Labor conditions at Firestone Plantation in Liberia

"(See also: Firestone Liberian controversy)"

International Labor Rights Fund sues Firestone

In November 2005, the International Labor Rights Fund filed an Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) case in US District Court in California against Bridgestone (parent company owning Firestone), alleging “forced labor, the modern equivalent of slavery”, on the Firestone Plantation in Harbel, Liberia.cite web|title=Firestone Claim|work=socialfunds.com|url=http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/1897.html]

The lawsuit stated: cquote|The Plantation workers allege, among other things, that they remain trapped by poverty and coercion on a frozen-in-time Plantation operated by Firestone in a manner identical to how the Plantation was operated when it was first opened by Firestone in 1926.

Firestone rejected these allegations, stating that the corporation has provided employment and pensions to thousands of Liberians as well as healthcare. The company also provides education and training opportunities to employees and their children cite web|title =Firestone Briefing|work =lantos.house.org|url =http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Human+Rights+Caucus/HRC+Hidden+Content/12-09-05+Liberia+and+Firestone+Briefing.htm ] .

UN report

In May 2006, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) released a report: “Human Rights in Liberia’s Rubber Plantations: Tapping into the Future”cite web|title=Human Rights in Liberia's Rubber Plantations: Tapping into the Future|publisher=United Nations Mission in Liberia (2006)|url=http://www.laborrights.org/files/UN%20Liberia%20Rubber%20Report-%20%20May%202006.pdf|accessdate=2008-08-01] .

According to the report, Firestone managers in Liberia admitted that the company does not effectively monitor its own policy prohibiting child labor. UNMIL found that several factors contribute to the occurrence of child labor on Firestone plantations: pressure to meet company quotas, incentive to support the family financially, and lack of access to basic education. The report also noted that workers' housing provided by Firestone has not been renovated since the houses were constructed in the 1920s and 1930scite web|title=Human Rights in Liberia's Rubber Plantations: Tapping into the Future|publisher=United Nations Mission in Liberia (2006)|url=http://www.laborrights.org/files/UN%20Liberia%20Rubber%20Report-%20%20May%202006.pdf|pages=pp. 45-46|accessdate=2008-08-01] .

In response to the accusations of child labor and poor housing in the UN report, Dan Adomitis, President of Firestone Natural Rubber Company Liberia, stated: cquote| Well, in addition to the devastation that 15 years of civil war has caused, I think you need to understand another point -- during the 2003 fighting, we had thousands of refugees come to Harbel for the safety that it provided. When those people came, they occupied any open area of land that was available. They put up temporary housing made out of mud, out of bamboo, out of thatch, out of tarpaulin, out of corrugated steel. Anything that they could do to get shelter. And those conditions still exist. They are not Firestone housing, but they are on our property. (…)

We have very strict policies about child labor. We do not hire anybody under 18 years of age, and we discourage parents from bringing their children to the fields with them. We have a program with the Ministry of Labor in Liberia to - and also the union that represents our employees -- to educate parents about why they should not bring children with them into the field. And if we see incidents of this, we will cancel those employees, and if necessary, ultimately discipline them over such issuecite web|title=Is Firestone Exploiting Liberian Workers?|work=cnn.com|url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/12/i_if.01.html|accessdate=2006-07-30] .

References

External links

* [http://www.stopfirestone.org Child labor, Exploitation, Environmental Destruction] – Stop Firestone Coalition; retrieved on 2008-08-02.