Press Release
Supermarket price wars wrecking developing world communities, new investigation reveals
02 Oct 2010
- Investigative film shows unacceptable social and
environmental conditions suffered by pineapple-grower communities
in Costa Rica
- Pineapple plantation workers receive just 4% of retail
price, retailers 41%
- Cut price tropical fruits undermining supermarket's own
initiatives
Consumers International (CI)[i] today
launched a Europe-wide campaign[ii] to expose
the complicity of leading European supermarkets in the unacceptable
social and environmental conditions being suffered by
pineapple-growing communities in Costa Rica.
Three-quarters of pineapples sold in Europe come from Costa
Rica, with many leading supermarket chains buying from Del Monte,
which exports 50% of Costs Rica's pineapples, and Grupo Acon.
CI today released an investigative film revealing the conditions
for workers and their families on pineapple plantations in Costa
Rica, including those supplying Del Monte, and Grupo Acon. The
film, Pineapples: Luxury fruit, at what price?[iii], will be followed by
a report later this month revealing:
No living wage:
Grupo Acon workers facing continued cuts in wages for long shifts
of backbreaking work, six days per week, that already fall well
below a living wage.
Workers suffering from exposure to toxic
chemicals:
"I got a skin disease from the chemicals I used
whilst I worked preparing the pineapple beds... I had gloves, an
apron and a mask to wear but it didn't stop me having
problems". Ex-worker at Pindeco (Del Monte subsidiary)
"Twice I was poisoned. The symptoms included vomiting,
nausea, physical weakness, lack of energy and skin irritations....
I was taken off the job with chemicals for 15 days and made to do
other work, but I didn't get any time off to recover - I had to be
back to work the next day". Ex-worker at Pinales de Santa
Clara plantation (Del Monte supplier)
Hazardous working conditions:
"Less people work at night than during the day, not
many workers like to do night shifts. There are snakes in the
plantations at night and these sometimes bite workers. Three
workers have been killed this way in the last year. The artificial
lights they give us aren't good enough either, they cast shadows
where you can't see anything." (Worker, Grupo Acon)
Contamination of water supplies:
Communities that have drinking water brought in by
tanker, as the local source is too polluted by chemicals used in
pineapple production to consume. Residents are forced to continue
to use local water sources for washing and attribute skin
complaints and health problems to this. Hacienda Ojo de Agua has
been producing pineapples adjacent to these communities for
seventeen years. The company sells its fruit to Del
Monte.
Union breaking:
"When the mass sackings started only non union
members were re-hired and the workers that were re-hired found that
their new jobs were on lower wage rates. Wages reduced by about 40%
in this period and union membership has been reduced to just 11
workers now, from 90 before the sackings started." (Alfonso, Grupo
Acon)
These unacceptable conditions exist despite the stated
commitment of many supermarkets to source responsibly. Consumers
International's research[iv] into the policies
of powerful European supermarkets concludes that these positive
intentions are being undermined by retail price cuts and aggressive
procurement practices that lead to cuts in worker wages and fewer
resources for developing better working practices.
Catherine Nicholson, Programme Coordinator at Consumers
International said:
"Consumers want low prices, but not at the cost of fair
living conditions for producers. While European supermarkets point
to their socially responsible policies, price wars are having an
unacceptable impact on the conditions for pineapple workers in
Costa Rica.
"If supermarkets are serious about promoting fair working
conditions in their supply chains they need to pay a fair price to
producers, work with them to improve conditions, and adopt
purchasing practices that support that commitment."
[i] Consumers International (CI) is the
only independent global campaigning voice for consumers. With over
220 member organisations in 115 countries, we are building a
powerful international consumer movement to help protect and
empower consumers everywhere. For more information, visit www.consumersinternational.org
[ii] The CI campaign kicks-off with the
launch of an investigative documentary made for the global consumer
body by Guardian Films. Pineapples: a luxury fruit, at what
price? is being released by CI and its member organisations in
Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Poland, Spain and the UK. The aim
is to shed light on the poor conditions for workers in Costa Rica
and the failure of EU supermarket chains to take their
responsibilities seriously.
[iii] Pineapples: Luxury fruit, at
what price? can be viewed in here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p4Kt1dDPDo
Language versions and hi-res copies available on request.
[iv] CI is running a wider programme
looking at supermarket corporate social responsibility http://tiny.cc/re2af. CI was
invited to present the programme's findings on European supermarket
policies to the UN last March and in May held a debate at the
European Parliament which brought together Costa Rican union
activists, retailers and policy makers.
The full findings are available to download: Checked
out: Are European supermarkets living up to their responsibilities
for labour conditions in the developing world? http://tiny.cc/uuyxa