In October of last year, a delegation made up of Sandra Pérez Soto, General Secretary of the OTISGRAF Company Union, and Jorge Acosta Orellana, General Coordinator of ASTAC, traveled to Germany and Luxembourg with the goal of advocating within the banana supply chain and strengthening alliances with unions, organizations, and political actors in Europe.

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The trip was made possible through coordination with Avina and various German organizations, which facilitated key meetings with parliamentarians, unions, and regulatory bodies. In Germany, the delegation took part in the international conference “Solidarity and Struggle Along the Supply Chain,” organized by the union VERDI, where ASTAC presented its experience with Germany’s Supply Chain Due Diligence Act. One of the main outcomes was the official recognition of ASTAC as a claimant in a complaint against German supermarkets and the authorization to access key information related to the process. Meetings were also held with the union VERDI and the NGO TAI to explore potential future collaboration.

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An important milestone was achieved following a virtual meeting with Germany’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA), during which the delegation expressed concern over the agency’s failure to recognize unions as legitimate representatives of workers and their lack of access to information submitted by the supermarkets involved in the complaint. BAFA responded to these concerns by authorizing access to the relevant information provided by the parties involved.

 

During meetings with members of the Green Party and the Social Democratic Party, the delegation voiced concerns over the potential suspension of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act in Germany. Thanks to the advocacy efforts of the delegation and other allies, the law was not suspended in the parliamentary vote. In a meeting with Minister Bärbel Kofler, the delegation also emphasized the need for the German government to inform civil society organizations in countries where its companies operate about the law’s application.

 

In Luxembourg, the delegation held meetings with the NGO Action Solidarité Tiers Monde (ASTM) and the OGBL trade union. These meetings provided an opportunity to share the situation of Ecuadorian banana workers and gain OGBL’s support for future advocacy in the European Parliament. Additionally, a documentary produced by Action Aid France was screened, highlighting labor conditions in Ecuador’s banana sector.

 

The trip marked a significant step forward in building international efforts to defend labor rights in the banana supply chain. The alliances and commitments established will enable continued advocacy for fair labor conditions and greater transparency in the industry.

 

In Immokalee, Florida (USA), ASTAC initiated conversations with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker organization from Florida’s tomato fields. After 20 years of struggle, CIW developed a groundbreaking program called the “Fair Food Program.” This initiative places responsibility for workers’ rights in the hands of the workers themselves—the only true guarantors of those rights. Major supermarket chains such as Walmart and Whole Foods, as well as fast-food companies like Taco Bell and Burger King, participate in the program and purchase tomatoes exclusively from producers that are certified under the initiative. The program is now being implemented in other U.S. states and expanding internationally to countries like Chile, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

 

ASTAC has expressed interest in replicating the program in Ecuador’s banana sector. The conversations are progressing, and there is potential for its implementation in the country.