Coca-Cola accused of links with child labour

[CShine]

Coca-Cola is buying sugar from a mill in El Salvador that is supplied by plantations exploiting child labour. A report published by Human Rights Watch yesterday identifies at least four plantations that supply sugar to the mill, El Salvador's largest. On those farms, the report alleges, children have been illegally employed to plant, tend and harvest sugar cane, using dangerous machetes and knives that cause cuts and gashes. A teacher told investigators one child lost part of a finger working on a sugar farm.

Representatives of the New York-based human rights group said they focused on Coca-Cola Company as a buyer of refined sugar in El Salvador because it is clear that sugar is a key ingredient in cola and the company is a big customer of the mill, Izalco.

Coca-Cola does not deny that child labour is prevalent on the sugar plantations of El Salvador, but in a statement on Wednesday the company distanced itself from the farms and said its investigations cleared its "direct suppliers" - the mill and a sugar refinery - of violating child labour laws.

"Our review has revealed that none of the four co-operatives identified ... supplied any products directly to the Coca-Cola Company, and that neither the company nor the bottler have any commercial contracts with these farm co-operatives."

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/10/1086749841441.html?oneclick=true

[BayCityProgressive]

1. surprise surprise

I have given up coke...it was my favorite pop too...

[Judi Lynn]

2. Good for you. Me, also.

I turned away a few years ago when I heard union members in their Colombian plants have been murdered. I had heard it previously, and reading about it again finally kicked the door shut for me.

It's a terrific product until you realize the price in human suffering it costs to get it to our grocery stores.

Thanks for the article, CShine.

On edit, adding info. from link:

But Coca-Cola has a great responsibility to look beyond its direct suppliers," Mr Bochenek said. "Everybody knows child labour is pervasive on these plantations."

The International Labour Organisation, which investigates and designs programs to reduce child labour, estimates that at least 5000 and as many as 30,000 children under the age of 18 work on Salvadorean sugar farms.

The country's labour laws prohibit dangerous jobs for anyone under 18, and permit some work for children who are 14 and older. Sugar cane workers use machetes to cut the hard, sharp stalks in thickly planted fields where there is little room to manoeuvre.

The report says that children as young as eight work on sugar plantations, and farm managers turn a blind eye.

An estimated 37 per cent of the Salvadorean population works in the sugar industry.
(snip)

Why does Coke's name KEEP showing up in situations containing gross human rights violations? There was a pattern a LONG time ago with Coca-Cola.

[CharlesGroce]

3. all that just to sell syrup and soda

These people sell sugar water for god's sake, why can't they at least do business legally, the pigs!

[cosmicdot]

4. let's hear it for the Board and Major Shareholders

Warren E. Buffett Aggregate Number
of Shares Beneficially Owned
200,017,687 4 8.16 %

also, Warren's business, Bershire Hathaway, has another chunk of shares
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
1440 Kiewit Plaza
Omaha, Nebraska 68131
200,000,000 8.19%

SunTrust Banks, Inc.
303 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
124,141,589 5.08%

Board of Directors - Daft's gone or leaving

HERBERT A. ALLEN Director since 1982
Age 63

Mr. Allen is President and Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Allen & Company Incorporated, a privately held investment firm, and has held these positions for more than the past five years. Mr. Allen was a Managing Director of Allen & Company LLC, a privately held investment banking firm, from September 2002 to February 24, 2003. He is a Director of Convera Corporation.


RONALD W. ALLEN Director since 1991
Age 62

Mr. Allen is a consultant to and Advisory Director of Delta Air Lines, Inc., a major U.S. air transportation company, and has held these positions since July 1997. He retired as Delta's Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer in July 1997, and had been its Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since 1987. He is a Director of Aaron Rents, Inc.



CATHLEEN P. BLACK Director since 1993
Age 59

Ms. Black is President, Hearst Magazines, a unit of The Hearst Corporation, a major media and communications company, and has held this position since November 1995. Ms. Black has been a Director of The Hearst Corporation since January 1996. From May 1991 to November 1995, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Newspaper Association of America, a newspaper industry organization. She served as a Director of the Company from April 1990 to May 1991, and was again elected as a Director in October 1993. Ms. Black is a Director of International Business Machines Corporation and iVillage.com.


WARREN E. BUFFETT Director since 1989
Age 73

Mr. Buffett is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a diversified holding company, and has held these positions for more than the past five years. He is also a Director of The Washington Post Company.



DOUGLAS N. DAFT Director since 1999
Age 60

Mr. Daft is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and has held these positions since February 2000. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company from December 1999 until February 2000. He previously served as Senior Vice President of the Company from 1991 until December 1999. Mr. Daft also served as President of the Middle and Far East Group which also included management responsibility for the Africa Group and the Schweppes Beverage Division from October 1999 until December 1999. Mr. Daft joined the Company in 1969, and has held various executive positions since 1984. Mr. Daft is also a Director of SunTrust Banks, Inc. and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.


BARRY DILLER Director since 2002
Age 62

Mr. Diller is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of InterActiveCorp, an interactive commerce company. He has held this position with InterActiveCorp or its predecessors since August 1995. He was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of QVC, Inc. from December 1992 through December 1994. From 1984 to 1992, Mr. Diller served as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Fox, Inc. Prior to joining Fox, Inc., Mr. Diller served for ten years as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures Corporation. He is also a Director of The Washington Post Company.



DONALD R. KEOUGH Director since 2004
Age 77

Mr. Keough is Chairman of the Board of Allen & Company Incorporated, a privately held investment firm, and has held this position for more than the past five years. Mr. Keough retired as President, Chief Operating Officer and a Director of the Company in April 1993. He is also a Director of InterActiveCorp, Convera Corporation and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.


SUSAN BENNETT KING Director since 1991
Age 63

Ms. King is Chairman of the Board of The Leadership Initiative, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, a support corporation of Duke University, charged with the establishment of undergraduate college leadership programs, and has held this position since September 2001. From September 1999 to September 2001, she served as President of The Leadership Initiative. From January 1995 until September 1999, she served as Leader in Residence, Hart Leadership Program, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University. She was Senior Vice President — Corporate Affairs of Corning Incorporated from March 1992 through April 1994, and served as President of Corning's Steuben Glass division from 1987 to March 1992. She is a Director of Guidant Corporation.


MARIA ELENA LAGOMASINO Director since 2003
Age 54

Ms. Lagomasino is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, a unit of J.P. Morgan Chase. Prior to assuming this position in September 2001, Ms. Lagomasino was Managing Director at The Chase Manhattan Bank in charge of its Global Private Banking Group. Ms. Lagomasino had been with Chase Manhattan since 1983 in various positions in private banking. Prior to 1983 she was a Vice President at Citibank. Ms. Lagomasino is a Director of Avon Products, Inc.



DONALD F. McHENRY Director since 1981
Age 67

Mr. McHenry is Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy and International Affairs at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and a principal owner and President of The IRC Group, LLC, a Washington, D.C. consulting firm. He has held these positions for more than the past five years. He is a Director of AT&T Corporation, FleetBoston Financial Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline plc and International Paper Company.



ROBERT L. NARDELLI Director since 2002
Age 55

Mr. Nardelli is Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Home Depot, Inc., a major home improvement retailer, a position he has held since December 2000. From 1995 to December 2000, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Power Systems.


SAM NUNN sometimes mentioned for VP on the Democratic ticket in 2004

Director since 1997
Age 65

Mr. Nunn is Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a position he has held since 2001. The Nuclear Threat Initiative is a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Mr. Nunn was a partner in the law firm of King & Spalding from 1997 to December 31, 2003. He served as a member of the United States Senate from 1972 through 1996. He is a Director of ChevronTexaco Corporation, Dell Inc., General Electric Company, Internet Security Systems, Inc. and Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.


J. PEDRO REINHARD Director since 2003
Age 58

Mr. Reinhard is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Dow Chemical Company, a specialty chemical company, a position he has held for more than the past five years. He is a Director of The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Corning Corporation, Royal Bank of Canada and Sigma-Aldrich Corporation.



JAMES D. ROBINSON III Director since 1975
Age 68

Mr. Robinson is co-founder and General Partner of RRE Ventures and Chairman of RRE Investors, LLC, private information technology venture firms and has held these positions since 1994. He is also President of JD Robinson, Inc., a strategic advisory firm. Mr. Robinson previously served as non-executive Chairman of Violy, Byorum & Partners Holdings, LLC from 1996 to 2003. He previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Company from 1977 to 1993. Mr. Robinson is a Director of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, First Data Corporation and Novell, Inc.



PETER V. UEBERROTH Director since 1986
Age 66

Mr. Ueberroth is an investor and Chairman of the Contrarian Group, Inc., a business management company, and has held this position since 1989. He is also Co-Chairman of Pebble Beach Company. He is Chairman of Ambassadors International, Inc. and is a Director of Hilton Hotels Corporation and McLeodUSA Incorporated.


JAMES B. WILLIAMS Director since 1979
Age 70

Mr. Williams retired in March 1998 as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of SunTrust Banks, Inc., a bank holding company, which positions he had held for more than five years. He continues to serve as a Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of SunTrust Banks, Inc. and is also a Director of Genuine Parts Company, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Marine Products Corporation, Rollins, Inc. and RPC, Inc.

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/21344/000104746904006480/a2128080zdef14a.htm