Would you want something you give out
of love to be causing heartache for its producer? Of course
not, yet around one in four of the flowers we buy for Valentine’s
Day come from Kenya, where many of the workers are exploited.
Research carried out by Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
members into some flower farms in Kenya revealed employees
work long hours for low wages, in hazardous conditions.
It also found that rolling temporary contracts are the norm
as opposed to job security, women workers are discriminated
against further and there are low levels of union representation.
So should we stop buying flowers from Kenya? ETI would rather
see retailers and consumers put pressure on the industry
to improve conditions. Worth $250 million, cut flowers is
Kenya’s second largest agricultural foreign exchange
earner (after tea), and with up to two million people relying
on the industry for their livelihoods, a boycott could do
more harm than good.
ETI urges retailers to implement its Base Code, which would
involve carefully checking working conditions in flower
farms, including carrying out in-depth interviews with workers.
Also, working with suppliers to ensure decent workers’
rights, including paying a living wage and reducing pressure
on workers to work unreasonably long hours.
Kenyans, with ETI’s help, have established the Horticultural
Ethical Business Initiative, a body to tackle flower workers’
conditions. While there is still work to be done, recent
improvements have included permanent contracts, better provision
of protective equipment and extensive improvements in housing
facilities.
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