Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana on Saturday said he was pleased that farmers were agreeing with minimum wage legislation.
He was speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between organised labour, organised business and the Mpumalanga provincial government on bettering labour relations on and union access to farms.
”Some of the farmers have personally expressed their appreciation to me with the minimum wage, saying it had brought stability on their farms with less absconding.
”In fact I have been approached by farmers to ensure that we increase the level of compliance with the minimum wage to ensure competitiveness,” he added.
But Mdladlana warned that the promise of a stable labour market would only come to fruition if there was a collective agreement on the right to bargaining and the acknowledgement that people had the freedom of association.
”The question of freedom of association always becomes a problem when it affects the workers and triggers debates around labour costs. Workers have the right to freely associate like any other South African,” he said.
Expanding on the memorandum, Mdladlana said the agreement ”set out a vision for labour relations in the agricultural sector and access to farms”.
The parties to the agreement agreed to ensure that there was a skilled, productive work-force which would maintain good working and living conditions in an environment that was safe and secure, he said.
He added that these stipulations would ensure a competitive sector.
Mdladlana also addressed the issue of farm killings, saying: ”We need to ensure that we fast-track the issue of access to farms to enable us to deal effectively with the security of farm dwellers …”.
Meanwhile, a programme which aimed to train 50 learners in Farm Management was announced.
The programme is estimated to cost R1-million and is funded by the National Skills Fund. – Sapa