Government slaps ban on farm evictions

THE outright eviction of farmworkers has been banned with immediate effect and “in no uncertain terms”, in terms of a new policy unveiled by the Ministry of Labour yesterday.

Dubbed the ‘Government Temporary Intervention Policy on Evictions’, it comes into effect amid pledges from both agricultural workers and employers’ representatives to adhere to it. The eviction and dumping of farmworkers has resulted in a number of battles between commercial farmers, trade unions and Government.”We need to restore peace in the agricultural sector and drive towards creating common understanding (between farm owners and workers),” Secretary General of the Namibia Farm Workers Union (Nafwu), Alfred Angula, said yesterday, when welcoming the policy.Chairman of the Agricultural Employers Association Hellmut Fortsch also supported the interim arrangement.Fortsch expressed the hope that “labour disputes in future will stay out of politics and be solved as soon as possible without creating unrest and social harm”.”The intervention policy seeks to prohibit, in no uncertain terms, outright evictions… this policy prohibits any employer or farm owner from dumping their employees with their property on road reserves, at property gates or any other place… ,” Labour Minister Marco Hausiku declared yesterday.The Minister outlined a number of new initiatives contained in the policy which aim to aim to create mechanisms for consultations between stakeholders to resolve disputes and avoid evictions.In terms of the policy, during such consultations thorough consideration should be given to identification of areas of relocation, length of service on the farm, whether employees or their dependents were born on that farm, movable property, and school-going children.Hausiku said in case of retrenchments and pensioning off, ample time – at least eight months – should be given for relocation, with the cost of relocation to be borne by the employer.The new policy will stay in place until the Commission of Inquiry into the evictions of long-serving farmworkers comes up with findings and recommendations which should usher in a permanent solution to the problem.Yesterday, the Labour Minister revealed that the commission had so far only completed its terms of reference and that no actual work had started.The eviction and dumping of farmworkers has resulted in a number of battles between commercial farmers, trade unions and Government.”We need to restore peace in the agricultural sector and drive towards creating common understanding (between farm owners and workers),” Secretary General of the Namibia Farm Workers Union (Nafwu), Alfred Angula, said yesterday, when welcoming the policy.Chairman of the Agricultural Employers Association Hellmut Fortsch also supported the interim arrangement.Fortsch expressed the hope that “labour disputes in future will stay out of politics and be solved as soon as possible without creating unrest and social harm”.”The intervention policy seeks to prohibit, in no uncertain terms, outright evictions… this policy prohibits any employer or farm owner from dumping their employees with their property on road reserves, at property gates or any other place… ,” Labour Minister Marco Hausiku declared yesterday.The Minister outlined a number of new initiatives contained in the policy which aim to aim to create mechanisms for consultations between stakeholders to resolve disputes and avoid evictions.In terms of the policy, during such consultations thorough consideration should be given to identification of areas of relocation, length of service on the farm, whether employees or their dependents were born on that farm, movable property, and school-going children.Hausiku said in case of retrenchments and pensioning off, ample time – at least eight months – should be given for relocation, with the cost of relocation to be borne by the employer.The new policy will stay in place until the Commission of Inquiry into the evictions of long-serving farmworkers comes up with findings and recommendations which should usher in a permanent solution to the problem.Yesterday, the Labour Minister revealed that the commission had so far only completed its terms of reference and that no actual work had started.