Agriculture labour study stats released
ACCORDING to a Department of Employment and Labour study, work deficiencies still prevail relating to the ‘decent work’ aspect in the agriculture sector, despite improvements in working conditions.
The study was conducted in the ‘vulnerable’ agriculture sector and found that while employers have made advances in improving the working conditions of employees, there were still areas of concern that need attention.
The study sampled 4
055 employees and 210 employers with an 86% response rate.
The department’s spokesperson, Thami Bikitsha, said the study was conducted nationally between 2018 and 2019.
The concept of ‘decent work’ was introduced by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in
1999 and is described as ‘opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity’.
The four pillars of decent work, according to the ILO, are full and productive employment, rights at work, social protection and promotion of social dialogue.
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According to the study, agriculture, forestry and fisheries were historically recognised as sectors with job creation potential, but between 1994 and 2014, employment declined in primary agricultural production.
The agricultural sector has lost jobs, partly owing to the evolution of farming.
The employee research results show that 26.1% say they have worked in the sector for between three to five years, 19.8% worked for between six to 10 years and 24.7% per cent for more than 10 years.
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In terms of stability and security at work, the study said among those who were permanently employed, 78% had a written contract, while 22% had a verbal contract.
Non-permanent employees tended to have contracts of three years or longer.
Eight in 10 employees worked between 40 hours and 45 hours per week. More than two thirds would have preferred to work more hours in their current job.
Out of those, the majority said they would like to work an extra one to two hours per week.
A total of 63.2% had access to family responsibility leave, while 47.5% received maternity leave and 76.5% had access to vacation leave.
Forty-nine per cent contribute towards a pension, 38.1% pay for compensation for occupational injuries and diseases and 87.2% pay towards the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
The study found that most employees know of someone who experienced a fatal incident at work.
A whopping 77.7% of workers in agriculture are not union members.
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Most employers said employees worked on average 40 to 45 hours.
A significant number of employers pay employees overtime.
Seasonality plays a role where the shifts differ depending on whether it is the planting or harvesting season.
Most employers furnish their employees with written contracts, with a few contracts being verbal.
Some employers said that employees refused to sign contracts based on the advice of union leaders.
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The recommendations include the improvement of occupational health and safety (OHS) to prevent and reduce the incidents of injuries, contracting diseases and fatalities.
The department also felt that awareness of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), as well as leave provisions, should be available for every worker.
Easy access for union officials on farms to foster good working relations for all social partners in this sector should be encouraged.