The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) welcomes a change of heart by those farmers who chose to move away from retrenchment path and to follow a path of applying for exemptions instead.

However, we wish to caution the Depart of Labour that a process of consideration of such applications cannot be relegated to junior staff with no required and relevant expertise because this process needs to be dealt with professionally.

In the same breath, FAWU calls for government to carry the costs of such an exemption as workers cannot be made to pay for this by taking a cut in wages from the new R105.00 minimum.

It is our hope that the Department of Labour will not feel overwhelmed by huge tonnage of such applications and get to hasten in processing such applications, especially given that the financial books of some farms do some sometimes involve complex ownership and other structures, like family trusts, etc.

For more information kindly contact Katishi Masemola, General Secretary, at 082 467 2509 or Moleko Phakedi, Deputy General Secretary, at 082 492 5111, or Dominique Swarts, Media Officer, at 082498 5631.

Katishi Masemola

General Secretary