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RSPO, NDPE and FPIC: International Standards Applied Selectively
Principle 6 of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) explicitly states: ‘Respect Workers’ Rights and Conditions’—respecting workers’ rights and ensuring safe, decent working conditions. Criterion 6.1 prohibits all forms of discrimination, while Criterion 6.2 requires pay and working conditions to meet, at a minimum, legal or industry standards.
NDPE (No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation) addresses three major sources of harm: deforestation, plantation development on peatlands, and the exploitation of workers or local communities.
FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consent) means consent given freely, without violence, intimidation or manipulation. It must be obtained before an operation begins, and communities must receive sufficient information about the impacts they may face.
Yet findings from the field reveal a wide gap between commitments on paper and conditions on the ground. Companies that claim to uphold sustainability commitments are instead:
- Paying wages below the district or city minimum wage (UMK)
- Withholding workers’ identity documents
- Deducting up to 90% of workers’ wages
- Confining and beating workers
- Obstructing the formation of trade unions
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