Latin America's sugarcane unions launch groundbreaking alliance to work towards living wages

Utrecht, August 2025 - In an unprecedented move, sugarcane unions from seven Latin American countries have joined forces in the Latin American Sugarcane Union Network (the RED), marking a historic step towards improved wages and labour conditions across the region’s sugar supply chain.

The newly formed alliance has released a Regional Manifesto, setting out a concrete roadmap for closing wage gaps, ending exploitative outsourcing practices, and strengthening health and safety systems for sugarcane workers. With more than half of the agricultural workforce in the sector earning less than a basic living wage, the manifesto presents an urgent and practical call to action

The manifesto was collectively developed by trade unions through field visits, workshops and worker-led research. It outlines four proposals:

• Implementation of living wages across the supply chain
• Respect for trade union freedom and collective bargaining rights
• Regulation of irregular outsourcing and subcontracting
• Stronger occupational health and safety protections

The proposals are based on concrete data gathered through the Fair Work Monitor. This worker-driven survey tool was developed by CNV Internationaal to track and monitor labour conditions and wages. Rather than a top-down policy paper, the manifesto reflects the lived realities of workers and the practical solutions they believe are needed.

Despite the global sugar industry’s billion-dollar value, the reality for workers is stark. Studies show that between 55% and 96% of sugarcane labourers in Latin America do not earn enough to cover basic needs, leaving families trapped in poverty.

The launch of the Latin American Sugarcane Union Network and its Regional Manifesto marks a milestone in labour organising in Latin America’s agricultural sector. The manifesto offers a timely, concrete, worker-driven solution to one of the most pressing issues in global supply chains: the persistence of low wages.

CNV Internationaal believes that everyone has the right to fair and safe work, and to earn a living wage — an income that allows people to meet their basic needs with dignity. The interests of workers are represented by local trade unions. CNV Internationaal works in close partnership with these unions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

  -- End of press release --

Not for publication:

Notes to the editor:

• The Latin American Sugarcane Union Network includes unions from Colombia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras.
• The initiative is supported by evidence from the Fair Work Monitor (Observatorio del Trabajo Justo), a labour monitoring tool created by CNV Internationaal.
• The manifesto launch is part of a broader regional push for the recognition of living wages as a human right and business responsibility.
• The Fair Work Monitor findings on sugarcane: Fair Work Monitor Exposes Living Wage Gaps