Improving labour rights for farm workers

About the project

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs; its members include major UK supermarkets that have sourcing relationships with the South African agriculture industry. To improve working conditions and secure the future stability of this sector, ETI is working with local partners the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership and the Institute for Development and Labour Law of the University of Cape Town.

Pooling their collective experience, this group will bring together farm workers, civil society organisations, employer organisations and government institutions for the first time, to develop an innovative multi-stakeholder forum to address these issues through constructive dialogue between these different groups.

This project will examine employer-employee negotiating methods, identify appropriate opportunities for fostering dialogue and build capacity within workers’ groups to advocate more effectively for their members. The goal is to develop the trust and frameworks that are needed for effective dialogue between South African farm owners and their workers.

ETI Executive Director, Peter McAllister, said: “A successful agriculture industry is vital for South Africa, and for the supermarkets that buy its produce. I’ve seen first-hand there is a need and interest in constructive dialogue where workers’ issues can be raised and resolved through negotiation. The time is ripe to establish a suitable forum and we are grateful to the Commonwealth Fund for supporting this effort.”