We need R20 an hour – strikers
FARMWORKERS: BRING CITRUS FARM BUSINESS TO A HALT Employers say they are prepared to meet the demands, but are worried a third force is behind the protest.
Thousands of farmworkers in the Sundays River Valley area in Eastern Cape have been on strike since last Thursday, demanding higher wages. The strike turned violent on Friday, resulting in police arresting seven people in Kirkwood.
Hundreds of farmworkers shut down white-owned shops and urged workers to join in their protest. They did not shut down what they perceived to be Chinese- or foreign-owned shops.
The protesters said they wanted workers in white-owned shops to stop working.
Workers on the citrus farms of Addo and Kirkwood want a minimum wage of R20 an hour. But employers say they have already agreed to this, and that workers were forced to protest against their will by the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco).
Chairperson of Sundays River Workers Forum and Sanco, Vuyisile Sikani, said workers were being exploited by their employers.
“Most workers in the citrus farms and factories are earning R16 an hour,” said Sikani. “That amount is too little given the type of job they do.
“Workers aren’t even provided with protective clothing. They do not have work suits, raincoats, gloves and other protective clothing. Yet, their work exposes them to hazardous chemicals and poisonous snakes.”
Fruit harvester Thamsaqa Hina earns R16.80 an hour.
He said: “I’ve been working for more than two years on the farm. We are only allowed one hour for lunch. There is no time for a tea break.
“We are also not provided with protective clothing. We have to use our own clothing despite [the fact] that there are dangerous chemicals sprayed on the oranges and lemons.”
Hina complained that workers were not given sick leave even if they fell sick or were injured at work. “If a seasonal worker falls sick or gets injured, he is fired on the spot. Workers have no choice but are forced to work even when they are sick.
“The employers take advantage of the high unemployment situation of the area.”
A worker from Lesotho said their employer deducts R30 every fortnight for their work suits. “We are paid R17 an hour. You can get more if you join the incentive system whereby a worker is paid R2.20 per container of fruits.
“It is not easy to fill the container to the satisfaction of the supervisor. It is a very cruel way of paying workers because a worker virtually falls under the mercy of his supervisor.”
Speaking for group of farmers, Sundays River Citrus Company, Hannes de Waal disputed the workers’ claims.
“It is not that farmers don’t want to pay the gazzeted minimum wage. We, in fact, agreed last week with our workers and increased their wages, from R16 an hour to R18 this year, then to R20 next year,” said de Waal.
Meanwhile, police said they arrested seven people on Friday for public violence. They appeared in the Kirkwood Magistrate’s Court yesterday. – groundup.org.za