SA Graan April 2015

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Good labour practices and
relationships in the spotlight
In the March issue of SA Graan/Grain we talked to Quentin
and Marisa de Bruyn of Vastrap Enterprises about their staff
– which they believe is the most important asset of their farm-
ing business and this philosophy underlines their approach to la-
bour practices.
Recognition and motivation
“We try extremely hard to give positive reinforcement for good
work. This includes individual affirmation in our morning meetings
as well as an annual prize giving for the most improved and most
valuable employees in the older and younger age groups. We try to
achieve a good balance between reward and discipline.
“On the discipline side, we keep accurate records of infringements
in terms of written warnings and disciplinary meetings as required
by the law. On the reward side, we have an all-encompassing bonus
scheme, which rewards sobriety, extraordinary effort and discour-
ages absenteeism and infringements of the labour contract,” Quen-
tin said.
Quentin and Marisa believe that a minimum wage is necessary to
prevent exploitation. “R2 400 per month is not a lot to live on, but
unfortunately the last 52% increase in the minimum wage has led
to many job losses and has forced producers to be more productive
with less staff. This, in combination with the land tenure act, has
had many unintended negative consequences for employment in
the farming sector. While the reasons for this legislation are clear
and necessary, there should be more engagement with producers
to understand the consequences of such measures and to find
workable solutions to improve living standards on farms.”
At Vastrap Enterprises they believe legislation provides a technical
guideline for dealing with disputes. However, more often than not
emotional and social factors play a more important role in resolv-
ing disputes.
At Vastrap they rely on a much more consultative process where
elders from the community are involved to gain a better under-
standing of the issues at hand. Everything is documented in front of
witnesses to ensure that all parties are held to the agreements
reached. Trained and skilled staff is extremely valuable and hard to
replace, therefore they see dismissal as a last resort.
A few tips
Tips from Vastrap Enterprises on how to get the best from your
workforce:
Treat your workers and their families with dignity and respect.
Put in place a structured bonus scheme that rewards and self-
regulates good performance and behaviour, rather than just pu-
nitive measures for offences. For example, our bonus scheme
has helped to resolve previous issues with absenteeism and al-
cohol abuse in the workplace.
Get to know your staff outside of the work environment by or-
ganising staff braais and team building excursions.
Put as much time and thought into improving your labour rela-
tions as you would spend on improving your farming operations.
It is an integral cog in the wheel.
Vastrap Enterprises is a mixed farming business near Ladybrand in
the Eastern Free State.
ELMARIE HELBERG, SA Graan/Grain contributor
– Vastrap Enterprises (Part 2)
Series
Share you practices with fellow producers
Grain SA members are welcome to share with their fellow producers their tips and advice for good labour practices and relations on the farm;
or methods that they apply on their farms that work for them. Send an email to and we will contact you.
1: Staff enjoying the England versus Ger-
many game at the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
2: Mokete Rasoeu at the France versus South
Africa game at the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
3: The newly completed staff ablution facility
and pre-school playroom.
4: The playroom for Vastrap staff’s kids.
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4
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April 2015
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RELEVANT