Unions: Government should force talks
2013-01-04 22:06
Cape Town - Government should compel Agri-SA to return to
the negotiating table with farm workers, unions said in Cape Town on Friday.
The unions that include the Congress of SA Trade Unions
(Cosatu), the Food and Allied Workers Unions (Fawu) and Sikhula Sonke announced
farm workers would resume their strike on 9 January.
Last year's violent strike action was suspended after it
was decided that workers' representatives would enter negotiations with
individual farmers.
"There's been no progress that's been significant in
the negotiations with Agri-SA or with the South African government,"
Cosatu Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich said.
He said workers had resolved to continue to strike until
their demands were met.
"The two main issues will be the R150 a day that
workers are demanding, and a coherent land reform programme that sees workers
who are historical inhabitants of many sections of the land reinstated on the
land, in partnership with many of the farmers who presently own it," said
Ehrenreich.
Fawu gave their backing to farm workers, adding it was
not too late for farmers to break the deadlock.
"Those farmers who want to co-operate and have [been
in] negotiations with us, we don't have any problems with that," said Fawu
organiser Sandile Keni.
The announcement of the strike resuming follows a meeting
between the unions and labour department director-general Nkosinathi Nhleko.
"The Labour DG said he was concerned that while
unions said they had made progress in their negotiations with [some] individual
employers over the holiday season, there were reports of a 'hardening of
attitudes' among others," the department said in a statement.
Nhleko also met with representatives from Agri-SA on
Friday.
"Nhleko conveyed the wishes of government that real,
substantive negotiations should commence as soon as possible, to avert further
troubles that could seriously affect the country's economy."
- SAPA
