Background: Tens of thousands of Central American banana workers and
their
families face a bleak and uncertain future in the wake of Hurricane
Mitch.
Mitch wiped out nearly all of the Honduran banana production, most of
Nicaragua's and some of Guatemala's. Not only have many workers lost
lives,
family members, homes and/or possessions, and not only do they face
emergency needs with respect to shelter, clean water and food, they also
face an insecure future as banana workers.
While the banana companies are generally getting good marks for
responding
with emergency assistance, there are conflicting reports about how these
companies are responding to the long-term need to rehabilitate damaged
plantations. Some have publicly stated that they intend to remain (e.g.
Chiquita in Honduras), but there have been no public statements regarding
what percentage of farms will be rehabilitated. There are also reports of
threats to leave in other countries as well as reports that banana
companies
are demanding concessions from workers in return for staying. In some
countries, banana companies have reportedly fired workers and are cutting
medical benefits. And while a company may be responding relatively
positively in one country it is not clear that it is doing so in another.
In short, it has not yet been possible to obtain a clear overview on how
the
banana companies are responding in each country. The lack of firm
information is due to a variety of problems, not least of which is that
many
banana union leaders have been working night and day in response to the
immediate needs of their workers; and banana union offices and computers
in
Honduras have been destroyed. Rumors are swirling and it is hard to
separate
fact from fiction. Regardless, the message to the banana companies is
clear:
They should move quickly to assure workers that all their plantations and
those of their suppliers will be rehabilitated, they should not use Mitch
as
a club against their workers and they should provide transitional
assistance.
Urge Chiquita, Fresh Del Monte Produce, and Dole: (a) to pledge in
writing
that they will rehabilitate as soon as possible all plantations damaged
by
Hurricane Mitch; (b) not to use the threat of leaving or abandonment of
plantations to wrest concessions from their workers; (c) to provide
transitional assistance, full medical benefits, other emergency aid and a
minimum level of income support to their workers; (d) to respect all ILO
conventions with respect to worker rights; and (e) to ensure that their
suppliers do the same (note: in addition to owning their own plantations,
these banana companies also buy from third-party suppliers).
Note #1: On November 12, 1998, Chiquita met with the Coordination of
Latin
American Banana Workers Unions (Colsiba) in Guatemala. The meeting had
been
scheduled prior to Hurricane Mitch in order to discuss concerns by the
banana workers, but Mitch was added to the agenda. Leaders of the
coordination say that few concrete actions were taken or promised but
that
Chiquita did pledge to remain in Honduras and Guatemala (it is not
present
in Nicaragua). A separate report on this meeting and next steps in a
Chiquita campaign will be prepared and circulated later.
Note #2: The U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project has offered to serve
as
a conduit for emergency funds intended specifically for banana workers.
Checks may be sent to US/GLEP, P.O. Box 268-290, Chicago, IL 60626 and
earmarked for "Mitch." The money will be forwarded directly to the
Coordination to distribute according to its assessment of needs.
******************
ACTION REQUEST
******************
Following is a letter to the CEOs of each of the three major U.S.-based
banana companies with interests in Central America. Please adapt three
copies of this letter - inserting the correct address information and the
correct salutation at the top and the correct company references in the
body
of the letter - sign the copies and send them to the respective
addresses.
Please also send the signature portion (with your own name and address)
of
any one copy to Campaign for Labor Rights via email <CLR@igc.org or fax
(541) 344-5410. We will forward this information to the U.S. Guatemala
Labor
Education Project.
Contact information:
Mr. Carl Lindner
Chief Executive Officer
Chiquita Brands International
250 East Fifth Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Fax: 513-784-6754
Mr. Mohammed Abu-Ghazeleh
Chief Executive Officer
Fresh Del Monte Produce
800 Douglas Entrance
North Tower, 12th Floor
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Fax: 305-442-1059
Mr. David Murdock
Chief Executive Officer
Dole Food Company
31365 Oak Crest Drive
Westlake Village, CA 91361
Fax: 310-824-2159
Sample letter (for Dole, in this case):
Dear Mr. Murdock:
Hurricane Mitch is said to be the greatest natural disaster in Central
America in this century. Among the hardest hit have been banana workers
employed directly or indirectly by U.S. banana companies like Dole.
I urge Dole not to abandon any of its operations as a response to Mitch
and
furthermore not to use the threat of abandonment to wrest concessions. I
also urge that Dole: provide transitional assistance, full medical
benefits,
other emergency aid and a minimum level of income support to its workers;
respect all ILO conventions with respect to worker rights; and ensure
that
its suppliers do likewise.
I understand that some U.S. banana companies have been responding well in
terms of emergency relief. I would appreciate learning more about what
Dole
is doing in this area and in terms of the longer-term concerns raised in
this letter.
Thank you for your consideration of my concerns.
Sincerely,
NAME:
ADDRESS: