* FAWU FAWU Media Release, 6 January 2013*
*FAWU Calls For a Radical January 8th Address by President Zuma *The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) calls for a radical policy-type January 8th Statement Address by the President of the African National Congress (ANC), Comrade Jacob Zuma on the occasion of the 101th anniversary of the ANC and in the context of the centenary of the Land Act.
We call on the ANC President Address to acknowledge that it is now 100 years since the Land Act of 1913, which effectively disposed Africans from the inadequate remaining arable land and converted them into cheap labour on mines and white-owned commercial agricultural sector.
Further, we call on Comrade Zuma to acknowledge the failure of the previous Land Reform policies in transferring land to the majority, including missing the 2009 target of transferring 30% of the land and it appears this target will still be missed 5 years later in 2014, the 20th year of democracy and freedom.
Worse still is the plight of farm workers, estimated to be around 380 000 permanent and 350 000 permanently seasonal, and farm dwellers, estimated to be 3 million according to the figures by AgriSA.
It is our argument that this sizable chunk of the population, both local citizens and foreign nationals, has not seen 1994 or do not know what it means given the continued terrible working conditions, horrible living standards and inadequate access to safety and security as well as access to justice.
The situation is further worsened by a slower progress in the delivery of Rural Development in the countryside but FAWU remain inspired by the government priority in this area of work.
FAWU calls on government to step up radical policy path to ensure faster land reform, including beginning to invoke the constitution on confiscating land with fair compensation, up-scaled rural development, and legislated imposition of improved working and living conditions of farm dwellers.
We call on government to review Sectoral Determination and set up minimum wages for farm workers at double the current monthly R1 503 to be R3 150 or R150 per day in a five-day working week. While we welcome old-age grant to be at R1 200, and even call for its meaningful upward adjustment, by the fiscus, we call on government to ensure that farm owners pay workers more than double what the old age grant pays.
In addition, we call for the introduction of a compulsory employer and employee contribution-based provident fund as it remains unacceptable for farm workers to retire, if lucky to reach 60 years of age, into conditions of destitution, including having to be buried paupers.
FAWU will be lobbying the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) to take a decision, in line with its 2011 September National Congress, to call for a two-day national strike action on the 19th and 20th June 2013 as part of commemorating the despicable Land Act and calling for radical policy changes in this regard.
Meanwhile, we will be calling on farm workers to continue with industrial actions and encouraging farm owners to negotiate with labour unions, representing farm workers, in finding resolution.
*Katishi Masemola * *FAWU General Secretary* */Please call General Secretary Katishi Masemola on 082 467 2509 or Deputy General Secretary Moleko Phakedi on 082 492 5111 for more information. /*
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