Work resumes at Hortifrut’s Chao facility following worker protests

Operations have resumed at Hortifrut’s facility in northern Peru following a walkout on Monday by a group of workers protesting alleged harassment and working conditions. Hortifrut said it does not anticipate the action will have any material impact on customer supply.

Pedro Campos, general secretary of the Hortifrut Union in La Libertad, said the action at Hortifrut’s facilities in Chao, near Trujillo was against inadequate working conditions and a lack of respect for workers’ rights, claims Hortifrut said it “categorically denies”.

The workers were also demanding that Hortifrut issue a statement about the death of one of their employees, Jean Carlos García Rodríguez, who reportedly drowned in a pond on the company’s farm last week. The death remains under investigation by the authorities.

According to Hortifrut, work at the facility resumed on Wednesday, 15 October after an agreement was reached following extensive and ongoing dialogue with the union. The company issued the following statement:

”We are deeply saddened by the workplace accident that occurred last week at our operation in Chao, Peru, in which one of our colleagues lost his life. From the first hours, we informed our teams and the local community through our official channels, expressing our condolences and support to his family and co-workers. We continue to cooperate fully with the authorities in the ongoing investigation and are committed to supporting the family, with whom we are closely coordinating to address their needs.

“Following the accident, on Monday 13 October, a group of workers initiated a stoppage to raise workplace concerns not related to the accident. These matters had been addressed through our regular dialogue channels with worker representatives. In a complex national context, Hortifrut Peru temporarily suspended operations to safeguard people’s safety and to prioritise intensive, constructive dialogue with their representatives.

“As a result of this dialogue, an agreement was reached that addresses several specific points and establishes a permanent social-dialogue mechanism to deal with broader matters. Operations have been active since Wednesday, 15 October, and we do not anticipate a material impact on our ability to meet customer commitments.

“Hortifrut respects freedom of association and the right to organise. We reject any form of violence and remain committed to maintaining safe and respectful working environments, in full compliance with applicable regulations.”

Banana Link, a UK-based, not-for-profit cooperative that campaigns for fair and sustainable production and trade of fruit, said: “It remains to be seen whether this successful mediation by the Sindicato de Trabajadores de Hortifrut SAC leads to a permanent and fruitful social dialogue at the company that employs 17,000 workers, but it certainly highlights the urgent need across the huge Peruvian horticulture sector to put in place proper social dialogue mechanisms before infringements of rights and bad treatment boil over into spontaneous action by angry workers”.