@article{Murray:10131,
      recid = {10131},
      author = {Murray, Justin and van Walbeek, Corne},
      title = {Impact of the Sectoral Determination for Farm Workers on  the South African Sugar Industry: Case Study of the  KwaZulu-Natal North and South Coasts},
      journal = {Agrekon},
      address = {2007-03},
      number = {346-2016-16127},
      pages = {19},
      year = {2007},
      abstract = {A survey of 103 sugarcane farmers on the KwaZulu-Natal  coast was conducted in order to analyse the impact of the  Sectoral Determination for Farm Workers (2002) on South  African agriculture. The sample was separated into a high  wage paying North Coast and lower wage paying South Coast.  Typically farmers were unable to distinguish between the  impact of the Sectoral Determination and other labour laws.  Results indicate that the impact of the legislation is  similar in each region. No respondents reported mass  retrenchment, but job shedding is disguised by not  replacing workers (especially unskilled workers) that leave  the farm. A sizeable number of growers (17 per cent on the  South Coast and 44 per cent on the North Coast) have  reduced the working week to 27 hours (or 36 hours in the  Felixton Mill Group Area) enabling them to pay wages on an  hourly, rather than a weekly basis. This strategy reduces  the effective wage. About 40 per cent of growers have  reduced the in-kind benefits to their workers. About half  of respondents indicated that they are likely to increase  their use of seasonal and contract labour in future.  Although a majority of respondents indicated that they  considered mechanisation of the harvesting process, cost  and topographical factors currently does not make this a  serious alternative to manual harvesting. However, because  of increased wage costs and the relatively strong currency  in recent years, chemical weed control has become an  attractive alternative to manual weed control.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/10131},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.10131},
}