The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
The recent industrial action by 16 000 Tongaat Hullet Zimbabwe workers who were demanding a salary increment is a sad reminder of the poor working conditions that workers in the agricultural and agro-processing industry are subjected to, the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) has said.
The union said the collapse of negotiations between the employer and the workers highlights the vulnerability of workers.
The workers, mainly from lower grades, want the minimum wage to be increased from $170 per month to $370 so that they will be at par with workers from the company’s subsidiaries in Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique.
Although Tongaat Hullet Zimbabwe issued a Press statement in which it advised its stakeholders that everything is back to normal, tensions are still simmering.
Mr Freedom Madungwe, the president of the Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Industry Workers Union (ZISMIWU), which represents the workers, say the workers still have a bone to chew with their employer.
“We can resort to industrial action anytime soon. Our grievances have not been addressed. We agreed on a minimum $10 pay increase pending negotiations, but the company is now dragging its feet and is not in a hurry to go back to the negotiating table,” Mr Madungwe said.
He said the company is instead pressing for arbitration.
Apart from seeking salary increments, the workers allege that some of them are living in squalid conditions and the majority of them do not have access to electricity despite the fact that the sugar giant produces its own electricity.
Mr Madungwe said the schools constructed by the company are few, resulting in some of the students attending privately-run colleges.
In a statement, Tongaat Huletts’ Corporate affairs manager, Adelaide Chikunguru, argued that the company is offering services such as housing and health care, among others; adding that the minimum wage of $170 remains competitive in the agro-processing industry.
“The minimum wage of $170 is the highest in the agriculture and agro-processing industry. Workers also receive subsidised housing, water, amenities, education and free health care services,” Chikunguru said.
The timber industry has a minimum wage of $150 while the sugar processing sector’s minimum wage is pegged at $170.
Although ZISMIWU is not affiliated to GAPWUZ, Mr Golden Magwaza, the GAPWUZ acting secretary-general said challenges affecting sugarcane workers are similar to those affecting workers in the general agricultural sector.
“Farm workers are the most vulnerable. Once a worker loses his or her job, that person has to leave the farm, thereby depriving them of accommodation. The victim’s children are also forced to move to other schools” Mr Magwaza said.
He said most farm workers end up staying at farms where they are not paid since they do not have anywhere else to go, adding that the workers are living from hand-to-mouth.
“Workers in the agriculture sector are getting a paltry $72 minimum wage. If we divide that amount by 30 days and further divide it by, say, five family members, we can conclude that families in the agriculture sector are living on $0,48 per day,” Mr Magwaza said.
He highlighted that some farms owners are even reluctant to pay the $72 wage, reducing their workers to beggars.
GAPWUZ has a permanent membership of 20 000 workers.
Membership can increase to as much as 30 000 when seasonal workers and fixed term contract workers are factored in. According to Mr Magwaza, the majority of complaints that are handled by GAPWUZ involve unfair dismissals, non-payment of wages and allowances, late payment and non-payment of terminal benefits.
Mr Austin Muswere, the GAPWUZ acting deputy secretary-general, is baffled by the conduct of some farm owners.
“They prefer to pay large sums of money to lawyers instead of paying their former workers. The main problem that we are facing is that some farm workers still do not pay even if they have been ordered to do so by either the Labour Court or by an arbitrator,” Mr Muswere said.
According to Mr Muswere, some farmers are not paying their workers, citing the El Nino effect.
“Some farm workers have gone for almost a year without getting their salaries. Some have been forced to go on unpaid leave whilst some farm owners are applying for partial exemption. The situation is bad and last year, there were no wage negotiations,” said Mr Muswere.
He called upon Government to come up with social protection mechanisms and to enact laws that compel farm owners to pay what the Labour Court and arbitrators would have ordered.
Mr Muswere also urged the courts and arbitrators to deal with cases involving farm workers in a quick and efficient way.
“Once a worker loses his or her job, that person is automatically deprived of their source of income. The majority of the workers end up dropping their cases since they will not be able to attend the numerous court proceedings. Their cases must be dealt with expeditiously,” Mr Muswere said.
