SIZA offers compliance training on the requirements of the Social (Ethical) Standard through interactive webinars and in-person training. The SIZA Social Compliance training focuses on implementing labour practices relevant to producers, packhouses, and processing facilities in South Africa. The training addresses the minimum legal requirements, including occupational health and safety and working and housing conditions on farms, which have become a focal point for improvement. The SIZA compliance training and toolkit will play an important role in supporting continuous improvement. SIZA offers in-person and webinar training to give producers the knowledge they need to take ownership of their compliance journey to implement Social (Ethical) compliance requirements successfully.
One of the most important aspects of the SIZA programme is effective management systems. The above principle code supports successful management systems and focuses on the legal framework, primarily addressing common non-compliance issues. Additionally, it aims to assist businesses in understanding how to monitor hours more effectively, calculate overtime, calculate public holiday payments, etc. The training is offered online and in-person in all the provinces to provide a good foundation for businesses to understand the requirements for implementing better practices and avoiding unnecessary non-compliance findings during the audit in their business going forward.
In conjunction with PROCARE, SIZA developed a training course called “When Grievance Becomes A Good Practice,” which is aimed at the value of communication, understanding procedures around lodging and handling grievances, and the crucial role this plays in employee and business wellness. It provides an in-depth look at grievance procedures within a business, how they should be handled, and how communication between all parties plays a vital role in resolving the issues raised. This training programme aims to create an environment where everyone in the business has a voice and is comfortable and empowered with knowledge and skills to implement, facilitate, and manage grievance procedures and processes effectively.
To assist subscribers with gaining a better understanding of their audit findings and the risk ratings, SIZA developed a training course to provide primary subscribers with insight and a better understanding of the auditors’ process to raise a finding and allocate a specific risk rating to the finding. This training looks at the root cause and how to resolve the bigger problem to manage risks effectively. This will assist subscribers in managing possible risks in the workplace, which is a crucial part of everyday operations for any business. This will reduce hazards and ensure better preparation for the audit, and continuous improvement will occur. With a better understanding of how to compile and implement effective risk assessments to improve areas within a business, primary subscribers will be able to get fewer findings during their SIZA audit.
In 2018, Stronger Together launched a new global supply chain project to promote responsible employment in the wine and fruit-growing industries in South Africa, which was funded by the United Kingdom Home Office Modern Slavery Innovation Fund. The project, implemented in partnership with WIETA and SIZA, was established because the UK Modern Slavery Act of 2015 requires that large UK-based businesses take steps to address and reduce the risk of modern slavery within their global supply chains. This includes any form of forced and bonded labour, human trafficking, and preventing freedom of association.
Stronger Together’s training on Forced and Bonded Labour equips South African producers with the knowledge and tools to identify, prevent, and address exploitative labour practices in alignment with international standards. This helps them meet global market requirements while promoting ethical employment in agriculture.
