A new study commission by the Fairtrade Foundation and conducted by Impactloop shed light on the economical benefit that blossom worker in Kenya take in through the Fairtrade Premium , with education , healthcare , and housing emerging as primal country of wallop . The Fairtrade Premium is an extra sum of money that flower workers can use - as they see convulsion - to better their societal , economic , and environmental conditions .
The report highlights that Fairtrade flower workers in Kenya take in around EUR 107 worth of economic benefits per class through the Fairtrade Premium , which include the provision of educational subsidy , trapping support , health care , and other in - sort benefits . These benefit are economic support , particularly for fair sex doer , who often have humbled wages than men . With flower actor ' salaries average out around EUR 895 per yr , this Premium search to support workers who earn below the living wage bench mark of EUR 2,808 .
The written report finds that Fairtrade Premium payments can come down the pressure on workers ' reward . Fairtrade blossom doer are also capable to access loan through the Fairtrade Premium : " although not normally recognized in living wage frameworks , these are essential to help workers entree essentials like education , caparison , and household point . For many worker , loans have become an invaluable imagination , particularly as the cost of living continues to uprise . When loan are included in the analysis of the Fairtrade Premium , the entire additional Fairtrade economical benefit arise to EUR 464 per person annually . "
Mahsa Yeganeh , Senior Sustainable Sourcing Manager for Flowers at Fairtrade Foundation allege : " There stay on an pressing indigence to achieve living wages in the bloom sector , and sourcing flowers on Fairtrade terms can bring home the bacon much - ask and critical financial support for flower proletarian . This survey demonstrates that Fairtrade Premium can also act as a cushion against some of the hardships of work in the flower industry . This cogitation also foreground the on-going pauperism for Fairtrade to support workers in more holistic ways , combining essential in - sort and loan - based welfare through the Fairtrade Premium with unmediated salary improvements through collective bargaining . "
The study , carried out by Impactloop , combines data from 76 Fairtrade - certified flower farms in Kenya on the utilisation of Premium payments , along with research about the use of Fairtrade Premium and loanword from three Kenyan flower farms .
fit in to the Fairtrade Foundation , one of the most important impacts is in educational activity , with 43 % of worker get at bursaries and training loans . This support ensures that workers ' nestling can attend secondary and 3rd schools , with bursary being prioritise for orphans and vulnerable children .
The subject field also get that health care and living accommodations benefits from Premium were significant , with 10 % of prole survey get at plot of ground loans and 35 % benefiting from housing item loans , such as clean energy stoves and gas cylinders , the latter being claim up preponderantly by women .
Whilst wages are downhearted , the important theatrical role of in - sort benefits in supporting worker , especially women , was noted . With low wages than manpower and gamy loan quittance , many woman preferred in - kind support over cash , peculiarly when it fall to item like menage goods and lodging improvements . These benefits were often cited as a agency to relieve intra - household financial pressures and better overall living conditions .
However , the study points out that there is room for betterment , recommending ongoing financial education to serve poorer proletarian better manage their loan and maximise the benefit of the Fairtrade Premium . It also found that doer were more quenched when they were more mired in the determination - take a crap process regarding how the Premium is used , with training and large independence for Fairtrade Premium Committees ( FPCs ) identified as key area for ongoing development .
The report suggests that alongside ongoing financial education , there should be continued keep for craft unions and worker committees , helping to improve workers ' representation in decisiveness - making cognitive operation . This , the study suggests , could conduct to greater worker satisfaction and productivity , alongside further improvements in earnings and workings conditions .
The study , 'Exploring case-by-case economic benefits of Fairtrade Premium in the Kenyan flower sector' ( October 2024 ) is available to download on the Fairtrade Foundation website .
For more selective information : Fairtrade Foundationwww.fairtrade.org.uk
