Blog: January 2011

Stop trade-union repression in Dole Philippines’ plantation!

The management takeover of the workers’ union last February 13, 2010 – wherein the management-created UR Dole headed by Francis Gales, orchestrated an illegal “general assembly,” impeached the duly-elected officials of AK-NAFLU-KMU, and replaced the latter with officials from UR Dole – earned vehement protests from throughout the country and the world. Because the move is patently illegal, even the government’s Department of Labor and Employment was forced to call it as such and released a status quo order that nullifies the bogus general assembly and the “impeachment.”  Drunk with arrogance from their seeming invincibility, the Dole Philippines management refused to heed the order.

Moving Knowledge to Action: The Colombian FTA

A report released in July of 2010 by the Global Rights and the National Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) underscores the violence and discrimination levied against Afro-Colombians. Forty-two have been killed since 1996—11 in 2010 alone. Sixty-seven percent of the 77 massive displacements in 2009 took place in Afro-Colombian areas, and 69% of the displaced received no immediate assistance after their removal.

Clean Clothes Campaign Gains Widespread Recognition in Amsterdam

The CCC partners widely with similar organizations in the United States and outside of Europe, such as SweatFree Communities and the International Labor Rights Forum.

In the midst of so many other serious international issues taking prime space on television screens and in newspapers, it is encouraging to see attention being given to human rights issues that affect millions of lives in many countries around the world.

This noteworthy recognition of Marieke’s work heralds the changes in global consciousness that we can hope 2011 will yield.

The Environmental and Social Cost of Pineapples in Costa Rica

One of the main pineapple suppliers in Costa Rica that emerged during the seventies is PINDECO (Pineapple Development Corporation), a subsidiary of Fresh Del Monte. Located on some 37,000 acres of land in the southern Pacific coastal region of Costa Rica, PINDECO is responsible for the introduction of the Smooth Cayenne variety, which accounts for at least 50% of the country's pineapple.

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