Farm Workers in Namibia: Living and Working Conditions

Covers farming, personal and demographic data in the sample areas, working conditions, minimum wages, ownership of livestock and tenure rights, living conditions, human and labour relations, occupational health and safety, HIV/AIDS, conclusions and recommendations. Key research questions included the impact of the 2003 minimum wage legislation on living standards and employment levels, health and safety issues, land use rights and gender-based differences in employment conditions. Almost all farm workers are employed on a full-time basis and over a quarter of those surveyed had been in their current employment for over 6 years. Labour relations are far better on black-owned than on white-owned commercial farms, where a master-servant mentality still persists and many workers are in debt to the farm shops.