Retailers held to account for tomato workers' pay

Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Dutch retailer Albert Heijn have been called upon to ensure Moroccan tomato workers are paid the living wage.

A new report, published yesterday (Tuesday 9 September) by non-profit organisation Fairfood, said that tomato workers in the Souss Massa Dra region of Morocco live under “poor” conditions and “do not earn enough” to cover their basic needs.

It used off-site interviews with 64 workers from the major Moroccan tomato companies, and results were compiled by a team from Ibn Zohr University in Morocco, headed by Professor Mohamed Bouchelkha.

The report stressed that: “A change in the purchasing practices of Dutch and British retailers has the potential to bring about substantial benefits for Moroccan workers.”

Tomatoes are Morocco’s primary agricultural export, and around 90 per cent of Morocco’s exported tomatoes are sent to the EU for sale in supermarkets. Fairfood said this means European retailers are in a 'dominant' position to bargain with Moroccan tomato producers for better conditions for workers.

“We are holding dialogues with these retailers and have demanded that they should ensure that a living wage is paid to all workers in their supply chains,” the report said.

“We aim to introduce the payment of a living wage throughout their Moroccan fresh tomato supply chains. Retailers have both the power and the responsibility to effect this change.”

Fairfood said it started speaking to the three retailers in April 2014, and has earmarked other European retailers linked to the Moroccan tomato supply chain for future discussions.

According to the report, issues seen in the tomato sector are also “widespread” in other Moroccan agricultural industries. “We hope that making a positive change in the leading sector will have a similar effect on other food commodities,” it said.

The study, entitled ‘The fruits of their labour – The low wages behind Moroccan tomatoes sold in European supermarkets, is part of the organisation’s Morocco ‘hotspot’ project.

Fairfood is a Dutch-based international non-profit organisation that campaigns for a sustainable and fair global food system. It also has hubs in Berlin, Johannesburg, London and San Francisco.