Thousands of farmworkers will hold marches in various rural towns across the country on Saturday, the Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu) said on Friday.
The marches are in protest against poor working and living conditions, concerns for workers’ safety, and the negative effects of the huge hike in food prices, the union said in a statement.
The workers will also protest against the lack of schools, clinics and ”non-partial justice systems” available to them.
”In light of the two recent [road] accidents in Piketberg and De Doorns in the Western Cape claiming the lives of farmworkers, workers will also demand safer transport, as well as stronger monitoring of the compliance of the Occupational Health and Safety Act by farmers.”
Workers, through Fawu, will hand over memorandums of demand to, among others, the departments of labour, agriculture and land affairs, justice, and trade and industry, as well as Agri-SA and the Transvaal Agricultural Union.
Marches will be held in Paarl, Upington, Ficksburg, Groblersdal, Rustenburg and Port Elizabeth from 9am.
Fawu said it will also demand an agricultural-sector truth and reconciliation commission to get to the bottom of abuse and murders of farmworkers and farm dwellers, and expropriation of sections of farms to be used for building schools, clinics and other important social-services delivery points.
Fawu further wants a negotiating platform to be set up to discuss and reach binding agreements on addressing the plight of farmworkers and farm dwellers, and a stop to all evictions, legal or illegal, until agreement is reached on this. — Sapa