#CoffeePeople documentary highlights hazards in coffee supply chain

ILO News (Brussels) – ILO-Brussels hosted the Belgian premiere of the documentary “From Beans to Brew: A Journey into the Lives of Coffee Workers”. The film explores the complexities of the coffee industry, the challenges to achieve decent work, and how the international community can help address these issues.

The documentary is produced jointly with the International Training Centre of the ILO and part of the Vision Zero Fund #CoffeePeople campaign, which supports efforts to improve occupational safety and health (OSH) in the coffee supply chain. “One of the key messages is that every coffee worker, in every job, has the right to a safe and healthy working environment,” said Ockert Dupper, Global Programme Manager of the Vision Zero Fund (VZF).

The film features interviews with coffee growers from Brazil and Vietnam, the largest coffee producers in the world, and Uganda, an important producer, along with insights from the ILO, the International Coffee Organization (ICO), and the European Commission. Coffee workers are exposed to numerous hazards. They use machetes, which can cause work-related accidents on plantations. They carry bags of beans to up to 60 kilogrammes, and work on uneven, slopy terrain that places them in awkward positions, causing ergonomic problems. The workers also use chemicals or pesticides, often without wearing protective equipment. 

“We also know that workers are exposed to psychosocial risks. A lot of seasonal workers tend to work very long days and are under tremendous stress to earn as much as possible in the limited time that they are on the farms,” Dupper explained. Women make up 70 per cent of the production farmers of coffee. 

“The most significant deficits in decent work concern low and precarious wages, stability and security of work, and access to social protection schemes, safety and health and social dialogue,” said Vera Paquete-Perdigão, Director of the ILO’s Governance and Tripartism Department.

A panel underlined the importance to promote respect for the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, through engaging with a variety of stakeholders across the supply chain. This framework includes the right to a safe and healthy working environment.

The European Commission has been supporting the VZF from the beginning. “We want to champion the promotion of decent working conditions in the countries that produce the goods that we consume in the EU,” said Jordi Curell Gotor, Director of Labour Mobility and International Affairs at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. “The alignment between the EU’s and ILO’s objectives and our cooperation enhances our impact.”

“More than 40 international labour standards refer to OSH. The work of the VZF at the national level supports the preparation of these countries for their ratification of OSH standards,” said Joaquim Pintado Nunes, Chief of the ILO Occupational Safety and Health and Working Environment Branch.

Every day, 1000 people die from occupational accidents and a further 6500 people die from work-related diseases. The Vision Zero Fund initiative is co-funded by the European Union and aims to improve occupational safety and health (OSH) at the global, national and workplace level.

The VZF works primarily in agriculture, construction, and textiles, and is piloting activities in electronics. More than 8 million workers have benefited directly and indirectly from the VZF interventions.