In South Africa, roughly one million people work in the agricultural sector. The vast majority of these workers are not permanently employed, without access to housing, fair wages, safe working conditions and benefits like sick pay.
The low wages paid in the sector are not sufficient for people to survive in the face of new challenges, such as rising food prices and precarious housing and living conditions. Women farm workers, who are far less likely to be permanently employed than their male counterparts, are on especially shaky ground. They are some of the most disadvantaged people in today’s South Africa.
Sikhula Sonke, which means ‘we grow together’, is a trade union set up to improve the living and working conditions for the most vulnerable farm workers – women and migrant and seasonal workers. Sikhula Sonke aims to take up workers’ rights issues as well as gender issues and is building strong leadership structures, organising campaigns, negotiating with farm owners, expanding into new regions, and ensuring national and international alliances are built to make the position of women agricultural workers visible.
Sikhula Sonke has had a string of amazing successes. They have negotiated wage increases, paid maternity leave, medical benefits and improved health and safety standards for their members. They significantly increased their membership over the past year. War on Want supports Sikhula Sonke's struggle for women farm workers' rights.
| Sikhula Sonke's accomplishments |
- Roughly 1,000 shop stewards have been trained to defend workers’ rights on over 160 farms.
- Sikhula Sonke has successfully fought for higher wages, permanent contracts, medical benefits, travel subsidies, maternity pay, toilets in vineyards, crèches and protective clothing for its members.
- Leadership training widely undertaken for central and branch women leaders.
- Active campaign against evictions of farm workers and gender-based violence.
|
| The Facts |
- The economic pressures of liberalisation have forced farm owners to cut labour or turn permanent workers into casual labour, and it is generally women who are the first to go
- Women farm workers face harsher treatment and conditions whilst earning only 78% of what their male counterparts earn
- The new minimum wage legislation does not provide enough income for households to compensate for increasing food prices
|
 |  | Picture gallery
War on Want recently visited Sikhula Sonke. Click here to view pictures of our partner. | |
 | | Buy them a gift
Just £10 could help South African farm workers defend themselves against unfair dismissal and evictions. | |
 | | Women on Farms
For more information on Sikhula Sonke's partners the Women on Farms Project and their activities in support of female farmers in South Africa, visit their website. | |
