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Article

29 Nov 2016

Author:
Jonathan Watts, The Guardia (UK)

Fyffes melons at centre of labour abuse claims from Honduran workers

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A community of Honduran melon plantation labourers say they are threatened with dismissal and destitution because they have tried to form a union at their Irish-owned company.The workers – the vast majority of whom are women – are now appealing to US and European consumers to boycott products sold by the fruit multinational Fyffes until it improves working conditions and allows collective bargaining...This is the property of one of three Fyffes subsidiaries – Melon Export, Soled and Suragro – in Choluteca. Together, they employ about 2,700 local people to clear the soil, plant seeds, spray herbicides and pesticides, turn over the melons to prevent sun scorching, and then harvest them...The work is seasonal, lasting only four to six months....Fyffes says that the Choluteca operation is certified by Primus Labs, a food safety consultancy...To improve conditions, two years ago employees set up a branch of the agriculture workers’ union Stas. They say they faced opposition from the company and threats from the government… Fyffes says it is happy to engage with a union... but acknowledges difficulties in Honduras...

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