You may be wondering how this can be possible, and why if the pineapple industry has the potential to bring great prosperity to the Filipinos in Mindanao it is not benefiting the workers on the ground. The explanation rests on the fact that only a couple of major players control the industry, whilst Philippine farmers and workers are trapped in poverty. Thus, current practices are causing great environmental and social disruption.
An increasing number of workers are forced to work outside the purview of trade unions and employment protection laws and workers on the pineapple plantations do not earn enough to sustain their families. Situations such as these leave families with no alternative but to send their children to work on the plantations – a fact often... Read more
