Fair wages for workers must be understood as inalienable from fair and stable prices on the part of buyers: this message was repeated and repeated again over the course of the World Banana Forum conference in Rome earlier this spring. Alongside this, an important consensus developed recognising workers unions as the best placed to negotiate for and define fair wages in a given context. Retailers in Europe have made commitments to implement living wages, publicly stating that collective bargaining is the most sustainable route to living wage implementation, and recognising that responsible purchasing practices are crucial.
So, what do these developments mean for the world’s largest banana exporting nation? This week, the Coordinating Committee of Labour Organisations of Ecuador (COLAE) released a statement marking international labour day. Referring to a recent referendum in which citizens voted against labour flexibilization measures – including the ability to contract workers by the hour – the statement reads:
This 1st May 2024, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, the Coordinating Committee of Labour Organisations of Ecuador greets all the working men and women of the world, of Ecuador, and of the banana industry.
On this great day of the working class of the world we remember with admiration and respect the heroic deed of the martyrs of Chicago in 1886, who offered their lives so that in the world we have the 8-hour day, today so harassed by the anti-worker policies of the labour market. However, in Ecuador on the 21st of April 2024, voters responded with a resounding NO to the hourly work contracts that the referendum wanted to legitimise. This would have further weakened the labour laws that defend the workers rights hard-won by past generations through great effort and sacrifice – rights and laws embodied in our political constitution, labour code and the ILO.
In these difficult times, we confirm our commitment to work together, strengthening ourselves and our country, defending stable and decent work, living wage, and respect for human dignity. We call for the unity of the labour movement, so that through our different forms and organisational expressions, we can unite to defend what has cost so much effort and sacrifice to achieve.
Alistair Smith, Banana Link’s International Coordinator, spoke to Ecuador’s Banana Export TV in an interview on the state of the nation’s banana industry at this moment of change. While a living wage for workers may be written into Ecuador’s constitution, he says, it is time for the industry to wake up and accept that the reality on the ground is not so rosy: many workers, hired on a casual and part-time basis, don’t earn a living wage. Only once we accept this reality, can we work together to find solutions. See the interview captioned in English below.
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Source: Banana Export TV Youtube Channel
