​​​A study conducted by the Department of Employment and Labour in the 'vulnerable' agriculture sector has found that while employers have made advances in improving the working conditions of employees in the sector, however, there were still areas of concern that need attention to advance the decent work agenda.

The study was a joint effort by the Department's Directorate: Research, Planning and Policy (RPP), and Labour Market Information Statistics. Titled - “An investigation into agricultural work: a decent work approach" – the research surveyed both employers and employees in the sector. The study sampled 4 055 employees and 210 employers. The list of employers in agricultural activities was obtained from the Department of Employment and Labour (Inspection and Enforcement Services branch database). The response rate was 86 percent.

Department of Employment and Labour's RPP Directorate, Deputy Director, Thami Bikitsha said the study was conducted between 2018 and 2019 nationally. He said the research covered the broader scope of agricultural sector.

According to the study the concept of decent work was introduced by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1999, and is described as “opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity".

The objectives of the study were to gain better insight on the status of decent work deficits in the agricultural sector – with a focus on assessing barriers and enablers in the promotion of decent work by farm employers; and also assess the working conditions of employees in the agricultural sector according to the four pillars of decent work. 

The four pillars of decent work as per the ILO are: full and productive employment; rights at work; social protection; and promotion of social dialogue.

According to the study agriculture, forestry and fisheries were historically recognised as sectors with job creation potential. But, between 1994 and 2014, employment declined in primary agricultural production. Agricultural sector lost jobs partly due to evolution of farming.

The Employee research results – show that 26,1 percent say they have worked in the sector for between 3-5years; 19,8 percent worked for between 6-10 years and 24,7 percent have worked in farming for more than 10 years.

The key areas of employees' research findings are:

• In terms of stability and security at work – the study said among those who were permanently employed 78 percent had a written contract, while 22 percent had a verbal contract. Non-permanent employees tended to have contracts of three years or longer.
• Working hours per week – eight in 10 employees worked between 40 hours and 45 hours. Majority of those that worked less than 40 hours said it was employer schedule (63 percent).
• Adequate earnings and productive work – more than two thirds ( that is 69 percent) of employees would have liked to work more hours in their current job. Out of those majority said they would like to work an extra 1-2 hours per week.
• Combining work, family and personal life – a total of 63,2 percent had access to family responsibility leave; while 47,5 percent received maternity leave and 76,5 percent had access to vacation leave.
• Social security – most employers pay for UIF compared to other measures of social protection. The research shows that 48,3 percent pay pension; 38,1 percent pay for Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases; and 87,2 percent pay the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
• Safe work environment – the study found that most employees mentioned that they know of someone who experienced a fatal incident at work. It found that 19,6 percent of fatalities were sustained. A total of 8,5 percent of employees were found to have contracted diseases, while 17,5 percent employees sustained injuries on duty.
• Social dialogue, workers' representation – a whopping 77,7 percent of workers in agriculture are not union members. A total of 25 percent of employees said their salaries were decided solely by the employer.
• Work that should be abolished – more than nine in 10 employees (96 percent) said they are not in labour-exploitative work. While 99 percent of employees interviewed said they have not seen children employed on their farm in the last 12 months.

The Employer survey findings: working hours and organising of work – revealed that most employers interviewed mentioned that employees worked on average 40 to 45 hours. Employers reiterated that there are circumstances that require employees to work prolonged hours. A significant number of employees indicated that they do pay employees for working overtime.

• In terms of organising work, the employers say in farms where there are shifts these differ and employees rotate weekly with other employees. The study found that seasonality also plays a role where the shifts differ depending on whether it is the planting or harvesting season.

• Granting of leave – a majority of employers pay parental leave, family responsibility, sick leave and annual leave. The study found that there is limited number of employers who do not offer any form of paid leave to their employees.
• In cases of unpaid leave – many employers offer unpaid leave when an employee absconds from work without reporting. There are instances where an employee has exhausted their annual leave and some employers enforce unpaid leave. Some employers said they had never had to apply unpaid leave.
• The study revealed that some employers institute unpaid leave when the farm is experiencing adverse conditions for example, when there is a shutdown or under bad weather conditions that are not conducive to working conditions.
• Social protection and contracts – a significant number of employers asserted to contributing to the Unemployment Insurance Fund as well as the Compensation Fund. Only a negligible number of employers indicated that they contribute to any form of pension or retirement fund.
• Most employers mentioned that they furnish their employees with written contracts with a few contracts being verbal. Some employers said that employees refused to sign contracts based on the advice of union leaders. Furthermore, some employers mentioned that employees refused to sign the contracts because they were written in Afrikaans.
• Recruitment strategies – employers were recruiting South Africans using the word of mouth, recruit within employees families, walk-ins, pick-up by the street, use Department of Employment and Labour and Department of Agriculture, recruit from other farms, advertise vacancies, use private agents, and social media.
• For non-South Africans, employers were recruiting using word of mouth, private agents, walk-ins, pick-up by the street, advertise vacancies and social media.

The Department's study recommends the following:

• Improvement of occupational health and safety (OHS) in the agricultural sector – have customised occupational health and safety campaigns targeting this sector in order to prevent and reduce the incidents of injuries, contracting diseases and fatalities;
• Raise awareness on leave rights among employers and employees – create awareness about the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) as well as the leave provisions thereof which should be available for very worker; and
• Facilitate easy access for union officials at farms – foster good working relations for all social partners in this sector and one of them will be to promote easy access of union officials.

For more information contact:    

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694

Teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za 

-ENDS-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour