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.