Farm workers 'need watchdog'

Cape Town - Certain labour brokers, agricultural contractors and producers' exploitation of seasonal farm workers can be curbed if a regulatory body for the industry is created.

A body such as this could draw up guidelines for good practice and test whether accredited members comply with them.

This is the essence of a presentation that a group of labour brokers and contractors wanting to change the negative image of the industry will make to the parliamentary portfolio committee on labour on Tuesday.

Labour brokers supply farmers with temporary or permanent workers while independent contractors provide particular services, such as trimming a specified number of trees or picking fruit.

André Bloem, a labour law practitioner at Boland Labour Consultants, says there has recently been a considerable increase in the number of agricultural contractors and labour brokers as farmers are reducing the numbers of permanent workers in their service to save costs and reduce risk.

He estimates that there are already between 40 and 60 agricultural contractors in each of the large fruit-producing areas such as Ceres, Wellington, Paarl and Elgin.

Tarnished image

According to Bloem, the image of law-abiding contractors is being tarnished by opportunists offering cheaper rates, which they can quote because they do not contribute to either unemployment or disability insurance.

Apart from inadequate provision for workers, there are cases of their exploitation, such as when a contractor held back workers' first week's wages to ensure that they stay with him to the end of the season.

This particular contractor also deducted money for food, but the workers received neither food nor the outstanding wages.

Bloem warns that the farmer ultimately takes the rap when things go wrong since he and the service provider are held accountable should a worker be unfairly dismissed or badly treated.

Bloem says establishing an industrial organisation for agricultural contractors and labour brokers could eliminate many of the unacceptable practices.

Farmers would be able to check the status of a contractor or broker with the proposed body and get certainty regarding the legality of the person's labour practices.

Joy van Biljon, head of training at the Koue Bokkeveld Training Centre, says she understands why the government is opposed to the use of labour contractors but she believes a distinction should be made between good and bad contractors.

"Contractors are small business entrepreneurs and, instead of government and industry attempting to get rid of them, there should rather be a focus on ways to help them," she says.

"Without these industry players the fruit will continue to hang on the trees and the workers in the squatter camps remain jobless. Contractors are often these people's only access to work."

- Sake24.com

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