The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West Province is in full support of the march by the farm workers on Friday on the R507 between Tigane and Ottosdal. The march is informed by the continuous exploitation of the farm workers and the farm dwellers by the farm owners, using one of their organisations called SEESA.

COSATU is informed that the farm owners continue to lock out and evict farm workers when they try to engage them on employment related matters and they use this organisation called SEESA to legitimise their actions. COSATU is also informed that some farmers have implemented the sectoral determination for agricultural workers by reducing this benefit by withdrawing money from the workers for staying in houses which do not meet the standards set out in the sectoral determination.

“One matter which has raised the concern of the workers is the continued closure of the farm schools through the so-called rationalisation process by the Department of Education, while at the same time there are no proper preparations made for the learners to be accommodated in other schools. This has the potential of some educators losing their jobs and the worst is that there is no learner transport improvement in all areas’ Cosatu North West spokesperson Solly Phetoe said.
COSATU said that while the government is trying by all means to make the work of the farmers and the farm workers conducive in this country, there are some elements in the farming community who are hell bent on undermining the government and all its policies.

“COSATU calls on the Department of Labour to dedicate time to inspect all the farms in the province and make sure that there is compliance with all the laws, including the sect oral determinations. For the past three to four months we have been receiving cases of workers and their families being abused, assaulted and killed racially by white racist farmers who end up using their money to undermine justice which is working for the rich” Phetoe said.

COSATU also calls on SEESA to get out of employment related matters as it is not an employer or employee organisation; this will create labour peace between the employees and their employers.

“We call on the Labour Department and the police to investigate this so-called SEESA in the farms. Why was it given that responsibility in the farms? Is it registered to do work related matters or is it a vigilante group that is used against workers, like Mapogo Amathamaga in the old apartheid regime” he said.

COSATU calls on the Department of Education to stop this farm schools rationalisation program until they have made infrastructure available and all the necessary processes has been followed, which must include consultations with educators led by SADTU, farm workers led by FAWU and the rest of communities led by SANCO and civil society.

The march will be on Friday at the R507 route from the Witfontein turn-off toward Ottosdal and will start at 09h00 COSATU calls on all the farm workers and farm dwellers to come out in their numbers to defend their rights but also to tell public about their bad conditions of service and expose those criminals who refused to let workers join the union of their choice.

“We want to be on record that we are now implementing our remaining two months program which will target the farm areas, mining, the security sector, and municipalities, where we will name and shame those politicians and officials who are working with IMATU to destroy our unions and working with the DA to weaken the ANC, in particular in Matlosana, Tlokwe and many others’ Phetoe said.

We call on all media people to join us on 19th October 2013 to expose the real exploiters of our poor farm workers and expose the worse racist famers in the NW. – TDN
(Edited By Obakeng Maje)
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