake-holders are engaging despite such a law or its interpretation instead of unilaterally making a pronouncement.

FAWU therefore calls for a Minister's valued leadership to support process of engagement already underway and exercise leadership rather than taking a stance of public pronouncement and mindful of the following:

- There is a general national consensus that the R69.00 a day pay-package (wages), as contained in the Sectoral Determination, is extremely low and needs to be reviewed urgently, not in March or April 2012

- That concerned parties, Government Farmers/Employers and Trade Unions, embrace the need for negotiations to be continued rather than the strike actions that threatens to bring a halt to the entire sector in the Republic

- That the central cause of the current situation emanates from a legislation residing right on top of her desk and needs to be approached differently and not with technicalities.

Whilst FAWU supports the workers demands it continues to call for a state of calm and peace during any demonstration, be it protest marches and picketing activities.

With this public pronouncement, FAWU cannot guarantee that it will be able to do what it did in successfully urging workers to return back to work and allowing negotiations to unfold. We cannot guarantee what will be the reaction of farm workers, both in the Western Cape and nationally to her pronouncement come the 04th December 2012.

Statement issued by Katishi Masemola, FAWU General Secretary, November 28 2012

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter