122
for certification include assurance of a detailed set of criteria which are partially
reproduced below from the latest Fairtrade version (Fairtrade 2019):
– Freedom from discrimination based on “race, colour, sex, religion, political
opinion, national extraction or social origin”.
– “No tests for pregnancy, HIV/AIDS or genetic disorders”.
– “No tolerance of gender based violence”.
– “Freedom from forced or compulsory labour”. In case such practice is identified
among the member organisations, procedures should be implemented to avoid
that adults are “employed in abusive, exploitative and unacceptable work conditions as defined by ILO Conventions 29 and 105”.
– No offer of housing conditional to employment is tolerated. “Spouses have the
right to work elsewhere”.
– “No children under 15 years old employed”. In case such practice is identified,
remediation procedures should be placed to avoid the continuous abuse.
– “No hazardous work for children under 18 years old”.
– Payments are made under regular intervals and documented.
– Salaries for workers are set at official minimum wages for similar occupations,
following national or regional average wages. In addition, “you and your members gradually increase salaries above the regional average and the official minimum wage”.
– “Ensure that all permanent workers have a legally binding contract and are aware
of their rights and duties, responsibilities, salaries, and work schedules as part of
the legal labour contract”.
– Ensure hiring and working conditions to subcontracted workers according to this
standard, and whenever possible assign them as permanent workers.
– Occupational health and safety based on ILO Convention 155 is assured to all
workers.
Fairtrade International counts upon 1.5 million small producers in 74 countries.
It is worth noting that Fairtrade is not the sole fair trade organisation in the market,
but it is a primary reference point for the movement, which provides statistical data
on a regular and consistent manner, and this aspect facilitates research and
assessment.
Interestingly, the fair trade movement has been confronted regarding working
conditions exactly due to the requirement of decent and high standard work conditions for small producers. In this case, the criticism is that the smallest producers
cannot afford to meet the (high) standards, or to invest in the necessary decent work
requirements, nor to change their informal work arrangements to achieve labour
rights standards (Smith 2014; Taotawin 2011; Thavat 2011). A concern that is
understandable, although those arguments can be disputed. Fair trade’s decent work
criteria can be seen by some as too strict and even unattainable, as a pattern lifted
from developed economies and transported directly to underdeveloped or developing countries. However, it is of note that work, health and safety (WHS) involve a
significant cost for any responsible business and should not be misrepresented. The
assurance of WHS should be a prime standard for anyone anywhere, and
A. C. Ribeiro-Duthie
for certification include assurance of a detailed set of criteria which are partially
reproduced below from the latest Fairtrade version (Fairtrade 2019):
– Freedom from discrimination based on “race, colour, sex, religion, political
opinion, national extraction or social origin”.
– “No tests for pregnancy, HIV/AIDS or genetic disorders”.
– “No tolerance of gender based violence”.
– “Freedom from forced or compulsory labour”. In case such practice is identified
among the member organisations, procedures should be implemented to avoid
that adults are “employed in abusive, exploitative and unacceptable work conditions as defined by ILO Conventions 29 and 105”.
– No offer of housing conditional to employment is tolerated. “Spouses have the
right to work elsewhere”.
– “No children under 15 years old employed”. In case such practice is identified,
remediation procedures should be placed to avoid the continuous abuse.
– “No hazardous work for children under 18 years old”.
– Payments are made under regular intervals and documented.
– Salaries for workers are set at official minimum wages for similar occupations,
following national or regional average wages. In addition, “you and your members gradually increase salaries above the regional average and the official minimum wage”.
– “Ensure that all permanent workers have a legally binding contract and are aware
of their rights and duties, responsibilities, salaries, and work schedules as part of
the legal labour contract”.
– Ensure hiring and working conditions to subcontracted workers according to this
standard, and whenever possible assign them as permanent workers.
– Occupational health and safety based on ILO Convention 155 is assured to all
workers.
Fairtrade International counts upon 1.5 million small producers in 74 countries.
It is worth noting that Fairtrade is not the sole fair trade organisation in the market,
but it is a primary reference point for the movement, which provides statistical data
on a regular and consistent manner, and this aspect facilitates research and
assessment.
Interestingly, the fair trade movement has been confronted regarding working
conditions exactly due to the requirement of decent and high standard work conditions for small producers. In this case, the criticism is that the smallest producers
cannot afford to meet the (high) standards, or to invest in the necessary decent work
requirements, nor to change their informal work arrangements to achieve labour
rights standards (Smith 2014; Taotawin 2011; Thavat 2011). A concern that is
understandable, although those arguments can be disputed. Fair trade’s decent work
criteria can be seen by some as too strict and even unattainable, as a pattern lifted
from developed economies and transported directly to underdeveloped or developing countries. However, it is of note that work, health and safety (WHS) involve a
significant cost for any responsible business and should not be misrepresented. The
assurance of WHS should be a prime standard for anyone anywhere, and
A. C. Ribeiro-Duthie