Government should dismiss labour inspectors and police officers who collude with farmers against farm workers
12 January 2017
The reports that some farmers are deducting electricity, water and rent money to counter the minimum wage confirms the assertion by the federation that most farmers still behave like slave masters in this country. This exposes the exploitative tendencies of the farming sector and highlights the plight of South African farm workers. COSATU condemns these illegal deductions and urges the department of Labour to intensify farm inspections and make sure that farmers comply with sectoral determination minimum wages.
The federation insists that there should be intergovernmental coordination to fight the modern day slavery that is still thriving on our farms. Not only do workers experience, extreme exploitation like these illegal deductions, they also suffer from physical and psychological abuse in the workplace.
During our ongoing Back to Basics and Workplace visits campaign that started last year directed mostly at vulnerable workers, COSATU discovered that on top of these illegal deductions, many workers are forced to exceed the maximum working hours permitted by law. They do not receive the required overtime pay or time off, including overtime provisions.
Most of them do not enjoy their rights to paid sick, family and annual leave. They are mostly not included under the UIF, due to the non-payment of UIF fees by the employers, and also do not enjoy full maternity leave benefits and rights.