Global Production and Flexible Employment in South African Horticulture: Experiences of Contract Workers in Fruit Exports

Sociologia Ruralis - Tập 44 Số 1 - Trang 17-39 - 2004
Andrienetta Kritzinger1, Stephanie Barrientos2, H M Rossouw1
1Department of Sociology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
2Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK

Tóm tắt

The era of global flexibility has been described as one of generalised precariouness and vulnerability. Global integration is leading to changing patterns of employment, with declining permanent and increasingly insecure forms of work. This trend is typified in the South African export fruit sector. Reintegration into the global economy is leading to both the ‘modernisation’ and transformation of employment including the rapid rise of offfarm contract labour provided by third party agents. Within the South African fruit sector changes following global integration have been experienced through changes in the global value chain linking the sector to UK and European supermarkets, deregulation of domestic agriculture and export markets and the increase in state legislation affecting employment. These channels have all affected the linkages through which fruit producers access the global economy and are having significant implications for the employment strategies of producers. A dominant trend has been for producers to downsize their permanent on‐farm labour and increase the employment of various categories of flexible off‐farm labour – especially contract labour. This growing tendency towards the ‘externalisation’ of farm labour in South African fruit exports has raised new concerns regarding the vulnerability and poverty of farm workers as it means that a growing number of workers are being drawn into global production on the basis of low wages and insecure work outside the bounds of legislative protection. The paper explores the nature of contract employment and the implications of this type of employment for the lives of a group of workers drawn into its ambit. Using a qualitative methodology it examines the experiences of contract workers, not only of their work, but how their employment affects their ability to sustain family and community relations. Although the implications of global integration for contract workers are complex and mixed, our findings suggest an intensification of insecurity and vulnerability to poverty.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

10.1111/j.1759-5436.2001.mp32003009.x

Barrientos S., 1999, Women in Agribusiness. Working Miracles in the Chilean Fruit Export Sector

10.1111/j.1470-9856.1997.tb00161.x

Business Day (2002)Business Day 27 February 2002

Cape Argus, 2001, Cape Argus

DFPT, 2000, Key Deciduous Fruit Statistics

Toit A., 1992, The farm as family: paternalism, management and modernisation on Western Cape wine and fruit farms

Toit A., 2001, The Externalisation and Casualisation of Farm Labour in Western Cape Horticulture

10.1016/0743-0167(96)00008-3

Hamman J., 1996, Land, Labour and Livelihoods in rural South Africa: Understanding the Linkages Vol 1, 353

Horwitz F., 1996, Labour Market Flexibility in South Africa: Researching Recent Developments, South African Journal of Labour Relations, 20, 3

Kaplinky R., 2001, A Manual for Value Chain Research

Kritzinger A., 2001, Food, Nature and Society. Rural life in late modernity, 45

10.1016/S0743-0167(96)00048-4

Louw D. B., 2003, Oorsig van die 2002/2003 vrugteseisoen en die impak van watertekorte op toekomstige groei in die bedryf. Lesing gelewer by 'n Landbouvooruitskouingskonfere nsie, Sanlam Konferensiesentrum, 14

10.1111/j.1549-0831.1996.tb00609.x

Murphy M., 1995, South African farm workers: is trade organisation possible, South African Labour Bulletin, 19, 20

Simbi T.andM.Aliber(2000)The Agricultural Employment Crisis in South Africa.Paper prepared for the TIPS conference 2000 Annual Forum Muldersdrift 18–20September

10.1016/S0305-750X(98)00151-X

10.1016/0305-750X(89)90170-8

Statistics South Africa and National Department of Agriculture, 2000, Employment Trends in Agriculture in South Africa

Statistics South Africa and National Department of Agriculture, 1998, Abstract of Agricultural Statistics

Theron J., 2001, Responding to externalisation: Part 2, South African Labour Bulletin, 25, 63

Theron J., 2000, Protecting Workers on the Periphery. Cape Town, Institute of Development and Labour Law

10.1111/1467-7660.00230

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Sociologia Ruralis

Tập 44 Số 1

17-39

Thông tin tác giả