Members of Britain’s General Union (GMB), the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF) and Banana Link will stage a protest at a Fyffes meeting at the Ballsbridge Hotel in Pembroke Road, Dublin at 9.30am on Monday, January 16th.
The protesters are planning to address issues such as reinstating the workers 'they have sacked and blacklisted for joining trade unions in both Costa Rica and Honduras', 'unpaid wages, holiday entitlement, education grants and social security contributions', according to a statement issued by GMB today.
According to Ron Oswald, IUF General Secretary, “Fyffes must take responsibility for ensuring that their local managements in Costa Rica and Honduras recognise and enter into good faith negotiations with local unions and that company-wide freedom of association and collective bargaining is respected at every level".
In response to the unions' announcement, a Fyffes spokesperson told Checkout, "The Ethical Trading Initiative is currently overseeing a process looking into these matters, so this action is a purely opportunistic move by the unions concerned. Unlike them, we intend to respect the process and have no further comment to make at this stage."
The Irish based banana and fruit distribution company was made an offer by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation for €751 million December last. It is believed that the shareholders are meeting to discuss the Japanese leading trading company's possible takeover.
© 2017 - Checkout Magazine by Donna Ahern
