Cape Town - Disgruntled Western Cape farm workers and activists say there has been no change since a march earlier this year where poor conditions of labour were raised.
A total of 150 Western Cape farm workers took to the streets and handed a memorandum of demands to the legal centre in Paarl.
The memorandum of demands, dated March 22, states 31% of women workers are paid less than the National Minimum Wage, 35% of workers have no access to a toilet in the vineyard while working and 54% of workers are exposed to pesticides in the vineyards or at their homes.
They also demanded the Department of Labour must introduce a new toll-free hotline for workers to report violations.
Farm activist Alvina Abrahams said the working conditions have still not changed.
“Salaries and wages are still low,” she said.
“There is no clean water, and foreign nationals are preferred farm labourers, and South Africans are being evicted.”
Abrahams called for the government and human rights stakeholders to take responsibility.
“Most farm workers still use pit toilets,” she said.
Wendy Pekeur from Ubuntu rural women and youth said there has been very little to no change.
“If we had resources, we would sue, and the unfortunate thing is that farm owners have the financial means to afford expensive lawyers,” she said.
Trevor Jacobs, a Western Cape farm worker, posted an inquiry of injustice on “Plaaswerkersgroep Suid Afrika” on Facebook last month and said: “I would like some advice. At the farm I work at, there were foreigners that worked for three months.
“During harvest time, they signed a contract until they finished.
“I want to know if the owner is responsible to pay the employees one day leave for every seventeen days worked for annual leave, seeing that they worked for 3 months?
“When I asked the manager to do enquiries regarding the law, he told me it has changed and that he does not have to pay them out.”
Colette Solomons from Women on Farms said since the march earlier this year, the Department of Employment and Labour undertook an "end of season” campaign in De Doorns from May 2-5 to process workers' UIF applications.
“We farm women, trade unions, farm workers organisations had a meeting with the Provincial Department of Employment and Labour (the Inspectorate) and the CCMA,” she said.
Agri Western Cape said they did not condone the poor treatment of Agri-workers.
They said producers are subject to strict audits by the Department of Labour, the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa NPC (“SIZA”) and the Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association (“WITA”) and Global GAP, an internationally recognized certified standard that ensures good agricultural practices.
The Department of Agriculture said they encouraged workers to seek help criminally and report incidents to authorities.
Jason Lloyd, spokesperson for the Department of Employment and Labour said they were aware of the memorandum given by the workers and has begun the process of improving conditions.
“As a Department that is committed to improving the lives of all our people, especially the poor, we immediately set to work to address the concerns of the farm workers,” he said.