The case study describes Banana Link’s support to social partners in Côte d’Ivoire to conclude a collective agreement on living wages by 2026. After three years of collaborative efforts coordinated by Banana Link, a historic agreement was reached in February 2024 between major banana exporting companies and trade unions, including four major companies that produce more than 98% of exports and twelve workers’ unions.
Banana Link works for fair and equitable production and trade in bananas and pineapples based on environmental, social and economic sustainability. Starting in 2020, Banana Link has been implementing a programme on “decent wages” for banana plantation workers in Côte d’Ivoire. Banana Link, with support from the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), held training workshops for trade unionists to raise awareness on the roles of stakeholders across the value chain, and enabling them to collaborate on wage data validation with the Ivorian research institute CIRES. The key role of social dialogue was recognised since the start of this process, in alignment with the ILO guidance on living wages, adopted in March 2024.
In February 2024, social partners agreed to form a joint working group and negotiate a first sectoral agreement by 2026. The collective agreement will focus on decent working and living conditions and lead to a living wage for all banana workers. In September of the same year, social partners signed a Charter for the Operation of the Joint Working Group and agreed on a roadmap to negotiate living wages.
