ORGANISATIONS SEEK STRONGER CSR IN PALM OIL INDUSTRY
recommendations to implement fair labour practices in the palm oil sector . Glorene Das , Executive Director of Tenaganita , a Malaysian NGO that campaigns for the rights of migrant workers , labourers and women , said : “ Malaysia ’ s palm oil industry is heavily dependent upon the labour of migrant workers , but many of these workers fall prey to serious exploitation at the hands of their employers or recruitment agencies .
“ Palm oil growers and government must work to bring the industry working standards in line with Free and Fair Labour Principles for all workers , including the most vulnerable . They can begin with reforming common industry practices like unethical
“ Palm oil growers and government must work to bring the industry working standards in line with Free and Fair Labour Principles for all workers , including the most vulnerable ” recruitment , withholding of identity documents , and low wages that put workers at undue risk of forced labour and , at the same time ensure that child labour is excluded from the industry .”
In less than two decades palm oil production has quintupled , making it the most widely traded and used edible vegetable oil ; it is now found in one of every two products sold in Western grocery stores . Roughly 85 percent of palm oil is grown in Malaysia and Indonesia , employing 3.5 million workers in the region .
To keep up with the rising demand and competitive global commodity prices , the industry has relied on keeping labour costs low . Extreme labour abuses , including use of forced and child labor , have
- Glorene Das , Executive Director of Tenaganita
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