Christians urged to stir up a storm in a tea cup
-15/12/05
Churches, development group
Christians urged to stir up a storm in a tea cup
-15/12/05
Churches, development groups and advocacy organisations are today urged to brew up a head of steam over the way Britainís favourite drink, a beverage popular throughout the world, is made and sold ñ and who benefits
Campaigners say the price of tea has been falling steadily in all producing countries and it is the global brands and supermarkets that benefit from the lower prices, while poor tea farmers producers suffer and their markets are eroded.
For that reason they have declared today, 15 December, International Tea Day.
ìBehind every cup of tea lie a host of social and human costs,î adds Mr Muthulingam, executive director of the Institute of Social Development (ISD) in Sri Lanka, whose partners include the UK-based agency Christian Aid.
He continues: ìMarking International Tea day will serve to highlight the conditions under which many tea-plantation workers labour and their collective aspirations to change their situationî’
The Sri Lankan plantation trade unions have joined ISD on their journey and will continue the struggle for the emancipation of the plantation workers, says Mr Muthulingam.
J John, executive director of the Centre for Education and Communication (CEC) in Delhi, explained: ìThe idea of an International Tea Day is mainly to draw global attention to the impact of the tea trade on tea-plantation workers, small growers and consumers.î
ìThe distortions in trade make green-leaf production non-profitable and is a threat to the food security of millions of workers,î he continued. ì[The Day] is also intended to lead to positive public action.î
International Tea Day aims to affirm the rights of tea-plantation workers and small growers; to raise the awareness of tea-plantation owners and managers, government officials, trade unions and workers about trade and labour standards and to strengthen international advocacy and campaigning.
It also aims to promote tea as a health drink. Taken in reasonable quantities without an excess of milk or sugar, black tea (and, especially, green tea) contains ìfree radicalsî which act against carcinogens in the body, say experts.
In India alone more than two million people depend on the tea industry for their livelihood and in Sri Lanka the numbers are similar.
Tea-producing nations from Africa and Asia have been meeting at a conference in Delhi from 13-14 December 2005. They have been trying to produce a universal declaration of the rights of tea workers and small tea growers that highlight resistance against neo-liberal policies.
Partner organisations such as CEC and ISD, along with other interested groups, are campaigning for national and multinational trade policies that safeguard the interests of tea producers, workers and consumers, says Christian Aid.
The call to create International Tea Day was taken as a result of deliberations among a variety of international organisations and trade unions during the World Social Forum in Mumbai (2004) and in Porto Alegre (2005).
[Also on Ekklesia: while enjoying your healthy cuppa, support trade justice and switch your electricity supplier to help the environment]
Christians urged to stir up a storm in a tea cup
-15/12/05
Churches, development groups and advocacy organisations are today urged to brew up a head of steam over the way Britain’s favourite drink, a beverage popular throughout the world, is made and sold – and who benefits
Campaigners say the price of tea has been falling steadily in all producing countries and it is the global brands and supermarkets that benefit from the lower prices, while poor tea farmers producers suffer and their markets are eroded.
For that reason they have declared today, 15 December, International Tea Day.
‘Behind every cup of tea lie a host of social and human costs,’ adds Mr Muthulingam, executive director of the Institute of Social Development (ISD) in Sri Lanka, whose partners include the UK-based agency Christian Aid.
He continues: ‘Marking International Tea day will serve to highlight the conditions under which many tea-plantation workers labour and their collective aspirations to change their situation”
The Sri Lankan plantation trade unions have joined ISD on their journey and will continue the struggle for the emancipation of the plantation workers, says Mr Muthulingam.
J John, executive director of the Centre for Education and Communication (CEC) in Delhi, explained: ‘The idea of an International Tea Day is mainly to draw global attention to the impact of the tea trade on tea-plantation workers, small growers and consumers.’
‘The distortions in trade make green-leaf production non-profitable and is a threat to the food security of millions of workers,’ he continued. ‘[The Day] is also intended to lead to positive public action.’
International Tea Day aims to affirm the rights of tea-plantation workers and small growers; to raise the awareness of tea-plantation owners and managers, government officials, trade unions and workers about trade and labour standards and to strengthen international advocacy and campaigning.
It also aims to promote tea as a health drink. Taken in reasonable quantities without an excess of milk or sugar, black tea (and, especially, green tea) contains ‘free radicals’ which act against carcinogens in the body, say experts.
In India alone more than two million people depend on the tea industry for their livelihood and in Sri Lanka the numbers are similar.
Tea-producing nations from Africa and Asia have been meeting at a conference in Delhi from 13-14 December 2005. They have been trying to produce a universal declaration of the rights of tea workers and small tea growers that highlight resistance against neo-liberal policies.
Partner organisations such as CEC and ISD, along with other interested groups, are campaigning for national and multinational trade policies that safeguard the interests of tea producers, workers and consumers, says Christian Aid.
The call to create International Tea Day was taken as a result of deliberations among a variety of international organisations and trade unions during the World Social Forum in Mumbai (2004) and in Porto Alegre (2005).
[Also on Ekklesia: while enjoying your healthy cuppa, support trade justice and switch your electricity supplier to help the environment]