27. august
Online kick-off meeting: Nordic Initiative on Living Wages in Banana Supply Chains
Are you an actor in and around the Nordic banana value chain? Maybe you are a retailer, trader, public buyer, NGO, certification body or the authorities.
As legislation and requirements for better wages in global supply chains are being rolled out throughout Europe, several living wage collaborations in the banana sector have been developed to find solutions to the wage issue. These collaborations, that run across the supply chain and often include trade unions in producer countries, NGOs, governments, certification bodies, local authorities, offer us insights into how tangible progress can be achieved to address the well-known problems of workers’ low wages.
Therefore, we would like to call upon all relevant stakeholders to join us in establishing a Nordic Banana Initiative, and to work together to close the living wage gap and contribute to a more responsible banana sector globally. We hereby invite all stakeholders to join us for an online kick-off meeting on 27 August 2024 at 13 o’clock CET.
Why bananas and living wages?
In the Nordic countries, we eat around 15 kilos of bananas per person per year. This makes bananas among the most sold fresh products in our markets. At the same time, we know that in most banana exporting regions where data on current wages is available, wages are below the so-called ‘Living Wage Benchmark’ (which is a calculation of the wage that can provide a basic and decent standard of living in a particular area). Therefore, we want to bring together actors across the Nordic value chains in a joint initiative that will work to influence wages in the banana sector and thus contribute positively to development through our trade.
Wages and labor rights are a significant risk and challenge in many global value chains. Wages are increasingly high on the agenda due to the new sustainability requirements under CSRD legislation – especially ESRS S2 (Workers in value chains) and due diligence requirements (CSDDD) legislation. Experiences and results from this Nordic project should therefore be applicable in other sectors where low wages are a fundamental problem.
During the kick-off, we will meet:
- Patrick Belser, Senior Economist at the International Labour Office (ILO). Peter leads the work of the Wage Group and is the principal editor of the ILO Global Wage Report. He has a D.Phil. in Economics from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex, and has published several articles on minimum wages and wage policies, and co-authored a book on forced labour and human trafficking.
- Maximilian Iciok, Human Rights Manager, CSR Buying at Lidl International. Maximilian has been leading Lidl’s initiative to establish living wages in their banana supply chain, partnering with organizations like FLOCERT and IDH.
- Christopher Atapattu Riddselius – Acting Director at Etihical Trade Sweden, Simen Høy Dypvik – Senior Advisor at Ethical Trade Norway, and Janine Dortmundt – Advisor at Ethical Trade Denmark.
Programme
- Hear from other actors in the banana sector about their work on living wages
- Review the first mapping of the Nordic banana value chains (incl. suppliers and producer countries) and the status of the living wage
- Clarify expectations for participation in the initiative: Q&A on commitments and resource allocation
- Create an overview of next steps in 2024 and joint activities in 2025-2027
This meeting is hosted online. You will recieve a link shortly before start.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Janine Dortmundt jd@etiskhandel.dk.
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