Cape Town - “How can we live like this?” Was the cry of mostly women farmworkers, over inhumane practices on some farms, a day after Human Rights Day was commemorated across the country.
Women On Farms Project (WFP) released its independent research findings into the living and working conditions of farmers at Fairtrade-certified wine farms, on Wednesday at the Huguenot Community Hall in Paarl.
About 250 farm women from Stellenbosch, Paarl, Simondium, De Doorns, Rawsonville, Wellington,Witzenberg, were present.
Farmworkers shared counts of verbal and in some cases physical abuse by farmers or supervisors/ managers, how portable toilets were only brought when visited for inspections, and the termination of contracts or unfair dismissals and evictions.
WFP said while Fairtrade standards have improved the living and working conditions for several farmworkers on its certified farms, many still do not comply with the labour law’s minimum requirements.
Researcher Celeste Fortuin said Fairtrade certification shows there are certain standards that apply for how workers should be treated and how the wines should be produced. Fortune said the research focused on women as historically in South Africa, women farmworkers do not have the same working conditions as their male counterparts for most of the time. Fifty farm women from 18 out of the identified 24 Fairtrade-certified farms, specifically in the Cape Winelands District were surveyed, in addition to a workshop with 15 women and focus group discussions with 32 farmworkers.
Twenty-five percent of workers described their working conditions as poor or very poor, with some of these farms having been certified for over 10 years. Twenty-four percent of workers said they experienced verbal abuse by a farmer or farm manager, and one worker mentioned she had been physically struck by a foreman. Fifteen percent of women did not have access to safe drinking water while working in the vineyards. Thirty-five percent of women said there were no toilets.
“When there’s no toilets on these farms, they are still expected to relieve themselves in the nearby bushes.”
Thirty-one percent of workers earned below the National Minimum wage/ When surveyed, 93% of women said what they earned was not enough for living wage.
Twenty-three percent of women said farmers gave instructions on what to say and what to do when auditors visited, 73% said they did not know how to report a Fairtrade standard violation, and 10% said they were afraid to make a complaint. Fifty-four percent of workers surveyed are exposed to pesticides in the vineyards and/or at home.
Following the release of the report, farm workers marched to the Department of Employment and Labour to hand over a memorandum of demands addressed to Minister Thembelani Nxesi.
WFP director Colette Solomon said: “The Department has the authority to enforce the laws of this country, to enforce the labour laws, to inspect farms.”
Fairtrade Southern Africa said they would be able to respond to the report once seen, adding that they would investigate where there are accusations and findings pointing towards this.