The creation of the International Palm Oil Workers United network makes the hearts of palm oil workers in Indonesia and Colombia beat faster. The need is great, as are the expectations. The Indonesian plantation nursery supervisor Yublina says: “This gives the opportunity to tell the real stories behind the things that are going on and being done to our workers on the plantations.”
“We are independent trade unionists, and there’s a high risk of intimidation or of being given a ‘special treatment’ by the employer. By this I mean threats of dismissal for allegedly passing on so-called commercially sensitive information. But I need my job to support my family.” She works seven hours a day on a plantation on the Indonesian island of Kalimantan. Her husband also works seven hours a day on the same plantation, but his wages are so low that he works overtime on a regular basis.
On the plantation, Yublina is responsible for the planting and replanting of the trees and for the fertilisation and spraying, which is done in a not very responsible way. “We are not issued with protective clothing (PPE), she tells us. “We sent a letter about this to the manager, but received no response. At our plantation, it’s mainly the women who do the spraying.” She herself doesn’t have physical complaints from the spray chemicals, but some of her colleagues do. “They have skin allergies, cough a lot, and sometimes even cough up blood. They have lung problems and eye irritations. I don’t know if their fertility rates have reduced at all. This has not been studied, and I haven’t heard of any of my fellow workers being unable to become pregnant.”
Her trade union has a lot to fight for at the plantation where she works. “At our plantation, the issues are job security, too low wages, health and safety (OHS) and transport facilities. By this we mean in particular the lack of school buses and ambulances. Currently, the children are taken to school in trucks transporting palm fruit. This is not safe and not hygienic. And if anyone is taken ill, we ourselves have to arrange for transportation to a hospital. The alternative is for that worker to be taken there in the same truck. We want an end put to that.”
The union is also focusing on the provision of clean drinking water. “As things stand, we have to see to that for ourselves. The water for the plantation comes from the surrounding area, but it isn’t clean. We have to get it from the river, which we know is polluted. So, we buy bottles of drinking water ourselves. But there are workers who can’t afford bottled water, so some of us do get their water from the river.”
The union leaders have written a letter to the manager with their wage claims, which are consistent with legislation, as their employer pays below the minimum wage. Yublina says: “We have submitted a request to the RSPO for an audit, which we have asked the Ministry of Labour to take part in. We want the company to work with our union in matters concerning decision-making. And we want the company to be more transparent about changes in regulations or taking new measures.”
There are currently a number of cases of worker intimidation. The union has submitted a complaint to the district and provincial department of the Ministry of Labour (Manpower). “We’ll have to wait a while to hear their reaction. These workers are being threatened with dismissal because of being members of the union or because they ask too many questions. Some of them are demanding a higher wage, entirely consistent with legislation. Still, the company is resisting this, despite their entitlement and the fact that they have worked on the plantation for a very long time now.”
Are the difficult work situation and all the failings in the workplace having an impact on her private life? Yublina says that they indeed have a great impact. “My greatest cause for concern is my pension. I’ve no idea what I’ll be getting on my 65th, when I reach retirement age.” Her eyes fill briefly with tears. “I have three children, aged five, nine and twelve. I worry about them a lot. At the moment, they live in the village with my parents, because otherwise they’d have to go to school by truck every day. My parents live in the village close to the school and take good care of them. But I miss them every single day.”
Despite this, Yublina soldiers bravely on. “The things that are wrong are not my problem alone. I see my colleagues at work on the land not being given their rights. Many of them have migrated from other Indonesian islands. They have travelled long distances in order to come and work on the plantation, but are treated differently from the workers from the immediate neighbourhood. I find it so difficult to see this going on. There are so many differences in economic status, health care and educational opportunities. It’s incredibly hard to see them suffering in this way.”
Yublina believes that the creation of the International Palm Oil Workers United network offers new opportunities. “I hope we’ll exchange knowledge about our working conditions in Indonesia, Colombia and Africa. It gives the opportunity to tell the real stories behind the things that are going on and being done to our workers on the plantations. Furthermore, I hope that this will mean the first step towards more action, and that it will be a foundation for building stronger trade unions.”
Interview: Astrid van Unen