A vast Del Monte pineapple farm in Kenya that supplies most British supermarkets is advertising for a human rights manager to address its “human rights challenges” in the wake of allegations of killings and violence by its security guards.
The job advert says the candidate will need to “develop a detailed action plan to address human rights challenges in the workplace and in surrounding communities”.
Investigations by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have uncovered allegations of multiple deaths and violence linked to Del Monte’s guards.
Under pressure from supermarkets after the articles were published last year, the company commissioned a confidential human rights impact assessment (HRIA), the highly critical findings of which were seen by the Guardian. It concluded that the farm was causing major human rights harms across multiple areas to its staff and people living in communities surrounding it.
The new role is one of several changes made in response to the recommendations by Partner Africa, the organisation that wrote the report.
Del Monte announced earlier this month that it would outsource its security operations at the farm to G4S, sacking its 214 in-house guards. It has also advertised for a welfare and diversity manager to create a workers’ welfare department.
Peter McAllister, the executive director of the Ethical Trading Initiative, which represents shops, charities and unions to improve human rights in supply chains, said of the new role: “This is a direct result of the work done in the HRIA and we see this as a positive step.
“We believe any company of the size and scope of Del Monte should have human rights expertise in their team to advise management, help the company stay abreast of best practice, work with wider stakeholders and deliver on a company’s commitments to customers.”
The report included claims that Del Monte’s employees were working with a cartel of thieves, providing them with intelligence. It called on Del Monte to immediately set about providing remediation to those “whose rights have been violated” and recommended that the company set out a human rights action plan.
The company is facing civil claims over allegations of killing, rape and beatings by its guards. A Del Monte Kenya spokesperson said a case filed in the Kenyan high court was “an opportunity for all parties to present evidence – rather than unsubstantiated allegations – in a public forum and we trust that those proceedings will reveal the truth and vindicate our good name”.
Five of its former guards alleged in interviews with the Guardian that a lack of training and Del Monte’s poor relationship with local people had fuelled violent clashes with trespassers on the farm. Since the Guardian and TBIJ’s initial investigation was published in June, there have been another five deaths allegedly linked to guards at the farm.
Four of those were men went to steal pineapples from the plantation near Thika and their bodies were recovered from a river on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year after they were allegedly chased by guards. Representatives of the company were accused of offering bribes in an attempt to cover up the circumstances of their deaths. Del Monte Kenya said the men had gone into the river themselves and that there had been “no foul play”.
Del Monte was contacted for comment about the new role. It previously said it was “committed to constant improvements in the way we operate to adhere to the highest international human rights standards in all our businesses”.
