Firestone

I'm going to a discussion today sponsored by a group here in DC called "Stop Firestone." What can those of you on the ground tell me beforehand about Firestone's opeations, its school, and its treatment of its workers.

i dont know much about the firestone situation... but from what i have gathered, they pay their workers very poorly and the housing conditions in the planations is terrible..

Wow! The last time I was there was 2 years ago and at that time, my late father in law was their PR manager. I got an abbreviated tour of some parts of the plantation and I definitely thought a significant re-investment was going to be needed in order to improve living and working conditions. I just figured it would take about 2-3 years for that investment to materialize. So if what you are saying is true Candy, then that is pretty bad.

yeah.. they say its bad....
i have a close friend who monitors rubber plantations and says you would cry if you saw the children that are tappers.
not that i am saying Firestone employs child tappers..... but A LOT of the other rubber companies do.

Well the advocacy group her in DC contends that while Firestone does not actually employ children as tappers, the forced quotas on the adult workers effectively forces this to bring their kids along to help with the tappnig each day. If that is true then kids are not being educated because they are in the field working.

Traveller wrote:

Well the advocacy group her in DC contends that while Firestone does not actually employ children as tappers, the forced quotas on the adult workers effectively forces this to bring their kids along to help with the tappnig each day. If that is true then kids are not being educated because they are in the field working.

somethign to that effect.

i may have a picture on my other computer of a child tapper in Bomi... will find it next week and post.

in other areas, like Gutrie, its more of the family barely having it to survive and eah member is more or less encouraged to bring in some form of income.
survival is primary.. education second.. if even that.

Traveller wrote:

I'm going to a discussion today sponsored by a group here in DC called "Stop Firestone." What can those of you on the ground tell me beforehand about Firestone's opeations, its school, and its treatment of its workers.

The Management of Firestone has failed the Liberian people for decades with lies and lot of abuses against its employees as well as the Country. There are poor housing facilities for the tappers, the villages/towns surrounding the plantation is suffering from pollution (i.e. the waste from the plantation are dump directly into the creek where people from the surrounding communities use to take their bath, wash their clothes or maybe drink). Moms/kids are force in directly to work for their husband/dad in order to secure the pay for that day even if the man is seriously ill. Tappers children are not getting education as well as medical access. There is a huge difference between the tappers, the PPD who are the plantation securities and those in management.

Philomath wrote:

.......... Tappers children are not getting education as well as medical access. There is a huge difference between the tappers, the PPD who are the plantation securities and those in management.[/size]

Philo, tell me more about access to medical care please. As you know, Firestone has a series of PR videos on YouTube that suggest things are great. In one vid, a cancer survivor is shown praising the doctors at the Firestone hospital for helping her beat cancer when she could not find suitable medical care in Monrovia.

I do not know much about the medical access. I got my information through a member of FAWUL who mentioned it in a meeting with the president of DOWUL during an union meeting. It is true that Firestone have a good medical hospital and professional doctors. People send their family member from Monrovia for proper treatment. I didn't see that video but don't want to believe that the cancer survivor a tapper's wife.

Ok, so I just came from the Firestone meeting and I ws blown away by what I learned. I had no idea of the degree to which the company is polluting the farmington river! Also did not know that tappers had to tap 750 to 1000 trees per day!

Yeah, those guys make the money for the company are are not being pay well.

the STOP FIRESTONE campaign has been instrumental in achieving small gains here at the 'plantation' in Liberia. new schools have been built,an increasing number of professional teachers hired; and new homes fit for human beings to live in have been built since the 2005 (i think) legal suit on unfair labour practices, child labour and environmental degradation. i think a new workers union emerged (in a challenge to the management controlled one) and elections were held about a year ago. IPS and Green Advocates were elections observers to ensure transparency, fairness and credibility.

my owna wonder-they had to sue them for them to realize that they were dealing with human beings? it is a long way to go but the campaign and advocated got them in check!

i think the GOL as an institution held the focus as opposed to Kofi placing his personal/external stance in the Firestone issue. u agree the GOL negotiated with Firestone and renewed their contract. i think they also want to maintain the business relationship with firestone. not much Kofi can do. i may be wrong but...

Based on the discssion today, I have to believe ther is much more the government can do. The EPA can start by insisting that the dumping in the farmington river stop immediately. The government (through the EPA) could also ensure that the concerns of the citizens in Owensgrove are acted on by Firestone. They could also insist that the company begin to do some procesing and manufacturing right in Liberia. There is alot that the GOL could do.

he is but the staff may not have the authority that goes with Kofi the advocate which most people felt would work wonders once he became minister. i doubt whether he can merge the advocate and employee of GOL (ejs) to deal with firestone. she may have a different position. he will not contradict the GOL position.

i am not sure FIND works with firestone but it would be good if they do. they are in the souteast tho.

I know it is not professional for him to run two offices openly. What I was thinking about is that since he is still overseeing FIND indirectly, he could pressurize the Director or whosoever in charge of that department to get on firestone's back. Firestone story is a long time and almost endless story.

i know. i doubt the director has kofi's clout and the engagement will become like any other one. i think the STOP FIRESTONE campaign ( with international advocates), Green Advocates and SDI,etc will continue what they are doing. Firestone knows what time it is-to quote Flava Flav :)

the new agreement is a far (and productive) cry from the old one and gyude bryant one. it was in the papers, detailing what has change and what new conditions and expectations have been included.

I just think $2 dollars per acre when the price of rubber on the international market has increased so much is adding to the robbery

i agree and do not limit the firestone negotiations to a pure business one. Traveller, there are other changes taking place in Liberia that did not happen prior to the campaign. perhaps they need to engage the GOL, in addition to firestone. the last i heard from the epa guy on the radio-firestone was compliant.

krazzy wrote:

....................the last i heard from the epa guy on the radio-firestone was compliant.

Well one of today's presenters was the head of the worker's union along with a rep from the Save My Future Foundation and they both said Firestone was still polluting pretty badly. Moreover, I got the impression that the EPA was well-meaning but because of severly limited capacity and limited technical ability, they've been unable to do or say very much. In fact, one of the presenters basically said that at times the EPA seems to do nothing more than tow the Firestone line. He went on to say though that EPA had recently rejected Firestone's environmental protection/management plan because it was not up to GOL standards.

i see. i do not think firestone is clean and recognize the power implications-big corporation/company versus people with less resources. EPA may be well-meaning but there is always the issue of how matters are settled in liberia. a couple of months ago, it was ustc that had a rejected plan.

was the save my future person, silas siakor?