FERRERO SUPPORTS POIG PUBLICATION “PALM OIL INNOVATIONS: LABOUR RIGHTS”

Ferrero is pleased to inform that on 28th November the POIG – Palm Oil Innovation Group - released the publication “Palm Oil Innovations: Labour Rights” which defines concrete steps to ensure the management of worker exploitation issues in the palm oil sector. 
As a POIG member, Ferrero welcomes the release of this document, which represents the first publication on the innovations to break the link between palm oil production and the destruction of forests and peatlands, the exploitation of communities and workers, and climate change. 
This document was guided by the “Free and Fair Labor in Palm Oil Production Principles and Implementation Guidance”, a document developed by a wide platform of representatives of civil society, which indicates how to ensure that the rights of workers are respected. 
The document describes improvements that can be put into practice by palm oil growers and the RSPO to reinforce its current Principles & Criteria on the workers’ right. 
 
Key recommendations include 
- Paying a decent living wage, as agreed through the participation of workers and independent unions; 
- No fees or costs are charged to workers, directly or indirectly, for recruitment or employment services; 
- No retention of passports, other government issued identification and any personal valuables; 
- Limiting precarious work by ensuring that casual, temporary and day labour is limited to jobs that are genuinely temporary or seasonal, and account for no more than 20% of the workforce; 
- Providing access to accessible, equitable and legitimate grievance mechanisms. 
 
In 2013, Ferrero launched its Palm Oil Charter to also address the possible violations of labour rights in the plantations it supplies from. Whilst in 2015, Ferrero endorsed the “Free and Fair Labor in Palm Oil Production Principles and Implementation Guidance”. Thus acknowledging the importance of ensuring responsible labour practices in its palm oil supply chain and supporting an ongoing dialogue with its suppliers to ensure responsible palm oil production and facilitate the implementation of its Charter. 
Ferrero recognizes that fair labour conditions are one of the key priorities in the palm oil sector. Ferrero suppliers and their supply chains are now asked within the Ferrero Verification Protocol to adhere and implement the “Palm Oil Innovations: Labour Rights”. 
 
To download the POIG press statement, please click here