Simultaneously, Banana Link, the IUF and COLSIBA (the Coordination of Latin American Banana Worker's Unions) and three other international organisations released a special report entitled, "Dole, Behind the Smoke Screen" documenting Dole worker rights violations in Latin America.

Banana Link, the GMB and other signers of the letter called on Dole "to make a commitment not only on paper, but also in practice" and said that they would "be evaluating Dole's response against concrete indicators...measured in terms of increased numbers of workers covered by collective bargaining agreements."  The letter follows an earlier letter, sent to Dole on 1 April 2006, by COLSIBA demanding that Dole respect fundamental human rights.

Click here for a copy of the organisational sign-on letter, the signatories and the report.  Also available the press release and appendix.

Email Banana Link to receive hard copies of the "Dole, Behind the Smokescreen"

July 2010, Banana Link

A legal judgement passed three years ago in the US in favour of Nicaraguan banana workers who suffered sterility due to their exposure to a pesticide on plantations in the 1980s, has ultimately been thrown out in a highly publicised ruling.  In the case of Tellez vs Dole Food Company, Judge Victoria Chaney found that the defendants had no case to answer despite compelling evidence that exposed bribes and false testimony by secret witnesses recruited by Dole.  This outcome is likely to set a precedent for similar cases which are pending, and will thereby affect thousands of other injured banana workers. 

New report released on 7th October 2009, World Day for Decent Work

7th October 2009, Banana Link

In the last three years, since the publication of the 'Dole: Behind the Smoke-Screen' report by a coalition of civil society organisations, the fruit multinational has met on various occasions with trade union organisations in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. The new report published today, on the World Day for Decent Work, by the same organisations notes that Dole has shown a certain openness to dialogue on the issues of trade union freedom and collective bargaining in those countries.

Banana and sugar workers' claims make progress

14 July 2009, Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign

The Supreme Court of Venezuela (Civil Panel) has ordered the Venezuelan subsidiaries of Shell Chemical Company, Dole Food Company, and Dow Chemical Company to pay compensation to 98 former banana workers who worked on 16 Nicaraguan banana plantations for damage to their health resulting from exposure to the pesticide DBCP, also known as Nemagon and
Fumazone. The ruling was made based on a procedure under which the Venezuelan court can enforce a ruling made by a foreign court. In this case the court was the Second District Civil Court of Managua, presided over by Judge Vida Benavente whose decision dates from 2004. The Venezuelan court ruling was issued on May 4.