Supporting Flower Workers in Bogotá

Although the flower trade has created 80,000 jobs, mainly benefiting women escaping poverty in the countryside, competition between countries exporting flowers pushes prices down. Companies manage to make huge profits on slim margins by cutting corners in production.

For the women working in the greenhouses around Bogotá, salaries are lower than for their male counterparts. Workers are hired on short-term fixed contracts of 3-6 months by temporary services companies. Contracts are not renewed if workers become ill, pregnant, or attempt to form a union. Workers also face a number of health risks without adequate health and safety provisions in place.

War on Want supports a local organisation, Cactus, which encourages women flower workers to fight for themselves by offering legal advice and support programmes. The programme helps the women to ensure their workers' rights are respected, promotes their participation in local decision-making processes and enhances their skills.

Cactus's accomplishments

7 health and safety workshops organised for flower workers to educate them on the safety risks they face at work and how to minimise the effect of the hazards Women were educated on the rights they have in the workplace and how to effectively demand them 4 simultaneous Flower Workers' Day celebrations saw the participation of hundreds of workers and much publicity, and served as a valuable platform to voice concerns and demands Meetings between flower industry representatives and workers were organised to allow workers to convey their concerns themselves directly to the corporations

The Facts

Colombia is the 2nd-biggest flower exporter in the world and it's one of the country's most important industries The flower industry employs 80,000 workers, 70% of whom are women

 

War on Want's Sweatshops and Plantations programme Workers around the world are exploited by the forces of globalisation. Find out what we're doing about it.

Help flower workers defy job cuts The world’s biggest flower producer plans to sack over 2,600 Colombian staff after the formation of the country’s first independent trade union for flower workers.

Buy them a gift Just £5 could give health training to 20 flower workers.

Cactus For more information on Cactus and their struggle to protect flower workers, visit their website (currently only in Spanish).

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