This is the first part of a two part blog by Rachel Wilshaw, former Workers’ Rights Senior Manager for Oxfam GB and author of publications including Steps towards a living wage in global supply chains and Trapped in Poverty: Workers’ Rights in Supermarket Supply Chains and who recently joined the Banana Link board as a non-executive Director.
Read Part 2 here
1996 marked a significant moment in the history of the banana trade, with two notable developments. Firstly, the first ever shipment of Fairtrade certified bananas arrived in the port of Rotterdam from Volta River Estates in Ghana. And secondly, the establishment of a small NGO in Norwich in the East of England, called Banana Link, which aimed to campaign for socially and environmentally sustainable practices in the export banana trade.
Banana Link didn’t just appear from nowhere, but was the culmination of two previously established initiatives, led by Alistair Smith, after completing his master’s studies in International Development at the University of East Anglia. One was Farmers Link that brought together farmers and other stakeholders in the East Anglian farming community to explore the links between international food and agriculture issues and sustainable practices at home. The second was the European Banana Action Network (EUROBAN), which brought together trade unions and small farmers’ organisations from export banana producing regions with European NGOs and trade unions to campaign collectively for socially just, economically viable and environmentally sound tropical fruit industries, and which was influential in persuading Fairtrade that social and environmental concerns were inter linked, and should be treated as such in Fairtrade’s certification standards.
As Oxfam’s Workers’ Rights Senior Manager, I have observed the work of Banana Link over the last thirty years, and at points in that history Oxfam and Banana Link have worked together on joint projects aimed at improving working conditions for plantation workers.
Below is not intended as a comprehensive history of Banana Link, but rather what I consider to be some the most significant contributions that the organisation has made towards social and environmental sustainability in its thirty years of existence. I’d like to thank Banana Link’s Communications Coordinator, Paul Lievens, who has helped fill in a few of the gaps in my knowledge.
Living wages, empowered trade unions and social dialogue
For many workers on banana plantations their working lives are characterised by working long hours for wages that are inadequate to meet their cost-of-living needs. An industry where every worker in the supply chain receives a living wage has been central to Banana Link’s vision since its inception, and that the key to achieving it is through empowered trade unions engaged in social dialogue and mature industrial relations with employers.
It is only in recent years that there has been concerted momentum within the industry to work towards the payment of living wages for plantation workers. This has include a number of European retailers – principally in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom – making public commitments to work towards ensuring that workers in their banana supply chains are paid living wages.
Empowering trade unions to effectively negotiate living wages and other improvements to their working conditions over many years has been a key element for Banana Link. Their Union-to-Union programme has built links between the trade unions in Latin America that organise plantation workers directly with the British and French unions organising workers at the other end of tropical fruit value chains.
Banana Link coordinated a campaign that led to the first ever framework agreement between a multinational corporation (Chiquita) and trade unions in the Latin American agricultural sector, which guaranteed minimum labour standards and trade union rights.
Training and empowerment programmes in specific regions, such as that in Ghana and Cameroon successfully empowered unions and their representatives to secure wage increases and improve working conditions, which also led to the creation of the first African network of banana workers unions.
More recently, Banana Link conducted field research among banana plantation workers in Ecuador’s El Oro region which found that most workers say their salary is inadequate to meet their family’s needs, as a contribution towards European retailers meeting their commitments on Living Wages.
Banana Link coordination also contributed to the establishment of a roadmap for negotiating living wages in the banana industry of Côte d’Ivoire signed by banana companies, workers unions, retailers, state actors and ILO under framework of Decent Work and Shared Responsibility.
Constructive dialogue among industry stakeholders
It has always been an objective of Banana Link to promote constructive dialogue between all economic and non-economic stakeholders to accelerate a transition to fair, equitable and sustainable banana and pineapple chains worldwide.
Banana Link and its partners in the global South drove the creation of the World Banana Forum in 2009, a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together producers, their organisations, trade unions, cooperatives, exporter groups, fresh producing companies, retailers, traders, consumer associations, governments, research institutions, universities and civil society organizations. This major achievement came out of a huge effort to bring players together around the civil society agenda in two big international conferences in Brussels in 1998 and 2005.
Gender equity and women’s empowerment
Banana Link has always striven to promote gender equality in the banana trade through several different initiatives. These include a series of working papers for the World Banana Forum’s Gender Equity Task Force , analysing the participation of women workers and small producers in the global banana industry, including recommendations towards the provision of Decent Work and sustainable livelihoods for these women actors.
Banana Link also organised two multi-stakeholder meetings on Gender Equity in the Banana Industry to develop strategies to increase and improve women’s economic engagement in the banana industry, alongside the publication of Progress Towards Gender Equity in The Banana Industry: Summaries of Case Studies.
Meanwhile, Banana Link has also worked on the ground to address gender inequality, such as a project in Ghana to improve and increase women’s employment, which saw women’s employment increased by 50%, from 8-12% of the overall banana workforce in two years at Golden Exotics Limited, and an increase in the number of women in supervisory roles on the plantation.
What others have to say
“Banana Link has long been an essential driver of fairness in banana supply chains, and it continues to be so. It stands out for its commitment to collaboration, its emphasis on practical change through effective company-union collaborations, it’s belief in gender equity, its strong support for trade union rights, and its powerful advocacy both of living wages and the centrality of collective bargaining to that process. Banana Link has also been a great champion and ally of the Ethical Trading Initiative.” – Giles Bolton, Executive Director, Ethical Trading Initiative
“We value our constructive collaboration with Banana Link and their longstanding work to strengthen workers’ rights and representation in the banana sector. Without the commitment of organisations such as Banana Link, much of the progress made in advancing workers’ rights in the sector would not have been possible. The perspectives of workers and their representatives are essential for advancing social dialogue with the focus on decent work and living wages.” – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
“Your dedication to supporting farmers, workers, and their families has created lasting impact and inspired meaningful change across the agricultural sector. Your work has not only strengthened farming communities but has also highlighted the vital role of women in agriculture and the importance of gender equity. Your continued commitment to social justice, dignity at work, and inclusive development inspires all of us working toward a more equitable and sustainable agricultural future. May you continue to champion the rights of farmers and workers — especially women and marginalised groups — for many more years to come.” – FARMCOOP, Philippines
“Congratulations on celebrating 30 years of dedicated advocacy, support, and commitment to positive effects of your work. It’s heartwarming to reflect on 1998, when our partnership began, and we are thrilled to see the progress we’ve achieved together. Your commitment to empowering farmers and workers, especially women, has been truly transformative. The fact that today Volta River Estates Ltd has a significant number of women in supervisory positions is a testament to the power of education and training provided by your esteemed organisation. We are proud to see that your efforts have not only improved our livelihoods but also boosted our confidence and self-esteem. The ripple effect of this is evident in the happy and proud workers we see every day, who know and assert their rights. This achievement is a shining example of what can be accomplished when companies and advocacy organizations work together towards the common goals of fairness, transparency, and sustainability. As we celebrate this milestone, we, the workers of VREL, would like to express our deepest gratitude for your tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to creating a better world for us.”– Juliet Arku-Mensah, Gender Officer for VREL and Xena John, Local Ghana Agricultural Workers Union Chairman
And a video message from women workers at VREL …
To be continued in Part 2 of this blog …
