Thousands of farmworkers' jobs on line

Johannesburg - At least 2 000 farmworkers were issued with retrenchment notices on Wednesday, Business Day reported on Thursday.

This comes as mechanisation on farms gathers pace, and as the agricultural sector shed jobs ahead of the implementation of a new minimum wage.

The paper reported analysts warning that thousands more would be lost when the new wage comes into effect at the beginning of next month.

Agricultural Machinery Association secretary Jim Rankin told Business Day he expected farmers to look more closely at mechanisation "in the light of the last six months" - during which workers went on strike and unions demanded big pay rises - but said the process "started a long time ago".