Context

Kumacaya has been in discussion with a range of companies who have raised the need for improve information and monitoring on 'worker welfare' in South East Asia. These companies’ requests are partly related to recent reports that document problems on labour rights in the palm oil sector. Many companies, especially brands, feel increasingly vulnerable to potential criticisms about labour problems in their supply chains, and they want greater insight on the scale of the problem, as well as the identification of possible solutions they can implement in their operations to resolve these.

The major problem faced with this issue is the lack of current, independent and credible information about the impacts on the ground with regard to worker welfare.

Objective

This Kumacaya monitoring project aims to help fill this gap by providing funding to local organisation in Indonesia to collect information on worker welfare details below. CSO’s are free to propose the methodologies they are comfortable with. The selection will be made by independent third party panellist. However, Kumacaya suggest that at minimum all assessments include an independent data collection approach, a methodology for triangulation. Se, secondary information sources will be accepted as long as the information can be triangulated, anecdotal evidence can be included but can’t be the primary source of information.

The objective of this Kumacaya monitoring project on worker welfare that will be carried out by independent civil society is to identify quality of welfare workers within that area (mill and plantation).

• What is the predominant workers status? Do workers have rights and benefits correlated to the status?

• Studying the wage gap between men and women in plantations

• Health impacts on workers working (exposure to chemicals & associated illnesses, serious work related accidents & injuries, rates of infant mortality & disability…)

• Impacts of palm oil plantations on high school drop outs rates? Or presence of young workers in plantations (15 – 18years old)