PrintFAWU Welcomes the National Summit on the Plight of Farm, Forest and Fishing Workers and Dwellers 30-31 July 2010
29 July 2010
The Food and Allied Workers’ Union welcomes with great enthusiasm the upcoming national summit on the plight of farm, forest and fishing workers and dwellers on 30-31 July at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, Cape Town which we believe is long overdue. We are looking forward to the opportunity to find sustainable solutions for the dire situation of all these vulnerable workers.
The summit, which is convened by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, will provided a much needed opportunity for our members and other vulnerable workers in general to air their grievances and suggestions to the highest decision makers and all relevant stakeholders. We commend the government’s wholistic approach to assess and address the needs of vulnerable workers and their willingness to act on the call of these workers and their unions.
We hope that the summit will have a visible and sustainable impact on the lives of these workers and dwellers in South Africa. We can only hope that the summit will exceed our expectations and that it gives these workers the confidence in government’s ability to improve their working and living conditions.
It is in this context that we hope the summit will result in a process of government policy and legislation review in order to meaningfully address terrible working conditions, horrible living conditions and poor access to justice and human rights.
It cannot be acceptable that workers continue to earn far less than the minimum wages contained in sectoral determination laws and work for very long hours with dangerous chemicals under adverse weather conditions yet without protective clothing.
It cannot continue to happen that workers and dwellers on farms and forests continue to live without adequate decent shelter, without amenities like recreational facilities, health care and educational facilities, and without services like running water and electricity.
It remains unacceptable that the human rights of these workers and dwellers continue to be violated. Not many of these violations and crimes are reported. Of those reported, only a few are successfully prosecuted. Of those prosecuted the guilty verdict is not common. Of those with guilty verdicts, punishment does not fit the crime committed.
Please contact the General Secretary , cde Katishi Masemola on 082 467 2509 for more information.
Released by :
FAWU media office
Dominique Swartz
082 498 5631
back