An Assessment of Workers' Rights in Three Floriculture Industries around Debre Ziet: With Particular Reference to Employment Security and Occupational Safety and Health
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Floriculture industry is one of the newly emerging industries of Ethiopia. Since its beginning in
the early 1980s, it has created much needed employment opportunities for a large section of the
population and helping the country to generate foreign exchange. Understanding its capacity to
generate employment and fore ign exchange, the goverrul1ent is also encouraging investors to
invest in the sector.
This paper was intended to assess the conditions of employment security and occupational safety
and health of floriculture workers working on the flower farms based on a case study of three
flower farms namely: Ever Green Farm, Minaye Flowers and Dugda Flora around Debre Zeit.
This study used both qualitative (e.g. interviews and case studies) and quantitati ve (e.g.
questionnaire method) data gathering instruments in the collection of data.
Looking at the conditions of employment security and occupational safety and health of workers,
results of both qualitative and quantitative data indicate that the workers in the three flower
farms studied are working in poor working conditions. Workers are working in insecure working
conditions and many workers are employed on temporary basis and have not signed contracts
with their respective employers. Many workers lack employment security as they are vulnerable
to arbitrary dismi ssal from their work. Yet, employers reject the existence of violations of
employment security ri ghts of workers and claim that the national labour proclamation allows
seasonal work and they said flower production is by nature seasonal.
Another serious issue in the flower farms surveyed is the condition of workers health. The
exposure to harmful pesticides and deficiency of the necessary work faci lities make workers'
working conditions harsher in the surveyed farms. In general, while the health conditions of
workers are becoming desperate, prevention interventions are by and large neglected.
Therefore, as a whol e, it is concluded that the conditions of employment security and
occupational safety and health of workers of the sampled of floriculture is poor. Considerable
suggestion and recommendation was given to improve these conditions.
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Law