GAPWUZ was formed in 1985 as a trade union for farm workers. Its main areas of focus are wage negotiations and monitoring the living standards of workers.
The union has a membership of around 60 000 and representation in the country’s 10 provinces.
“In terms of working conditions, we also concentrate on working hours, health and safety issues and dismissal procedures,” said Gift Muti. “We also look at accommodation issues, water sources, schools and recreational facilities in farms as well as other environmental issues.”
Muti expressed concern over paltry salaries being allocated to farm workers in the country which he said were an insult and way far below the Poverty Datum Line.
“We are saying the ideal wage should be in line with the Poverty Datum Line but we are yet to achieve that goal because we started from zero as most workers used to be given food instead of salaries. Although the situation has improved, salaries for farm workers are too little to allow them to sustain their families,” said Muti.
He said that most of the new farmers in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector were failing to adequately pay their employees due to limited financial resources and the trend has seen productivity going down.
“The challenge is in line with the introduction of new players in the agricultural sector through the Land Reform Programme. Most of them don’t have enough resources to enable them to pay their workers and that is where the challenge is,” said Muti.
He added that the majority of farm workers in Zimbabwe were living in squalid conditions.
“Currently, the living conditions are not so good and most people are living in pole and dagga houses.
He said GAPWUZ had engaged the government to address the situation.
“We have been talking to government but on the ground there is no positive change,” said Muti.
He decried that child labour still existed in some agricultural sectors despite calls by GAPWUZ to abandon the practice.
“Child labour still exists in some sectors such as general agriculture, timber and horticulture,” said Muti.
In light of the challenge, Muti said GAPWUZ was carrying out campaigns to discourage child labour on farms.
“We are trying to teach employers and parents that the best place for a child is school. The programme is also aimed at ensuring we avoid such things as early marriages and unwanted pregnancies,” said Muti.
He said GAPWUZ was carrying out educative programmes on HIV/AIDS as a way of fighting the scourge among farm workers.
Post published in: Agriculture