The Department of Labour joins hands with CCMA to host the farm worker summit on the 2 September 2013 at Cradock Community hall so as to exchange views, share good practices, discuss how to best ensure compliance with labour legislation and sustainability of the farm sector in the Eastern Cape.
The farm sector has a Sectoral Determination 13 which governs conditions of employment in this sector.
Cradock has been chosen to host the summit as it is in the middle of the commercial farming community with Queenstown, Aliwal North, Graff Reinet and Fort Beaufort all being farming communities.
The compliance level in this sector fluctuates from time to time but the latest statistics of 2012 indicate compliance level of 82% in the Sectoral Determination Act 13. This statistics excludes the compliance level of the Occupational Health and Safety Act side.
It has become critical that both organised labour for the farm sector: FAWU and the association for farmers: AGRI EC, whose majority of farming associations and individual farmers are affiliated share the platform for the betterment of the farm sector.
The line up of speakers in the summit includes the profile of compliance which will done by Department of Labour, farm workers settlement by the Department of Land Reform, the research topic by ECARP, challenges experienced by commercial farmers at workplaces by AGRI EC, challenges experienced by organised labour at the workplace by FAWU, the variations of SD13, Social justice, SD13 statistics and CCMA products by CCMA.
Mr Livingstone Matiwane who is the Chief Provincial Inspector responsible for inspections in the province explains why Department of Labour should work hand and glove with CCMA “Compliance has two sides, the working conditions in Sectoral Determination 13 and also the Labour Relations which falls within the ambits of CCMA. We would like to see the two elements combined so as we forge partnerships so that we can enforce the laws and talk in totality.”
The Chief Director Provincial Operations Manager, Mr Bheki Gama, says: “The province of the Eastern Cape is one of the provinces that has a larger farming community, we need to make sure that we strive for 100 per cent compliance level with this sector so as to ensure that we achieve the decent work objective and create harmonious relations in the sector.”
For further enquiries, please contact :
Ms Vuyokazi Mbanjwa, Communications Manager
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