Call # 246 March 2002

The Banana sector has undergone a crisis for several years, which is weighing heavily on the working conditions of thousands of South American farmers. The great American banana multinational companies are closing down more and more plantations, which has the consequence to reduce farmers to misery (even though these farmers had managed to obtain better working conditions by dint of fighting). One of the fundamental reasons for this crisis is a phenomenon of overproduction, which is cutting down prices. Equador is the main responsible for that, and has kept on increasing its volumes of production since 1999, with unbeatable prices. Ecuadorian plantation workers are the first victims of this policy. They are pressurized on their salaries and working conditions imposed by Noboa society. A trade union has just been established in plantations working for the fourth banana-growing multinational. In order to contirbute to the success of this establishment, we are mobilizing.

Don’t forget the 25th February 2002. On this day, the first real banana workers’ strike took place. For more than 20 years, there had not been any in the country. Not far from the town of Naranjal in the province of Guayas, in seven plantations working for Noboa society, 1400 workers stopped working to fight for their rights. They claimed for the coming into force of the Ecuadorian law on social legislation: the paying off of overtime, the application to a social insurance system, the access to medical care, security at work and decent salaries.

In order to defend their rights, the workers have created a new trade union (1). They immediately applied to the ministry of Employment to obtain its recognition. The reaction of the plantations managers was sudden. Eight workers considered as responsible for the strike were made redundant. Therefore, work started again immediately on the plantations, but the trade union got reinforced thanks to the great number of new members. FENACLE(2) has encouraged for more than a year the setting up of trade unions in the three banana producing provinces in Equador. If the trade union of the plantations is officialized, it will then be harder to make people redundant, and the next strikes will be legally organized.

The seven plantations are distinct legal entities. Workers are hired by turns in the seven plantations. Therefore, they cannot be considered as permanent workers, but as seasonal workers. The overall banana production is sold to the fourth banana-growing multinational: Noboa. The new trade union therefore thinks that all the plantations secretly belong to the same owner. The trade union is claiming for the fruit society and the government to publish the names of the managers.

Equador, good pupil

Equador has become the first global banana-exporting country (1/3 of its exportation goes to Europe). And contrary to the plantations of other South American countries owned by the three biggest American multinationals (Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte), most of Ecuadorian plantations belong to national companies, among which Noboa (the most important one), whose bananas are sold under the label Bonita.

There is obviously Equador’s great ability to export. It is due to extremely low production costs. Even if Ecuadorian overproduction is today the main reason for the crisis in the banana sector - and therefore of the commercial success of the country - Ecuadorian workers are the first victims of it. As a matter of fact, working conditions in the Ecuadorian plantations are even worse than in American plantations, which were until now sharing the global market. The pupil from the south has beated the master from the north.

A well-designed system

According to a survey led by the American organization US/LEAP in 2000 among Ecuadorian workers, the average monthly income of an Ecuadorian plantation is 56 dollars, whereas it is coming up to 500 dollars in Panama, to 200 dollars in Costa Rica and between 120 and 150 dollars in Guatemala (Réseau-Solidarité has already mobilized for these countries in Calls n°201, 205, 213 and 223).

It is quite easy to explain this scandalous situation. In the Ecuadorian plantations, most of the workers are considered as eventuales, ie. Seasonal workers deprived of their rights (see box).

In view of this situation, Ecuadorian and other workers do not advocate the boycotting of Ecuadorian bananas. They prefer the consumers to put pressure on the distributing firms in order to obtain bananas produced in good social conditions, and so that countries such as Ecuador honour at last their commitments to international organizations. Trade union mobilizations, which today take place in the Ecuadorian plantations, give the workers of this sector renewed hope, in all Central America. This is probably a growing movement for which we are asked to mobilize.

1. The most important Trade Union of Yanayacu Plantations (1 and 2), Rey Rancho (1 and 2), La Nueva, Zapotal and La Teresa

2. National Federation of Ecuadorian Free Farmers

For more information...

Who are the eventuales?

The eventuales are temporary workers. In Equador, they are often not recorded at the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (the equivalent of the " Sécurité Sociale " in France) and therefore have no rights when injured or ill, or in case of redundancy (because they do not officially work for the company). The " Eventuales " are not paid for the overtime they work (which they often do in high activity period). Conversely, in low activity period, they only work two or three days a week... but are obliged to be available in case they are asked to work ... (which prevents them from looking for a part-time job which would offset the wage decrease due to the low activity in the plantation). Finally, as the workers do not officially work where they are employed, they cannot join the trade union of the plantation (hence the fact that there are few trade unions in the Ecuadorian plantations) and therefore cannot fight for their rights. Things have come full circle.

Write to...

Exportadora bananera Noboa S.A.

Alvaro Noboa Ponton

P.O. Box 09-01-529

El oro 101 y la Ria

Guayaquil-Equateur

Banoboa@bonita.com

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Señor Presidente

Por medio de Réseau-Solidarité (Red-Solidaridad 10, quai de Richemont 35000 RENNES - FRANCE), me enteré de las malas condiciones de trabajo así como la represión sindical en las plantaciones que producen para Noboa.

Le ruego con insistencia acepte negociaciones con el sindicato de las plantaciones para que la situación de los obreros se mejore.

Me quedaré vigilante en cuanto a la evolución de la situación.

Atentamente

(signature)

Translation

Dear President,

I have been informed by Réseau Solidarité (...) on the bad working conditions and on the suppression of the trade unions in the plantations working for Noboa.

I insist on you accepting the negotiations with the trade union of the plantations to improve the workers’ working conditions.

I will be following the development of the situation.

Yours truly

(signature)

Call written with :

Coalition for Labor Rights (United-States)

Banana Link (Europe)