Several reforms of the Ecuadorian labour law by successive governments in the last 8 years mean that many who used to have permanent employment now work only a few days a week and do not earn a living wage. Interviews with a sample of 150 workers in small, medium and large farms in El Oro province in 2024 revealed that 31% of those interviewed earn below the net living wage figure proposed by the Anker Research Institute. Women are more likely to earn lower wages than men. Very few workers have seen their contract and the majority consider that they do not earn enough to make ends meet in their household.
Banana Link invites the industry to a genuine open dialogue about this reality. The study is not published in the spirit of an attack or an incitement to stop sourcing from the country, but from a concern that it is best to start dialogue by recognising the real situation for workers rather than starting from a utopian view that all is well because the “living wage” is enshrined in the Constitution. Like many labour laws in many countries, all depends on enforcement/implementation.
Read the report here: https://www.bananalink.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Wages-and-Contractual-Conditions-and-FoA-in-Ecuador-Revised-Jan-2026-.pdf
