Equatorial Palm Oil Update on its Human Rights Impact Assessment Process
Actions Taken to Address its Salient Human Rights Issues
On 7 November 2017, EPO [Equatorial Palm Oil] released the Executive Summary of its Human Rights Impact Assessment ("HRIA")...
EPO now reports on the on-going steps taken to address its salient human rights issues as follows:
· Contractor wages and employment status: EPO has established new criteria based on productivity to evaluate when a contract worker can be converted to an employee... At a minimum, contractors are asked to ensure that they pay their workers the amount contained in the Decent Work Act (Liberia) and this is being monitored on a monthly basis by EPO to ensure its head contractors pay to its contractors the appropriate amount...
· Accidents on the estates due to chemical usage: EPO has strengthened its procedures to ensure that workers are aware of why the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is so critical to their health...
· Impact of use of land on communities: ... A new committee has been created..., which brings together community representatives and EPO, as well as governmental stakeholders, to discuss the implementation of free, prior and informed consent ("FPIC")...
· Exercising the right to freedom of association: ...The Company is in the process of negotiating the renewal of the collective bargaining agreements with trade unions...