38p-an-hour fruit picker challenges Tesco directors on low pay
A South African fruit picker today made a passionate plea to Tesco directors in a bid to improve pay and conditions for an army of farm workers.
Gertruida Baartman said she was paid 38p an hour and worked for four months a year picking apples, peaches and pears for a farm which supplies fruit to Tesco.
The 38-year-old, who has three children, was able to quiz company bosses at the firm’s AGM in London after buying one share in the firm.
She said: “I know Tesco has been told before about the problems workers experience on farms and they have said it isn’t true.
“But I am standing before you to tell you I don’t get paid enough to feed my children and work with my bare hands in fields full of pesticides.
“I don’t get the same wages as the men, even though we do the same work. So nobody can tell me this is fair.”
The appeal follows May’s news that boss Sir Terry Leahy was paid almost £4m (€5.7m) last year after masterminding another jump in profits of £2.21bn (€3.1bn) for the supermarket giant.
Tesco’s executive pay policy was voted through by shareholders with little opposition, despite corporate watchdog PIRC suggesting remuneration packages for top level staff were excessive.
Chairman David Reid called on campaigners to detail their accusations.
He told the company’s AGM: “We need an understanding of which farms – where and when – so we can investigate these things properly.”
But Mrs Baartman, who had been flown to the UK by charity ActionAid along with farm worker union Silkhulu Sonke (Growing Together) explained colleagues were too scared to speak out.
She added: “I don’t want Tesco to leave South Africa and I don’t want people in the UK to boycott the supermarket. I just want the company to be fairer.”
Dominic Eagleton, from ActionAid, said: “This story underlines the need for MPs to use the Company Law Bill to make directors accountable for impacts on poor communities overseas.”
The charity also admitted the South African Government needed to be more proactive in cracking down on low pay in the country, although it stressed Tesco should not get involved in the lobbying.
The AGM also heard criticism from a shareholder about sourcing products from Israel, as well as demands for wage increases for UK shop floor workers.
