Hazardous Technologies, Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and Impact on the Health of Agriculture Workers

It is common knowledge that in its zealous drive to earn super-profits, transnational corporations (TNCs) employ all methods - thinkable and unthinkable - to exploit human and natural resources, sell their products and keep their industries afloat in the market.

These methods include the use of hazardous technologies that severely affect its consumers. A vivid example is the use of harmful pesticides in agricultural products such as rice, pineapples, bananas and the like. In the agriculture sector, there are volumes of documents detailing the hazardous effects of the use of pesticides. New studies also "link certain pesticides to cancer, lowered fertility, endocrine disruption, and suppression of immune systems."¹

Unfortunately, despite the wide array of concrete experiences attesting to the dire impacts of hazardous technologies, there is no stopping the TNCs from utilizing such technologies. In fact, under the guise of increasing production and sustainability, TNCs continue to create and use additional hazardous technologies much to the detriment of its consumers.

It does not help that governments do very little to control, much more to continuously allow, the use of harmful technologies for fear of losing investments from TNCs.

This is not surprising since TNCs churn out the bulk of foreign investment in a global scale. The Economist noted in 2000: "thanks to enormous over-investment, especially in Asia, the world is awash with excess capacity in computer chips, steel, cars, textiles, and chemicals." Likewise, the UNCTAD 2000 Report noted that TNCs now have about 63,000 parent firms with approximately 690,000 foreign affiliates, spanning virtually all countries and economic activities." It is no wonder then that because of its huge economic clout, TNCs dominate and dictate the market.

In the Philippines, TNCs particularly invest in electronics, drug and food manufacturing, mining, information technology and agribusiness. Being an import-dependent, export oriented economy, the Philippine government relies heavily on foreign investment to implement its economic policies and build its so-called "strong republic". All at the expense of the Filipino people.

The Case of Dole Philippines

Dole Philippines. Inc. is a subsidiary of the Dole Food Company or the Castle & Cooke Inc. (C&C). It started its operation in the country in 1963, using Pedro Changco Jr., a Filipino businessman, as a dummy.

Dole Philippines is 100% owned by David Murdock, an American Jew.

The company has two major divisions: the Pineapple Division (Dole Philippines) and the Banana Division (Stanfilco).

While the Philippine Constitution explicitly prohibits foreign corporations from owning lands and having a 100% corporate ownership, TNCs were able to go around this ruling. In the case of Dole Philippines, it availed of the government's "Land Lease Agreement", which entitled it to operate vast tracts of lands through leasehold agreement with the National Development Corp. (NDC) and private landowners.

Based on the socio-economic profile of Polomolok where Dole Philippines is located, the company has a total of 15,507.872 hectares (has) planted with pineapples, with an average production volume of 31.94 MT/ha.

Dole Philippines produces about 500,000 tons of pineapple yearly, of which 15% are directly exported primarily to the Japanese market. The rest goes to the Cannery plantation where these pineapples are processed to produce 15 million boxes of various food products. Two percent (2%) of these processed products are sold in local markets while the rest are exported, 75% of which goes to the US market.

Aside from pineapples and bananas, Dole Philippines is also into asparagus raising, prawn farming, tuna export, cutflower raising, nata de coco and tissue culture. It also has areas planted with corn and orange for its experiments.

Almost half of the workers in Dole Philippines workers are contractuals. Only 5,000 are regular workers. The average wage in the Industrial Division is P337.00 daily (P$.00 of this is allowance) while those in the Agricultural Division receives P334.00 daily (P6.00 allowance). New regular workers receive P200 as minimum wage. The average year of service of the workers is 18 years. They receive P400 + daily wage .

Middle of 2004, the company expanded its banana, pineapple and asparagus plantations to Sarangani Province and Davao del Sur and mango plantation to South Cotabato. Just this month, May 2005, Dole Philippines started a new product line in Polomolok called IQF or Individual Quick Frozen (banana & mango chips) for export to Europe.

Health Problems

Workers in the Dole Philippines are exposed to chemicals that affect their bodies Inside the workplace, chlorox and caustic soda are used and no safety devices are provided. There are reported cases of skin diseases, stomach ailments, and illnesses related to the reproductive system especially for female workers.

Medical records from the Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital owned by Dole Philippines in Polomolok, South Cotabato showed that last year, the top 10 chronic illnesses of workers in the Dole Philippines were hypertension, bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, gouty arthritis, hypercholesterolemia, hyperthyroidism, other cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis, osteoarthritis and menopause.

Another common illness is kidney problem. I, for one, have undergone operation few years back due to kidney problem.

According to the company handbook, Dole Philippines is committed to protect the environment in which its products are grown and processed. But their practice proves otherwise.

For one, Dole Philippines has continuously used herbicides and pesticides for their pineapple plantation. The company uses air spraying because large tracts of land have to be covered by pesticide control. As such, communities surrounding the plantation are also exposed to the dangers and hazards of pesticides.

Chemicals commonly used are Hyvar, Diazonin, Ametryne, Karmex, Ethrel and Endosulfan. Hyvar, a herbicide, is used during the pre-planting (1 week before planting) and post-planting (1 week after planting) periods. After this period, Karmex, Ametryne and Diuron are applied. Also, pesticides such as Diazinon and Thiodan are applied during the flowering stage (16-17 days after planting).

The workers were told by the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority that only Dole Philippines and Del Monte Company were given permit to use banned chemicals in the Philippines because they are the only ones which can afford to give Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to their workers. In reality workers are given low quality PPE which lasts for only two months but no replacement is made by the company during the year.

Aside from these health problems, workers are also subjected to a high quota system, exposed to rain and heat during work, endure heavy workload and subjected to poor ventilation, among other things.

Worker's Struggle

From 1963-2000, the workers in the Dole Philippines were under a yellow union that has repeatedly connived with the management to further exploit the workers. For one, even basic health services are not provided. The management refused to let the workers undergo blood cholenaisteres test or blood testing to determine certain illnesses that they are suffering.

But in 2001, the genuine union represented by the AMADO KADENA, under the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU) affiliated with the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU; May First Movement), won in the certification election. This paved the way for changes in basic health policies, among other things.

One of the first things that the union did was to establish a functional Health and Safety Committee. This committee is tasked to handle cases of chemical victims and to monitor chemicals used by the company which are hazardous to the health of the workers and the community. And through a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), AMADO KADENA was able to institute health clauses in the CBA.

With the resolute work of the genuine and militant union, the DOLE management was obliged to conduct blood cholenaisteres test on all chemical handlers and release corresponding results. Aside from this, the union was able to stop the management's practice of charging workers with illnesses with disability.

We also take pride in informing you that in the latest collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that we have concluded last April 18, 2004, the union successfully worked for the regularization or putting on permanent employment status the 1,500 cooperative workers, thereby increasing our union membership from 4,050+ to more than 5,000. These workers now enjoy the benefits that are rightfully theirs. This is to say that aside from working on additional wages and benefits, we put premium on job security for we believe that loss of jobs will eventually mean loss of health and life.

As the company spans 23 barangays in Polomolok alone and more or less 20 barangays in Tupi the people in the surrounding communities have livelihoods that are connected with Dole Philippines. Likewise, these communities are affected by the chemicals used by the company, especially through air spraying. Thus, the union conducts medical missions in the communities to help determine the illnesses caused mainly by the air spraying method of Dole Philippines. Simultaneously, the union conducts health trainings both in the communities and in the workplace to instill knowledge to the people about their basic health rights.

With the resolute work of the genuine and militant union, the DOLE management was obliged to conduct blood cholenaisteres test on all chemical handlers and release corresponding results. Aside from this, the union was able to stop the management's practice of charging workers with illnesses with disability.

We also take pride in informing you that in the latest collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that we have concluded last April 18, 2004, the union successfully worked for the regularization or putting on permanent employment status the 1,500 cooperative workers, thereby increasing our union membership from 4,050+ to more than 5,000. These workers now enjoy the benefits that are rightfully theirs. This is to say that aside from working on additional wages and benefits, we put premium on job security for we believe that loss of jobs will eventually mean loss of health and life.

As the company spans 23 barangays in Polomolok alone and more or less 20 barangays in Tupi the people in the surrounding communities have livelihoods that are connected with Dole Philippines. Likewise, these communities are affected by the chemicals used by the company, especially through air spraying. Thus, the union conducts medical missions in the communities to help determine the illnesses caused mainly by the air spraying method of Dole Philippines. Simultaneously, the union conducts health trainings both in the communities and in the workplace to instill knowledge to the people about their basic health rights.

We strongly believe that the workers is closely linked with his community and the society. Thus, the union continues to arouse and organize the communities surrounding the company to make the people aware of the common problems faced by the workers and the communities as regards to TNCs such as the Dole Philippines. The workers establish close linkages with the community, as part of its alliance work in support of our common struggle. This has proven to be very effective. In our last CBA, where we were almost forced to launch a strike, the communities strongly supported our struggle. The people participated in our activities such as protest actions, noise barrage and caravans, to note a few. And during the certification and local elections, where combined forces of the management and the yellow unions challenged the leadership of the genuine and militant union, even children in the communities helped in the election campaign by distributing propaganda materials.

We continue to consolidate our ranks through painstaking education in all aspects, which includes health.

We strongly believe that only through the united efforts of workers and people can we fight and win over the menace of the TNCs such as Dole Philippines.

We need to strengthen our links not only with trade unions, workers communities and progressive people's organizations in the Philippines but also our links and cooperation with trade unions and peoples' organizations at the international level against the intensifying attacks of TNCs and imperialist controlled international organizations like the WTO and financial institutions like the IMF-WB which are supported by national governments of neo-colonies to further exploit and oppress the workers and peoples.

¹ Sarojeni V. Rengam, Corporate Power & People's Power: Transnational Corporations & Globalisation, "TNCs and Agri-business", Asia-Pacific Research Network, 2002