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South African fruit picker challenges Tesco over farm work conditions
South Africa
Friday 06 July 2007
South African fruit picker Gertruida Baartman was to confront Tesco bosses in late June about the poverty pay and terrible conditions on many of the farms supplying their stores. Last year, holding her one share supplied by anti-poverty agency ActionAid, she spoke out in the packed annual general meeting.
To a standing ovation she said that despite being afraid for her job on a Tesco-supplying farm, she was determined to campaign on behalf of the millions of women workers world-wide who toil to pick and pack the fruit that UK consumers buy.
Tesco chairman David Reid promised Gertruida that she would not be targeted for her courage and that Tesco would look into its social and environmental auditing procedures in South Africa.
Since then Gertruida has been sacked. Only the intervention of the South African Women's Group Women on Farms and the union Sikhula Sonke ensured that she got her job back. She continues to be targeted in her personal life.
Gertruida said, "It would take me four hours to earn enough money to buy a bag of pears that Tesco sells in the UK for £1.39. And I am not alone. Across the world many thousands of women and men work in similar conditions to me for breadline wages."
To a standing ovation she said that despite being afraid for her job on a Tesco-supplying farm, she was determined to campaign on behalf of the millions of women workers world-wide who toil to pick and pack the fruit that UK consumers buy.
Tesco chairman David Reid promised Gertruida that she would not be targeted for her courage and that Tesco would look into its social and environmental auditing procedures in South Africa.
Since then Gertruida has been sacked. Only the intervention of the South African Women's Group Women on Farms and the union Sikhula Sonke ensured that she got her job back. She continues to be targeted in her personal life.
Gertruida said, "It would take me four hours to earn enough money to buy a bag of pears that Tesco sells in the UK for £1.39. And I am not alone. Across the world many thousands of women and men work in similar conditions to me for breadline wages."
