Brussels, 16 October 2018 – On World Food Day, EFFAT is calling for the enforcement of decent working conditions for all workers that contribute to bringing food to our table as a key to guarantee food security and food rights across the planet.
EFFAT is voicing its concerns over the lack of protection of agricultural workers, still facing illegal practices and new modern forms of slavery in hundreds of fields in Southern Europe.
In meat slaughtering and other processing operations, the food industry has been particularly identified with high levels of precarious work. The sector is at risk from social dumping, with labour providers competing to source workers on the lowest possible pay and cut costs wherever possible.
In catering and fast food, we have witnessed that the increasing incidence in low pay, unstable working time and denied access to a union, have brought about a global wave of protests and rallies like #fastfoodglobal, which EFFAT supported at the EU level. Alongside, the gig economy is posing a threat to fair competition in the system and the possibility for workers in food delivery industry to enjoy their social rights.
On World Food Day 2018, Harald Wiedenhofer commented: ‘As EFFAT we cannot mark World Food Day without thinking of all the people involved along the food supply chain. Ensuring decent working conditions and fair pay from farm to fork to those contributing to feeding the world must be placed back at the center of any narrative around food security and food rights for the planet’
