Fiji – fairtrade ignores abuses in sugar mills?

The IUF and the ITUC are publicly challenging fair-trade sugar from Fiji in response to an article by the Fairtrade Foundation in the UK Guardian.

IUF general secretary Ron Oswald commented, “We do not believe that products from a military dictatorship can be labelled as”fair” but to-date we have never publicly criticised fair-trade sugar from Fiji. Instead, for over for over two years, we have been talking with Fairtrade International. Last year we issued a joint statement which we took as a sign of good faith that fair-trade was committed to working with us on Fiji. We have shared with them major concerns about the abuse of trade unions rights in the sugar mills in Fiji which process this sugar. We were stunned to see this article promoting fairtrade sugar from Fiji. We have been left with no option but to respond publicly.”

Click here to read the IUF/ITUC letter.