New analysis on a number of Fairtrade-certified wine farms within the Cape Winelands has discovered that the working and residing situations at a few of these farms fall in need of the requirements set by Fairtrade Worldwide.
Fairtrade-certified farms are speculated to uphold worldwide requirements for truthful working situations, together with cost of the minimal wage, the proper to collective bargaining, enough housing, amongst different issues.
Farmers who’re licensed can normally export at the next value. The premium paid on Fairtrade-certified merchandise is meant to be stored in a separate account and used to enhance the situations of staff and farmers.
The researchers discovered poor housing on some farms, staff incomes lower than the minimal wage, publicity to dangerous pesticides, and an absence of bogs and accessible water, amongst different issues. Nevertheless, the examine additionally highlighted a number of the enhancements made to the residing and dealing situations on these farms.
The examine, commissioned by the Girls on Farms Undertaking (WFP), was compiled by impartial researcher Celeste Fortuin who interviewed 50 girls on 18 Fairtrade-certified farms.
The examine raised a number of factors of concern which embody:
- 25% of surveyed farms have “poor” or “very poor” housing for staff;
- 31% of staff earn lower than the Nationwide Minimal Wage of R25.42 per hour;
- 54% of girls surveyed are uncovered to pesticides within the vineyards steadily or at dwelling, which isn’t according to worldwide finest apply; and
- 35% of girls staff surveyed should not have entry to bathroom services within the vineyards the place they work all day.
Nevertheless, it additionally highlighted points of the Fairtrade-certified farms which had been working. A lot of the farm staff interviewed had been residing in good situations and everybody surveyed had entry to electrical energy. On all however one of many farms surveyed, everlasting and seasonal staff had acquired written contracts.
On Wednesday, Girls on Farms introduced a number of the findings throughout a launch in Paarl. Afterwards, about 150 farm staff marched to the Labour Centre in Paarl and handed over a memorandum.
They need the labour division to conduct frequent inspections on farms with out first notifying the farm homeowners, they usually need girls seasonal farm staff to be included within the inspections. They need all farm staff to be told of the end result after the inspection, and the place the farms have violated labour legal guidelines, they need homeowners to take corrective motion inside 30 days or face suspension of gross sales.
The employees imagine that harsher penalties needs to be imposed on farms that violate labour legal guidelines.
‘Surprising’
WFP director Colette Solomon mentioned it was “surprising” that a number of the violations famous within the report had been nonetheless occurring on Fairtrade-certified farms and “for sure they’re occurring on uncertified farms too”.
She blamed a “lack of enforcement” of labour legal guidelines and an issue with the way in which inspections are carried out.
Solomon mentioned that there have been additionally issues with the way in which the division handled complaints from labour places of work. Many ladies farm staff wrestle for months to get their unemployment profit funds from labour places of work regardless of contributing to the Unemployment Insurance coverage Fund, she mentioned.
Ntombi Magadla, a farm employee in Wolseley, instructed GroundUp that she had been despatched from pillar to submit by labour division officers when she tried to report pay decrease than the minimal wage on the farm the place she works.
Magadla mentioned the rise of the minimal wage to R25.42 per hour in March has meant that farm staff at the moment are being allotted fewer working hours and days.
Cebo Kutuka of the labour division’s inspections and enforcement companies within the Western Cape additionally addressed the employees throughout the launch on Wednesday. He promised that officers would undergo the report and reply later. He additionally invited Girls on Farms and staff to attend conferences with officers the place a number of the points raised could be mentioned in higher element.
Christo Conradie, a supervisor at farmer consultant NPO Vinpro, instructed the viewers he would take the analysis findings to the organisation’s subsequent assembly.
The provincial division of labour had not responded to GroundUp’s questions by the point of publication.
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