Global markets, employment restructuring and female labourers on Western Cape fruit farms
Abstract
English: The expansion of the South African deciduous fruit export sector in the context of
globalisation in the early 1990s has led to changing patterns of employment on fruit
farms. Producers have downsized their permanent on-farm labour forces and begun to
employ various categories of flexible off-farm labour, particularly contract labour. This
discussion examines the implications of this restructuring of employment for two groups
of women working on Western Cape fruit farms — those still working and living on
the farms and those who have recently been transformed into off-farm contract labourers.
The research findings on which this discussion is based suggest that, while the
consequences are contradictory for both groups of women, female contract workers are
particularly vulnerable to risk and livelihood deprivation while having very limited
access to institutional social protection. Afrikaans: Die uitbreiding van die Suid-Afrikaanse sagtevrugte-uitvoerbedryf in die konteks
van globalisering in die vroeë 1990’s het ’n verandering in indiensnemingspatrone
op vrugteplase tot gevolg gehad. Die verandering behels die afskaling deur produsente
van hul permanent werknemers wat op die plaas woon en ’n toename in die indiensneming
van verskillende kategorieë van fleksietydwerkers wat nie op die plaas woon
nie — spesifiek kontrakwerkers. Die artikel ondersoek die implikasies van die herstrukturering
van indiensneming vir twee groepe vroue wat op Wes-Kaapse vrugteplase
werk — dié wat nog op die plase werk en bly en dié vroue wat onlangs na kontrakwerk
verskuif het. Die navorsingbevindings suggereer dat, alhoewel die implikasies
vir beide groepe vroue teenstrydig is, vrouekontrakwerkers veral kwesbaar is vir
risiko en ontbering en beperkte toegang tot institusionele beskerming geniet.