UK supermarket offers training support to address labour practices issue

Accreditation proposed to keep out unscrupulous operators RAY SMUTS THE THORNY issue of questionable practices by some fruit industry labour-brokers will be resolved sooner rather than later, the ideal solution being voluntary accreditation (as is the case for export agents), says Fruit Exporters’ Forum CEO, Stuart Symington. The bubble burst last year when giant British retail food chain, Tesco – very strong on corporate social responsibility – sent two executives to South Africa to investigate the problem and help find a solution. Tesco, which buys fruit valued at over R600 million a year from this country, started its investigation around labour-brokers in the pome industry. The visit was essentially triggered after a Ceres farm worker, assisted by two NGOs, gained access to a Tesco annual general meeting in London where she told of the poor living conditions being experienced by labourers on many South African farms. The Exporters’ Forum met with Tesco and its two major pome suppliers – Capespan and Fruitways. It was proposed that labour-brokers should not only be accredited by a formal industry association in South Africa, but should also undergo training offered on gaining a better understanding of the role that they play in the whole value chain. Referring to the labour-broker dilemma in South Africa, Symington says: “It seems clear that Tesco has had similar experiences with their “gangmasters” (labour-broker equivalent in the UK), and is therefore sympathetic towards the problem here. What people probably do not fully appreciate is that most of these labour-brokers are one-man-band, BEE companies. Although outsourcing labour is an effective way for a farmer to manage his business costs, the implications can be serious if the labour-brokers that they use decide to cut financial corners to the detriment of the farm workers on their books. For example, for a labour-broker not to register his workforce members with UIF is problematic.” The FPEF runs a series of training courses on the workings of the industry for empowerment candidates, and Symington believes that the time is ripe for labour-brokers to be recruited for such courses. “It is pleasing to see the UK supermarkets taking an interest in jointly taking responsibility for the training of previously disenfranchised people in South Africa,” says Symington. Another UK supermarket, Waitrose, is apparently planning to use its Foundation in South Africa to conduct BEE training on farms as well in 2007. Symington believes that if labour-brokers were accredited according to standards laid down by the industry, it would go a long way to defusing potential political fallout in this area. “By undergoing training, brokers would learn to appreciate what is involved in this industry. They would realise how significant their role is in the value chain and the importance of doing their jobs legally and fairly. They would also gain an understanding of the implications if they don’t. “Losing hard-earned export business through non-compliance would be a very short-sighted approach to such socially responsible customers as Tesco.”