Working Conditions in Chilean Fruit Industry

Fruit production provides one of Chile’s major exports. A recent article from Reuters highlights the following:

low wages and harsh working conditions are the dark side of Chile’s booming fresh fruit industry … fruit pickers have reaped little benefit from Chile’s avid participation in the global economy.

I lived just south of Santiago in the city of Buin which is surrounded by orchards and vineyards that produce the fruit sent to the US and other northern hemisphere countries.

This part of Chile’s fertile central valley is a beautiful place but the people there often experience hard lives. I met many who worked in the fruit industry and like the Reuters article describes, they didn’t always have the best working conditions.

The people I met often worked very long hours for very little pay. This often resulted in poor living conditions with some homes I visited not having running water or electricity.

I love the Chilean people and do hope that publicity like this article will help improve their working conditions.

Posted April 15th, 2005 in In the News, Business.

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