Both in the Fiji Islands as in PNG the tuna industry is experiencing the effect of campaigns of local anti-globalists against their operations.
Two Fiji-based NGOs said last week that foreign tuna companies who are abusing the poor working conditions in the Pacific islands, ignoring local communities and damaging the environment, will risk boycotts and isolation of their products regionally and internationally.
The Pacific Network on Globalization (PANG) and Ecumenical Center for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA) was referring to the reports from the Kananam community in Papua New Guinea about the operations there of the Philippines-owned RD Tuna company.
“Like the situation with PAFCO in Fiji, consumers cannot sit back and allow companies to get away with poor environmental practices, poor wages and working conditions, and the concerns of communities to the social impacts of their operations,†said PANG Coordinator Stanley Simpson.
“The region must stand united against both foreign and local operations that harm Pacific communities,†said ECREA Director, Aisake Casimira.
The Kananam community in Madang, PNG has formed the Idawad Association to protest the development of a new huge tuna cannery on their land by RD Tuna. The Kananam community says it has already launched a campaign to boycott RD Tuna products, which are sold under the labels from U.K. and German canned tuna.
PANG and ECREA also congratulates the PNG Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare for setting up an inquiry to look into the operations of RD Tuna.
Many times in publications on atuna.com, RD Tuna characterized the allegations as being completely untrue, and supported this with examples of its current policies, which showed mostly the contrary.
In Fiji a strike at the local tuna cannery PAFCO has just been ended.
For both nations the tuna operations are important employers, which generate a significant amount of jobs and income to the local communities.