Persepsies oor die uitwerking van minimum lone op die sitrusbedryf (Afrikaans)

Abstract

AFRIKAANS : Hierdie studie is onderneem om te bepaal wat die persepsies van boere in die Letaba Distrik is oor die invloed van die instelling van die minimum loon vir landbou op hulle boerderybesighede. Die navorser wou bepaal of die boere hulle werknemers se werkskontrakte aangepas het of die loonpakket geherstruktureer het om vir die invloed op hulle boerderybesigheid te kompenseer. Die navorser wou ook bepaal of die indiensneming van plaaswerkers beïnvloed is. Laastens wou die navorser bepaal wat die invloed van die instelling van die minimum loon op die organisasiegedrag van plaaswerkers was. Om antwoorde op bogenoemde vraagstukke te verkry, het die navorser ‘n vraelys spesifiek vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie ontwerp. Die vraelys is deur al die sitrus boere in die Letaba distrik voltooi. Na bestudering van die inligting wat uit die data van die vraelyste verkry is, het die navorser tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat boere permanente werknemers met tydelike werknemers vervang het en die loonpakket aangepas het deur die kontantloon te verhoog, maar ook die aftrekkings vir dienste en goedere wat voorheen kosteloos verskaf is. Indiensneming van plaaswerkers is baie negatief beïnvloed, met ongeveer 1270 permanente poste wat afgeskaf is na die instelling van die minimum loon. Wat die invloed op organisasiegedrag betref, het die minimum loon geen invloed na ‘n klein negatiewe invloed op afwesigheid en personeelomset getoon. Ten opsigte van produktiwiteit was werkgewers van mening dat, waar produktiwiteit verhoog het, dit as gevolg van beter bestuurspraktyke was. Werkgewers glo eerder dat die instelling van die minimum loon hulle werknemers se produktiwiteit laat daal het. Die implikasies van die resultate van hierdie studie is verreikend wanneer in ag geneem word dat bykans 1270 permanente poste op slegs 38 plase afgeskaf is. Dit impliseer dat die aantal poste wat in die landbou as geheel afgeskaf is, baie groot kan wees. Die persepsies van die boere oor die instelling van die minimum loon was dat dit ‘n bedreiging vir die volhoubaarheid van hulle boerderybesighede inhou en dat dit hulle verplig om stappe te neem om daarvoor te kompenseer, stappe wat nie noodwendig tot voordeel van werknemers strek nie. ENGLISH : This study was undertaken to ascertain what the perceptions of farmers in the Letaba district aren about the impact of the introduction of the minimum wage for agriculture on their farming businesses. The researcher wanted to ascertain whether the farmers adapted their workers’ contracts or restructured their wage package to compensate for the impact on the farming businesses. The researcher also wanted to ascertain whether the employment of farm workers were influenced. Lastly, the researcher wanted to ascertain what the influence of the introduction of the minimum wage was on the organisational behaviour of farm workers. To get answers on the above mentioned issues, the researcher designed a questionnaire specifically for this study. The questionnaire was completed by all the citrus farmers in the Letaba district. After studying the information derived from the data of the questionnaires, the researcher came to the conclusion that farmers substituted permanent workers with temporary workers and adapted the wage package by raising the cash wage but also the deductions of goods and services that were previously provided free of charge. Employment of farm workers were influenced very negatively with about 1270 permanent jobs that were scrapped after the introduction of the minimum wage. Regarding the impact on organisational behaviour, the minimum wage showed a small negative to no influence on absenteeism and worker turnover. Regarding productivity, employers were of the opinion the, where productivity was raised, it was due to improved management practises. Employers believe that the introduction of the minimum wage caused their workers’ productivity to decrease. The implications of the results of this study are far reaching when it is taken into account that roundabout 1270 permanent jobs were lost on only 38 farms. This implies that the amount of jobs lost in agriculture as a whole, could be great. The perceptions of farmers about the introduction of the minimum wage are that it is a threat to the sustainability of their farming businesses and that it obliges them to take steps to compensate for the impact, steps that aren’t always advantageous for the workers. Copyright 2008, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Minnaar, ME 2008, Persepsies oor die uitwerking van minimum lone op die sitrusbedryf (Afrikaans), MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02132012-100400 / > C12/4/72/gm