SITRABI is the oldest union
in Guatemala and arguably
one of the strongest and the largest private sector union in Guatemala. This
is not the first attempt to intimidate workers.

• In 1999, in a case that brought international attention to violence against unionists in Guatemala, seven members of SITRABI were violently attacked and forced to flee to the United States. Their case became the key test on impunity for workers rights advocates and the U.S. government who put Guatemala’s trade benefits on probation until Guatemalan courts convicted the criminals.

The big question is whether the sale of Godiva will have any effect on their purchasing policies.  Godiva, like many US chocolate companies, buys cocoa beans from farms in Cote d'Ivoire where forced and child labor is widespread.  While billions are spent buying Godiva, are farmers and their children who farm the cocoa beans that create the company's source of profit going to see any benefit?

U.S. consumers have grown more concerned about and aware of the conditions under which the goods they purchase are produced. This increased consciousness has lead to new models of production and consumption and a variety of alternative product labels with respect to environmental issues (e.g. Shade-Grown coffee), health (e.g. Organic bananas), animal treatment (e.g. Free-Range Chickens), and so on. Labels are intended to provide an easy way for consumers to know what products they can buy that reflect their values.

The book features an article about the Stop Firestone campaign by Robtel Pailey which was featured on Pambazuka News and this blog in April.