Furukawa - Survivors of modern slavery oppose plantation owners in Ecuador

A group of more than 100 current and former Ecuadorian workers are seeking legal compensation from the company that abused and exploited them.

Furukawa Plantaciones CA, a Japanese company that specializes in the production and export of abaca, a type of banana used to create banknotes in 50% of the world, has operated in Ecuador for almost 60 years.

Al Jazeera  reports ,

Workers say that even though the company made millions of dollars in profits, they earned less than minimum wage and were denied basic benefits and job protections. In 2019, Ecuador's Ombudsman's Office issued a report citing a widespread system of servitude and “modern slavery” on Furukawa plantations. It detailed numerous violations, including child labor, inadequate wages and a lack of safety protections.

Subsequent investigations by the state culminated last month, when an Ecuadorian judge ruled that a criminal trial could proceed on charges of “human trafficking for labor exploitation” against Furukawa, in what observers say is a historic decision for labor rights in the country. and beyond.

 

The first of its kind

The case, which began a couple of years ago, is a  milestone  for the country as the first legal case of human trafficking for labor exploitation.

“The importance of this case cannot be overstated, as it brings to light the persistent existence of…modern slavery in this country since colonial times,” Alejandro Morales, a lawyer representing the workers, shared with Al Jazeera. affected.

He is right. The Japanese firm is not the only company that benefits from labor exploitation in Ecuador. The banana industry alone is rife with companies that abuse workers for profit, including forced child labor, wage withholding, and union busting.

“We will not rest until justice is done”

At the front are the survivors, mostly Afro-Ecuadorian. The black population is more vulnerable to exploitative practices, as 40% live below the poverty line and are subject to what one survivor explains as “structural racism that persists in the culture.”

One couple, who were fired for protesting their working conditions, shared that they were treated “like animals.” “We couldn't get clean water or toilets. We were enslaved and mistreated. The campsites were full of families, so we had no room to sleep. “Sometimes we had to sleep in the kitchen.”

But they will not be deterred.

“The abuses by the company still pierce our hearts like daggers… [but] despite the many lives lost, we, the survivors, will continue to fight this war.”

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font redaction                 https://www.freedomunited.org/es/news/caso-hist%C3%B3rico-de-sobrevivientes-en-ecuador/?category=2657

Furukawa managers prosecuted

for labor exploitation

https://wambra.ec/gerentes-de-furukawa-procesados/