Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Four potatoes, two packets of noodles and a can of tinned fish!!

Four potatoes, two packets of noodles and a can of tinned fish!!

That is supposed to be a meal for 10 labourers who are engaged to harvest cane in Kawakawavesi in Seaqaqa.

Things turned ugly when a group of 10 Fijian labourers who are "camping" at the farm of Uma Dutt in the quiet farming community, were given four potatoes, two packets of noodles and a can of tinned fish to prepare their dinner.

The leader of the group indicated that the rations being doled out by Mr Dutt's wife was not enough and asked for more.

An argument ensued and Mr Dutt was slapped across the face.

Four potatoes, two packets of noodles and a can of tinned fish!!

That's right!

Four potatoes, two packets of noodles and a can of tinned fish!!

On hearing news such as this one scratches the head in disbelief and the greed and lack of compassion that some people demonstrate.

Cane cutters are among the hardest working and most exploited of all labourers in Fiji. They work from 4 in the morning till late at night and what do they get? Next to nothing.

A form of semi-servitude still exists in Fiji's cane belts. Dirt poor labourers and their families are kept by wealthy farmers to work the land. These labourers are given a tin shack to live in . In return , the labourer, his wife and even the young kids sometimes as young as 5 years old are expected to work the farm.

The money the labourers earn is not enough and they resort to taking loans from the farmer, loans which they can never pay off, locking them and their families into a life of semi-servitude.

Four potatoes, two packets of noodles and a can of tinned fish for ten people!!

Ask yourself, what would you do?

2 comments:

Crosbie Walsh said...

Such incidents don't help race or employer-employee relations. Government legislation is needed to spell out minimum wages and conditions.

Anonymous said...

While their is no money in cane there will be no money for the workers