Business Day
*Talks fail to avert imminent farm worker strike*** *Paul Vecchiatto, Business Day, Johannesburg, 8 January 2013*TALKS between the Department of Labour, unions, various worker representatives, and organised agriculture have failed to avert a farm workers' strike in the Western Cape, which is expected to resume on Wednesday.
The farm workers' strike that started in November led to the deaths of two people and caused an estimated R100m worth of damage as some vineyards were set alight.
*_Department /not/ trying to avert strike_*Musa Zondi, spokesman for Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, said on Tuesday the department had not tried to avert the strike, but was rather ensuring that dialogue between the various parties remained open.
"The various parties have agreed to go seek changes to their mandates from their various constituencies to continue talks with the help of a senior mediator from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration," he said.
Mr Zondi said Ms Oliphant would review in March the sectoral determination that set the minimum wage of R69 per day in the agricultural sector.
He said Department of Labour director-general Nkosinathi Nhleko had met on Monday with various farm worker representatives, which included the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), the Black Agricultural Workers Union and nongovernmental organisations.
Mr Nhleko met on Tuesday morning with a delegation from the employers' organisation AgriSA.
Demonstrators stoned vehicles travelling along the N1 road and police retaliated with rubber bullets and teargas during the strike last year.
*_COSATU /n//ot/ calling for strike_*Cosatu Western Cape provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said his organisation was not calling for or leading the strike.
"This is a workers' strike and we are just advising them. It is the workers who are calling for the strike," he said.
*_"Less than 6% are union members" - Ehrenreich_*Mr Ehrenreich said that less than 6% of the estimated 50,000 farm workers were unionised.
He also said he was concerned about the possibility of violence occurring."We, Cosatu, will be there to advise the workers on public order protests," Mr Ehrenreich said.
He said the minimum wage would be increased in March, but that it was only part of the issue.
"The workers want real increases based on the profitability of the farms or companies. They are not just asking for a new minimum wage," Mr Ehrenreich said.
*From: http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/labour/2013/01/08/talks-fail-to-avert-imminent-farm-worker-strike*
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