Improving workers' lives with Fairtrade

STAFF REPORTERWINDHOEKFairtrade standards have created an environment of empowerment for charcoal producers in Namibia, where farmers are able to effectively take care of their workers, especially in times of extraordinary circumstances.Fairtrade aims to tackle the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the most vulnerable.Here in Namibia, a group of charcoal harvesters have seen first-hand the benefit of being associated with such a global support organisation, especially during the Covid pandemic.“Fairtrade aims to make sure that the primary producer is benefiting from the product that they make. Fairtrade focuses on the ethical treatment of people. It is about the producers or harvesters,” says Ian Galloway, the managing director of Jumbo Charcoal.Jumbo Charcoal, with operations just outside of Okahandja, has been one of Namibia’s largest exporters of barbecue charcoal for many years.They export to the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the United Kingdom. Cecile and Heiko Doll produce charcoal for Jumbo Charcoal. They have been Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified since they began their operations and have been Fairtrade certified since 2011.Cecile and Heiko Doll, together with their teams of harvesters, are considered nomadic charcoal producers, meaning they do not own the land they produce on.They either lease land or are hired by the farm owner to produce charcoal on their land. Harvesters target encroacher species in accordance with the FSC approved management plan, to ensure the process is environmentally sustainable.“It is a prerequisite for Fairtrade that our farmers are FSC certified,” says Galloway.FSC is an independent, non-governmental organisation, established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.According to Cecile they started in 2006 in the charcoal industry and from the beginning they were FSC certified.“In 2011 Fairtrade approached us, since we were one of the oldest charcoal producers in Namibia. They came to the farm and they have a checklist you must comply with concerning policies and labour practices. There are certain conditions and rules that you must adhere to.”Lockdown impactCecile goes on to explain that Fairtrade really helped them, especially with the Covid-19 lockdown, which came quite suddenly.“We were on the farm and could not load our charcoal because the factory was closed. The region was locked down and we had to get special permits to get rations to the workers, who couldn’t go home because of the lockdown and couldn’t sell their charcoal.“It was quite difficult, but then Fairtrade asked if there was something they could do to help. They made funds available for food for rations for these guys during the lockdown, which really helped. So, for us it is a huge benefit to be part of Fairtrade.”Galloway further says that during the lockdown, the farmers had many workers on the farms, and they were not really producing, so the committee gave money to keep the rations going.“That was a really good project, it also helped make sure the workers didn’t have to build up too much debt.”Fairtrade is driven by consumer buying power, according to Galloway. “One of our customers is Fairtrade certified, and the co-op is in England. So, every bag of charcoal we sell to them, we get a little bit of money back. That money comes into a bank account, that is managed by a Worker’s Committee, elected by the workers. They decide what to spend the money on.”Workers’ benefitsThe money collected through this initiative is intended for projects that will uplift the socio-economic conditions of the charcoal harvesters and is therefore driven by the needs of the harvesters themselves.Listing some of the tangible benefits the workers at the Jumbo Charcoal packing plant have received, Galloway says.“They are doing adult literacy classes in Walvis Bay. We have got 70 people in the packing plant there and they are doing adult literacy. Here at the packing plant (outside Okahandja) we have a kindergarten; the bicycles for the workers; a vegetable garden. It’s a very nice garden, and the workers get lunch from it every day.”The Workers’ Committee not only selects projects for themselves, but have chosen to improve socio-economic conditions of those around them too.According to Galloway a recent project included a roof and a waiting area that were built at the local clinic. This development was done with the elderly in this community in mind, who used to have to wait outside in the sun for their doctor’s appointments.Community developmentAnother recent project included fixing toilets at a local school in the town, while yet another included water points for the local community.“They put in solar panels, solar lights at the workers houses. They have beds. We welded 300 beds, and these have now been distributed to those farms. Everyone has got a bed now.”Cecile too has a list of benefits that they have been able to provide to their workers, thanks to their commitment to being a part of a global workers standards organisation.“Our guys used to stay in tents. We used the premiums we got from Fairtrade for housing to improve their living conditions. We got 50 houses for the first project. It helped us a lot because now they have a permanent residence. They also have protection from insects and snakes or against the cold. These houses are also quite easy to move. We have a truck that we load them onto to move them to the next site.”She says in the latest project, there was a need for beds and mattresses.“So now each guy with a house has got a mattress on his bed. The guys decide themselves what is the most important thing that they need or what we can use the premium for.”Cecile says she is happy with their decision to adhere to best practice in sustainability and fairness guidelines.“I would definitely recommend being part of Fairtrade to other farmers, because it really improves the conditions for the guys on the farm.”She adds that the benefits are being able to give a more secure working environment to our people. “Also, in this kind of charcoal work, you often have people moving around, trying different farms, but our workers stay with us on a permanent basis. We renew their contracts each year, and I think it’s because they are happy here, they are secure, there is nice housing.”According to her they used to struggle and there was always a turnover of new staff that they had to train from the beginning.“But now they always come back. This makes it easier for us too; we can stay in constant production. It is FSC and Fairtrade that created this for us.”

Improving workers' lives with Fairtrade

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-13

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Improving workers' lives with Fairtrade

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-13

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