Fyffes gets five more weeks from ethics body to fix Honduras dispute: Fruit firm linked to alleged worker exploitation in its Central American operations  

Fyffes, the Dublin-based tropical fruits company taken over in February by a Japanese group [Sumitomo Group], has been given until next month to resolve a dispute over alleged worker exploitation in its Central American operations or face being expelled from an influential ethical body. The British government-sponsored Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), of which Fyffes has been a member since 2002, last week gave Fyffes a five-week extension, until September 8th, to reach agreement with the International Union of Farmworkers (IUF) on the treatment of the fruit group’s melon workers in Honduras...A spokeswoman for Fyffes said that it has been engaging with the IUF, as the ETI has recommended, and the process is ongoing...“Fyffes is a responsible employer and fully respects the rights of all its workers, including their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The company has a long history of providing fair and equal employment in Central America, contributing to the lives of the communities in which it operates.” [refers to Suragroh]