This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
GroundUp reports that about 200 farm women from the Cape Winelands marched in Worcester on Thursday calling for a ban on hazardous pesticides frequently used on farms.
They also wanted farmers to be held accountable when they contravened labour regulations. According to the Women on Farms Project (WFP), which organised the march, about 67 of the pesticides still used on SA farms have been banned by the European Union. The farm women marched to the Labour Centre in Worcester to hand over a memorandum, which was received and signed for. The WFP’s Denile Samuel reported that farm women have been complaining that farmers were not complying with regulations on protective clothing, were sending workers into the vineyards too soon after spraying pesticides, and were not giving them support when they got sick from pesticide exposure. The legislation currently regulating the safety of farm workers is the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1985, and, with regard to pesticides specifically, the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Substances. These regulations dictate “the need for personal protective equipment, including respiratory protective equipment” and also the duty of the employers to send a worker for a health evaluation if they are exposed to pesticides. David Esau, the labour department’s chief Western Cape Inspector, indicated: “The matters raised in the memorandum have been referred to the national Chief Inspector. The department is prepared to meet with Women on Farms so that we can work together to prepare a program that will look into the health and safety of the workers in the farms with regards to the use of pesticides.” Andrea Campher of AgriSA said farmers must ensure that their workers were safe, wore the necessary protective clothing and followed the directions and warnings on the labels of pesticides. Pesticide use should not be to the detriment of the health of workers or the environment, she noted.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Liezl Human at GroundUp
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page