ASSESSMENT OF LABOR CONDITIONS IN THE ETHIOPIAN HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY: THE CASE OF TINAW FLORICULTURE FARM.

Abstract

The horticulture industry is one of the fastest-growing and most significant agricultural sectors in Ethiopia. For the last two decades, the industry has been contributing to the country's economic growth and development by generating substantial foreign exchange earnings and job opportunities for thousands of workers. This study aims to assess Labor Conditions in the Ethiopian Horticulture Industry: The Case of Tinaw Floriculture Farm. The study employed a descriptive research design and this study used both quantitative and qualitative data. Data were collected using a simple random sampling technique by structured questionnaires from 278 employees 269 respondedproperly, and using the snowball sampling method 10 informants were drawn for interview. A purposive sampling technique is employed to conduct in-depth interviews with 6 farm leaders and the Office of Labor and Social Affairs experts. Regarding the Labor conditions results, both qualitative and quantitative data indicate that the workers in the Tinaw floriculture farm studied are working in below standard Labor working conditions and Employees are working at very low wage levels and 78.9% of respondents believe that official working hours are not reasonable and suitable for their job responsibilities. Employees have not also signed contracts with their respective employers. 85.9% workers are not well-informed about the Labour code and claim that the national Labour proclamation is still not prepared and implement a Minimum wage level for the country, 84.4 % of respondents do not know where are going for their complaints and the health conditions of workers are becoming desperate; prevention interventions are by and large neglected. Therefore, as a whole, it is concluded that the Labor conditions in Tinaw floriculture are below standard.