Farm workers accept new salaries to avoid starvation

By Tererai Karimakwenda
October 4, 2007

The General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe recently agreed on a new salary structure for its members that will see them receive monthly increments until December. But the farm workers say it is far from enough to survive on and they only accepted it in order to avoid starvation and establish a higher base from which to negotiate. David Mutambirwa, who chairs the GAPWUZ branch in Karoi, explained that there are many new members in the union who chose to make some money, as opposed to nothing at all if they had decided to strike.

According to Mutambirwa, general farm workers were making as little as Z$ 350,000 per month before September, and were demanding at least Z$6,5 million per month in order to avoid a strike. The new nationwide structure will see them receive Z$1,650,000 for September, Z$1,800,000 for October, Z$2,000,000 for November and Z$2,500,000 for December.

As general farm workers, they are given bags of maize, wheat or tobacco which help them a little, but Mutambirwa said this does not help pay school fees for their children and the majority have now dropped out.

Mutambirwa said the price for a bar of soap has risen to Z$800,000 and a small bag of sugar costs Z$400,000. Farm workers cannot afford these luxuries so many are washing without soap and drinking tea without sugar.

The farm communities have been referred to as the “forgotten people” because their plight does not receive as much headlines as that of the white farm owners who are being evicted illegally. The majority of commercial farms now lie barren after government evicted white farmers as part of the Land Reform Programme. This has left hundreds of thousands of farm workers unemployed and with no place to live. Many now work for a cup of tea and some slices of bread on the few farms that are still productive.