Last year, we brought you the story of
Edwin Cisco, who together with the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of
Liberia (FAWUL) is changing the way rubber is tapped in Liberia--with
assistance from ILRF and the support of concerned individuals like you. FAWUL
and Edwin are powerful testimony that change can happen if we work
together. We write now to ask you to help ILRF expand our work with Labor Rights
Defenders.
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| Image Source: ILRF |
In the past ten years, Edwin Cisco has gone from being jailed for organizing to
winning awards for his work to end child labor. And now agriculture workers
across Liberia hope that FAWUL’s wins for workers can be expanded to all
workers, across the industry. This is because FAWUL won ground-breaking
changes in their most recent contract negotiation, securing reduced
production quotas, agreements with Firestone to build more schools, and a
transport system so rubber tappers no longer have to walk miles each day with
150 pounds of rubber on their backs!
These wins come after more than a decade of work by ILRF, FAWUL, and many others to improve working conditions on Firestone rubber plantations.
In the lead-up to recent union negotiations, ILRF developed with FAWUL a field survey to document workers’ living conditions and expenses and children’s access to schools. These surveys laid the foundation for FAWUL's wins, improving life for 6,400 workers and their families -- all together helping more than 40,000 people! We have long advocated for a path to change like FAWUL’s -- one where parents and community leaders are making the eradication of child labor possible, by negotiating better livelihoods for parents and holding corporations accountable for conditions in their supply chains.
These wins come after more than a decade of work by ILRF, FAWUL, and many others to improve working conditions on Firestone rubber plantations.
In the lead-up to recent union negotiations, ILRF developed with FAWUL a field survey to document workers’ living conditions and expenses and children’s access to schools. These surveys laid the foundation for FAWUL's wins, improving life for 6,400 workers and their families -- all together helping more than 40,000 people! We have long advocated for a path to change like FAWUL’s -- one where parents and community leaders are making the eradication of child labor possible, by negotiating better livelihoods for parents and holding corporations accountable for conditions in their supply chains.
Our ability to foster solidarity
across countries depends on individuals like you -- who understand that a
violation of one worker's rights undermines all workers’ rights. Please consider making a donation today so we can
continue to support front line labor rights defenders around the globe.
In solidarity,
Judy Gearhart
Executive Director
In solidarity,
Judy Gearhart
Executive Director
- Submitted by Bev
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