Marine Harvest Violates
Environmental and Labor Laws in
The Center Ecoceanos and Eicosal trade union of
Marine
Harvest (MH) is responsible for the health, environmental and labor crisis in the southern regions of
MH is the
result of the association -in December of 2006- of Norwegian companies Pan Fish
and Fjord Seafood , which acquired the samonculture
section of Dutch company Nutreco, thus creating MH
Group.
The company
is installed in
All this
growth was possible at the expense of lowest labor
and environmental standards registered in this industry. Besides the long
working days, low salaries, higher accident rates and death rates, the high
rate of violations to labor, health and environmental
rights, plus the anti-unionist practices, the violation of gender rights, such
as the lack of protection to maternity; conflicts with coastline communities,
native peoples, craft fishing, tourism agents; destructive occupation of highly
vulnerable ecosystems such as lakes and fiords; illegal cultivation centers; irresponsible use of antibiotics; use of banned
chemicals”, such is the case of malachite green oxalate (a banned fungicide)
and/or colorants.
So much so,
that in February of 2007, the
The fear of
world consumers before these cases led to the closure of several markets for
Chilean products, causing the closing down of several factories “and the firing
of thousands of workers in Puerto Montt,
For this
reason it demands the Chilean authorities to establish a “moratorium” on the
granting of aquiculture concessions, until the State has regularized the use of
antibiotics and chemicals used by the salmon industry.
Key issues: Precarization and
exploitation of labour
Denouncing
organizations: Centro Ecoceanos y Sindicato Eicosal 2 de la Multinacional noruega Marine
Harvest (