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'Farm workers marginalised'
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
May 14, 2007

http://allafrica.com/stories/200705140062.html

Farm workers continue to be overlooked and marginalised in wage negotiations with the majority still earning the gazetted $32 000, which has been severely eroded by inflation.

In an interview yesterday, secretary general of the Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe Ms Gertrude Hambira said farmers had recently proposed a monthly salary of $90 000, which was not acceptable.

"We cannot accept $90 000 because it cannot sustain a family. When the current wage was negotiated at $32 000, we had proposed $70 000, but it was turned down by NEC," said Ms Hambira.

She said Gapwuz was now contemplating petitioning the Minister of Agriculture to help in resolving the wage impasse between farmers and their workers.

"We are not demanding a wage that matches the poverty datum line but are asking for a reasonable wage which can sustain workers and their families," she said.

She added that a consultative workshop on farm wages was on the cards and other issues to be discussed included provision of protective clothing and the impact of HIV and Aids in the agriculture sector.

According to the prevailing trend, earning a salary that is compatible with even a quarter of the poverty datum line remains a pipe dream for these workers who drive the most important sector of the economy.

Negotiations for a minimum wage with the National Employment Council for Agriculture or with employers have so far been futile with the workers of late contemplating industrial action.

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