Interview with the Solidarity Center’s Ellie Larson and Tim Ryan
In the $13 billion global shrimp processing industry, workers pay the price for consumer affordability.
The True Cost of Shrimp, a new report from the Solidarity Center, uncovers pervasive worker and human rights abuses such as low-wage sweatshop conditions, use of child and forced labor, and global supply chains that drive wages down and hide the exploitation of workers. Following a press conference and panel discussion launching the report, the Solidarity Center Communications Program Officer had the opportunity to ask senior Solidarity Center staff who participated in the event what recommendations they have for American consumers who want to make socially responsible decisions about the products they buy.
Solidarity Center: Let’s start with what is probably on everyone’s mind after reading The True Cost of Shrimp — Do you recommend a boycott of Thai and Bangladeshi shrimp?
Tim Ryan, Asia/Europe Programs Director: No, we don’t. The goal of this report is not to advocate for a boycott. On the contrary, it is vitally important that countries like Thailand and Bangladesh attract and increase investment, because that means jobs for poor people who need them. But it is also important that the workers of Thailand and Burma and Bangladesh and other countries with poor labor standards and lax enforcement reap the benefits of this investment, since it is on their backs, and in their hands, that the products of the global economy are produced. A boycott would hurt the very workers we are trying to help.
SC: So if you do not recommend a boycott, should we just do nothing? Surely that would also be bad for the workers.
TR: You are right. What we do recommend is that consumers and organizations put pressure on all stakeholders — the companies, the brands, the governments, the workers, and their representatives — to come together in order to improve the situation through corporate responsibility and strong labor laws. In the last few months, the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association has already taken the first step, and we hope it will lead to lasting change.
SC: At the press conference, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) called human trafficking “21st century slavery.” Would you use that term to describe the conditions for the shrimp workers in The True Cost of Shrimp?
Ellie Larson, Solidarity Center Executive Director: Yes, I would. Many of the workers we interviewed described serious human rights violations and deplorable working and living conditions. These workers, mostly young Burmese women, were putting in 18-hour shifts, peeling 40 pounds of shrimp per day. They earned only a few dollars a month, and much of that was deducted from their wages to pay off the labor broker who had brought them to Thailand with the promise of decent work — an empty promise, as they soon learned. This is forced labor. This is slavery. Congresswoman Maloney is the co-founder and co-chair of the Human Trafficking Caucus and a longtime advocate for the protection of the world’s most vulnerable. As she said, we will continue our efforts to combat these horrible practices, and together, we will bring those who would exploit the vulnerable to justice.
SC: Another panelist, Alison Friedman, spoke on behalf of the Action Group to End Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery. Ms. Friedman feels that we all bear responsibility for the plight of global supply chain workers who are exploited. Do you agree with that?
EL: I certainly do. Ms. Friedman spoke eloquently about our unintentional involvement with slavery. She said, “Slavery touches all of us — the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the food we eat, and the cell phones we can’t put down.” This is the reality that we can’t hide. Ignorance is no excuse. We’ve got to stop pointing fingers and start connecting the dots. To clean up global supply chains, we need informed consumers, engaged corporations, responsible government leaders, effective worker protection laws, and strong worker rights organizations.
SC: Some organizations are challenging you to provide specific details or else deliver an apology to the countries and companies involved. How do you respond to these demands?
EL: The findings in The True Cost of Shrimp speak for themselves. These conditions have been known for years. Moreover, our report is backed up by independent investigations. In 2007, the AFL-CIO filed a petition to the U.S. Trade Representative for removal of General System of Preferences trade benefits from Bangladesh, citing violations of core labor standards in the ready-made garment and shrimp industries. In addition, Ambassador Mark Lagon of the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons told us at the panel discussion that in September 2006, the Thai police rescued 800 Burmese men, women, and children during a raid on a shrimp processing factory. Many of these workers — and that includes the children — had been physically and psychologically abused. They were not paid. Their employer had confiscated their documents, and they were confined behind a 16-foot-high wall topped with barbed wire. This was a clear case of human trafficking.
SC: What do you think we can do to ensure that this horrible degradation of work is never repeated and that shrimp workers in Bangladesh, Thailand, and other countries have decent work?
TR: The road to global worker justice is a long one. As a first step, we want to ensure that import companies respect and implement internationally recognized core labor standards — freedom of association, the right to organize and bargain collectively, the elimination of forced and child labor, and non-discrimination in the workplace — at all points along the supply chain. U.S. companies should require their suppliers to upgrade worker rights standards and not simply shift to buying from suppliers in countries where there is less scrutiny. Improving worker rights in the shrimp industry, or in any global industry, should not result in workers losing their jobs or jobs moving to other countries. Governments need to pass laws with strong, enforceable worker protections. Finally, what will really make a difference is if all workers are allowed to exercise their rights — especially the right to organize and join unions of their choice — and bargain with employers to improve their livelihoods.
Source: Solidarity Center
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“Giant shrimp” is said to be an oxymoron, but it’s also moronic that we’ve let shrimp become a giant problem in our world.
Welcome to the costly consequences of a globalized food supply. Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the U.S., and we have both top-quality shrimp and excellent shrimpers in America’s coastal waters. Yet, unbeknownst to average consumers, 80 percent of the shrimp we buy is imported, mostly from Asian nations.
The rational of the import industry (including such big marketers as Wal-Mart) is that it is much cheaper to get the product from Asia. Of course, as shoppers know, shrimp is not cheap at the retail level. Middlemen are skimming off the savings.
But there are other costs that the industry doesn’t mention. Start with the excessive carbon footprint created by shipping these crustaceans in refrigerated containers 8,000 miles or more to our shores. Add in the devastating losses suffered by local fishing communities when the Wal-Marts abandon American producers.
Nor is our surge in imports a boon to Asian people. A recent report on workers in Southeast Asian shrimp processing factories uncovers child labor, sexual abuse, debt bondage, forced overtime, and nonpayment of wages, describing some of the factories as “little short of medieval.”
Then there’s what we consumers get in the way of quality. As seafood imports have soared, Washington has refused to update and adequately fund the government’s antiquated inspection system. Less than one percent of the tons of shrimp entering our ports are even looked at, and only about a fifth of those are inspected. When a batch is tested, one of the common findings is that it’s contaminated with veterinary drugs, including cancer-causing nitrofurans.
Globalized food, you see, is a long way from being “cheap.” In fact, it’s quite costly.
“The world is sending us their junk,” Sunday Post-Dispatch, May 4, 2008
“The Environmental Costs of Shipping Groceries All Over the World,” www.nytimes.com, April 20, 2008
“Report alleges abuse in Asia shrimp industry,” www.cnn.com, April 20, 2008