Farm workers in the Free State are currently the lowest paid in the country, despite the province having 3.2-million hectares of land under cultivation and being considered the “breadbasket” of the country, the Portfolio Committee on Labour has heard.

The committee was bombarded by concerns raised by farm workers about salaries and difficult working conditions at a public hearing in the Free State on Wednesday.

“With the level of poverty in the province and deep economic inequalities, the cost of electricity, transport and food, and the huge gap between salaries [of farm workers when compared with] other sectors, we suggest that the national minimum wage be a [universal one, applying to] all sectors, including farm and mine workers, at the level of R8 500,” said participant Thobile Mhlapo.

The committee acknowledged that agriculture was a potential growth sector in the Free State and had a significant contribution to make to South Africa’s economy and food security.

The public hearing process would continue in Parliament, where members of all trade unions in South Africa would be invited to share their views on a national minimum wage, committee chairperson Lumka Yengeni advised.

The committee would conduct further public hearings in the Eastern Cape on Thursday and in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.