Banana Link Action PowerPoint:

how to take action to support

workers in the banana industry

See the action cards and campaign information in the resource packs or Banana Link USB Pen Drives provided to support the following actions.

Support Caribbean and Fairtrade

Action 1: Choose Caribbean and Fairtrade and ask your local supermarkets and shops to make sure this choice is always available

Action 2: Introduce Fairtrade products in your workplace, and work towards your city or town being Fairtrade, visit www.fairtrade.org.uk to find out how.

Action 3: Raise awareness, tell people about Fairtrade and get involved in Fairtrade Fortnight with your union, workplace or local networks

Achievements so far:

Over 90% of Windward Islands bananas now carry the Fairtrade mark enabling small farmers to have market access

Now over 7 million farmers, workers and their families worldwide benefit from Fairtrade

One in every five bananas sold in the UK are Fairtrade certified

Sainsbury's supermarket has committed to stock 100% Fairtrade bananas – 40% of these are guaranteed to be from small farmers

Take action to demand that multinational

companies respect core labour standards:

Dole Campaign

Action 1: Read and distribute the ‘Dole – Behind a smokescreen’ booklet

Action 2: Monitor the campaign section of the Banana

Link website for updates on action you can take Action 3: Ask your union to sign up to be a ‘Dole

Campaign Supporter’

Achievements so far:

Trade unions from the UK, Europe, the US and Latin America have joined forces to put pressure on Dole at an international level

A framework agreement on trade union rights has now been signed between Dole and plantation workers unions in Costa Rica

Continued pressure is being put on Dole for similar agreements in Ecuador and Peru

Take action to control supermarket buyer power:

Tescopoly campaign

Action 1: Sign and distribute Tescopoly campaign cards

Action 2: Visit www.tescopoly.org for campaign updates and to take action to ensure that labour rights are respected along international supply chains

Achievements so far:

Hundreds of local campaigns to protect small shops and communities from new supermarket development

As a consequence of political and popular pressure the Competition Commission initiated an Inquiry into the Grocery Sector

Their findings so far recommend stricter controls on supermarket buyer power including a watchdog to monitor the industry

Greater public awareness of the costs of cheap food and pressure on the retail giants to take responsibility for respecting labour standards along their supply chains

Join theBanana Action Mailing List

Action 1: Respond to Urgent Action requests from our trade union partners

Action 2: Distribute Urgent Actions amongst your trade union networks

Action 3: Receive and distribute the News from the Banana Front Bulletin

Achievements so far:

Recent Urgent Action result: Two Costa Rican workers have been reinstated with full back pay after 3,500 messages were sent to their employer, Chiquita. The workers were sacked when they reported to their employer that they had been poisoned by the toxic agrochemicals used on the plantations. The company has also committed to review health and safety standards on their plantations across the region

Visit the Banana Link Action Archive to find out about many other achievements at www.bananalink.org.uk

Get involved in the Union to Union Programme

Action 1: Get your union branch or region to affiliate and become Banana Link Trade Union Supporters

Action 2: Submit a motion at your union conference to support solidarity with Latin American banana workers unions

Action 3: Use Banana Link resources to raise awareness at trade union meetings and events, in your workplace, community or other networks

Action 4: Visit www.bananalink.org.uk for latest news and actions

Engage in practical solidarity

along the supply chain

Action 5: Build direct solidarity links between your union and a union in Latin America at branch, regional or national level

Action 6: Respond to fundraising appeals Action 7: Invite a Latin American speaker to your union

conference or join the next Banana Link delegation Action 8: Sign up to the Decent Work, Decent Life

campaign at www.decentwork.org

Examples of practical solidarity:

GMB London and SITRAP, Costa Rica

Action taken:Supporting 2 full time organisers and their transportFunding the construction of a union training centreLobbying supermarkets about Costa Rican labour standardsSupporting the Dole campaignAchievements:Increased membership on the ground and access to new plantationsGrowth in union strength and influence, e.g., recent signing of first Collective Bargaining Agreement in Costa Rican banana industry in 20 yearsSigning of first framework agreement on working conditions with Dole and Chiquita

Examples of practical solidarity:

NTUC Young members/Amicus and FENACLE, Ecuador

ActionsParticipated in 2004 and 2006 Banana Link Youth Delegations to Costa Rica and EcuadorAnnual fundraising: ‘Boxing Day Dip’ in North Sea!Funding of first ever training workshops for young banana workers in EcuadorAchievementsTraining workshops for over 300 young banana workersFENACLE network of over 3,000 young workersDevelopment of FENACLE Youth Programme and Youth Committee

Useful links:

www.bananalink.org.ukwww.tescopoly.org

www.supportcaribbeanbananas.org.ukwww.fairtrade.org.uk www.labourstart.orgwww.decentwork.org

Banana Link contacts:

38 Exchange Street Norwich NR2 1AXTel: 01603 765670 Fax: 01603 761645

Email: info@bananalink.org.ukWeb: www.bananalink.org.uk

Contact Banana Link for more information on our trade union partners, the Union to Union programme and how

you and your union can get involved