Photo credit: Russell Watkins/UK Department for International Development

The GLWC and The Anker Research Institute are pleased to share new Living Wage Update reports for rural Costa Rica, Limón and Heredia provinces, and the rural southern coastal region of Ecuador, as well as a 2021 Living Wage Reference Value for typical rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Anker Reference Values for living wages and living incomes are based on a methodology developed by Richard and Martha Anker and Ian Prates, using a regression analysis of the 40 quality-assured Anker methodology living wage and income benchmark studies that have been carried out so far.

The Living Wage Update reports for Costa Rica and Ecuador have been updated to the study months of 2021, May and June respectively, in order to account for inflation, exchange rates, costs of living, and policy changes since the original reporting in these countries.

Read more about Anker Reference Values.

Read the reports:

• Living Income Reference Value for Rural Democratic Republic of Congo
• Living Wage Update for Costa Rica
• Living Wage Update for Ecuador

The post New Living Income Reference Value and Living Wage Updates! appeared first on Global Living Wage Coalition.

We are pleased to announce the release of a brand new living wage benchmark for the rural Lake Victoria Basin region of Uganda, with context provided by the floriculture industry. The study was conducted in August and September 2019. The report also includes a postscript by the authors regarding the impact of COVID-19 on economic activity and workers’ wellbeing in Uganda as of May 23, 2020. Read the report.

New Update Report: Rural Ecuador

We are also pleased to share the 2020 living wage update for Rural Ecuador, Southern Coastal Zone, with context provided in the banana-growing industry. This report updates the living wage estimate to account for changes in inflation, exchange rates, costs of living, and policy changes since the original reporting. The update is available in English and Spanish versions. Read the report.

Coming Soon!

A new living wage benchmark report is coming soon for Non-Metropolitan Brazil. You can also expect several new Anker Reference Value reports in the coming months. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates.

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The post New Living Wage Benchmark: Rural Ecuador appeared first on Global Living Wage Coalition.

Living Wage Advocacy Initiative (LIWIN)

Project Summary

In both Ecuador and Ghana, bananas continue to be a core commodity for income generation. This pilot project provides a powerful opportunity to determine the gap between actual wages and living wages, and ultimately establish a living wage benchmark in each country using the Anker methodology.

In many banana-producing countries, it is common that plantation workers receive low wages that do not allow them to escape from poverty, affecting their overall well-being and the sustainability of the sector’s supply chains.

Project Partners

The initiative was launched in 2016 by the World Banana Forum (WBF) and Fairtrade International—a leading member of the Global Living Wage Coalition (GLWC)—and has been co-funded by IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative and other public/private entities.

Project Goals

1. Estimating the cost of a living wage for workers in both rural and urban areas of each country
2. Informing collective bargaining and minimum wage setting in the banana sector of each country
3. Raising awareness and increasing transparency on living wage benchmarks within countries and along supply chains
4. Increasing stakeholder commitment by engaging with and empowering actors in closing the gap between actual wages and living wages through advocacy activities with governments and trade unions

Stakeholder Engagement

Engaging local and global stakeholders in the initiative not only provides important short- and long-term benefits to such actors respectively, but is also key to the success of the initiative.

Banana workers and producers can use living wage data collected through this initiative to:

• Strengthen their dialogue for wage increases via collective bargaining agreements
• Improve their individual social conditions (i.e. health, education) and productivity, resulting from increases in wage payments
• By supporting sustainable working conditions for banana workers, retailers and companies can:
  • Strengthen their corporate social responsibility objectives and benefit from increased brand reputation
  • Create the necessary pressure to push other retailers and suppliers to engage in sustainability-oriented activities
• Furthermore, LIWIN can provide government entities with the necessary information and strategies to implement policies that promote human rights and improve working conditions for banana workers in Ecuador and Ghana.  

Project Progress/Results

• Research analysis and field work benchmarking study
• In-country validation sessions and meetings with relevant stakeholders
• Advocacy and capacity building work based on benchmarks established

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