Speaking to AIM, the Sofala Provincial Director of Labour, Omar Jalilo, confirmed that the cane cutters had ended their strike because the management of the company, in which the majority shareholder is the South African Tongaat Hulett group, had granted them a wage rise of 38 per cent.
The daily wage of a cane cutter at Mafambisse has risen from 66.6 to 92 meticais {from 2.6 to 3.6 US dollars}.
Jalilo said there had also been significant advances in resolving a further key grievance, which was overtime. Previously, the cane cutters worked extraordinarily long hours, starting work at 04.00 {well before dawn}, and finishing at 18.00.
Now at least some of them will go home at 15.00 - but only if they have finished cutting their quota of cane for the day. This contradicts earlier reports from Mafambisse, which said the employers had granted the principle of an eight hour working day.
11 hours a day means that, if the cane cutters are obliged to work at weekends, as they have claimed, then the company will be in breach of the Mozambican labour law which stipulates a maximum working week of 56 hours.
Jalilo said the cane cutters accepted the 11 hour working day, because it was "more just" than the previous arrangement.
The negotiations on Tuesday between the management and the striking workers, chaired by Jalilo, agreed that several other demands by the seasonal workers - for medical aid, and for protective clothing - would be solved gradually over the next four weeks.
The cane cutters started the strike, and other plantation workers then joined in {under coercion from the cane cutters, according to Jalilo}. But seeing how just two days of strike won a significant victory for their colleagues, the other workers have decided to continue their action.
"They also want new wages because they're envious of their colleagues", said Jalilo. "Now the problem is that they want immediate results". The negotiations will continue to seek a solution for this group.
The secretary of the Mafambisse trade union committee, Mario Domingos, denied that the other workers had been coerced into the strike by the cane cutters. He said the two groups had stood side by side from the start. The cane cutters had won what they wanted, and now the other plantation workers would also fight for their wage rise.
SOURCE: AIM
