The Fair Work Monitor on palm oil

Palm oil in Guatemala and Honduras

Our latest Fair Work Monitor in Guatemala and Honduras was developed in collaboration with Oxfam Central America and with the support of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The survey was conducted among 430 workers in Honduras and Guatemala.

The results show important progress, but also persistent challenges.

• In Guatemala, 99% of agricultural workers do not earn a living wage and 25% lack a formal contract. Barriers to social dialogue and unionization remain significant.
• In Honduras, 100% of surveyed workers have a written contract and 90% report the presence of unions, although 40% say they work under pressure or coercion due to fear of dismissal.

In both countries, most workers are aware of the RSPO certification, yet its effective implementation still faces limitations. Training on occupational health and safety remains insufficient, especially for subcontracted and field workers.

Palm oil in Indonesia

The Fair Work Monitor in Indonesia was carried out in collaboration with Indonesian palm oil trade union F HUKATAN and palm oil union network JAPBUSI. In the provinces of Jambi and East Kalimantan, a total of 1,072 workers took part in the survey, providing valuable insights about their wages, living conditions, and labour rights.

In Jambi, many workers, especially daily labourers and those without union membership, earn below both the statutory minimum and the living wage. In Bungo, a quarter of workers report salaries more than Rp100,000 below the minimum, and nearly all fall short of a wage that would allow them to live in dignity. Low pay is closely tied to poor housing, food insecurity, high healthcare costs, and limited access to essential services. By contrast, East Kalimantan presents a somewhat more positive picture. Wages there are more uniform and generally meet sectoral minimums, thanks to stronger unions and active participation in wage councils. Yet also here, remote locations, high transport costs, and inflated local prices mean that earning the official living wage does not always guarantee security. Health challenges, food shortages, and children missing school persist.

Improving labour rights in the palm oil supply chain

In the palm oil sector, CNV Internationaal and its partners use the Fair Work Monitor to collect structured, anonymous feedback from plantation workers on issues such as wages, contracts, working hours and freedom of association. This data serves as a foundation for social dialogue and enables local unions to negotiate improvements directly with employers. We also engage with companies further along the supply chain to help them identify labour rights risks and take concrete steps toward implementing living wages and decent work practices in their sourcing strategies: ensuring that palm oil production respects both people and planet.

Joining forces

To increase our impact, CNV Internationaal joins forces with several partners. We are a member of the RSPO (Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil).

Our survey in Latin America was conducted in collaboration with Oxfam. For more information on this project, visit the Palm Rights Observatory.

In Indonesia, we participate in landscape projects with Proforest (Sumatra) and Kaleka (Central Kalimantan).