Since the colonial era, health has been an integral part of labor control, as seen on palm oil plantations. Today, these agri-capitalist factories, operating in multinational contexts, continue to benefit from this mechanism of control, degrading workers’ bodies...
Beyond the Red Circle: Notes on a Palm Oil Plantation Union Meeting in Indonesia
In September last year, I attended a group discussion with workers organised by a branch of SERBUK (People’s Labour Union) at a palm oil plantation company in the Sambas Regency of West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. It was the first gathering of union members...
The Catastrophe that Flows Like Water: The Centrality of Water Issues for a Just Transition
The issue of heavily polluted water in palm oil plantation zones has severely affected local families and workers. Despite water issues appearing like a mundane problem, the communities near these plantations suffer from diseases caused by toxic rivers. According to...
Join the Conference on Just Transition Online
Inviting you to the 2023 International Conference of Just Transition in the Palm Oil Industry
Agricultural workers call on Philippine government to protest Malaysian government’s planned crackdown on undocumented migrants amid Covid-19 spike
Press statement - June 8, 2021 – UMA The Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) today called on the Philippine government to protest Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s announcement of a total crackdown on undocumented workers in Malaysia. The...
Appeal for Royal Call for a National Moratorium on Raids and Detention until everyone is Vaccinated
The planned crackdown on undocumented migrant workers is a state-endorsed violence aimed at the most vulnerable group of people in the country. Rounding them up has never been a good strategy and more so at the time of a pandemic. It raises concerns of possible new...
Petition: Stop operations to arrest undocumented migrants, focus on the goal of controlling the spread of Covid-19
Calling for endorsement of the petition to the YAB Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The press statements by YB Dato’ Seri Hamzah Zainudin, Minister of Home Affairs on 29 May 2021 and 3 June 2021 have created the perception among many that the government has...
Workers demand swift implementation of labour law reforms, new minimum wage and minimum housing standards
Press Statement by Labour Law Reform Coalition on 30 April 2021 in Shah Alam In conjunction with Labour Day 2021, Labour Law Reform Coalition (LLRC) calls on the government to explain whether it has suspended the labour law reform exercise indefinitely. Since the...
Recent Post
Sambas Declaration for Just Transition in the Palm Oil Industry
Introduction On 28-29th November 2023, an international conference on “Just Transition in the Palm Oil Industry” was held in Sambas, West Kalimantan in Indonesia. The conference was attended by 140 participants, mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia,...
Creeping in Silence: Occupational Health and Safety in Palm Oil Plantation
What's the difference between a headache caused by an ailments or symptoms of poisoning? What if this illness is not just bad luck, but part of the dangerous working conditions in oil palm plantations? What should we do if these dangerous working conditions are indeed...
[TPOLS NETWORK TALK 3] Sharing Session between Labour and Environmental Movements toward Transforming the Palm Oil Industry
The area of oil palm plantations in Indonesia, based on the data from the Ministry of Agriculture, increased from 14,9 million hectares in 2022 to 16,38 million hectares in 2023. Meanwhile, according to Sawit Watch, based on the given licenses the area of oil palm...
Creeping in Silence: Summer Postcard with Love
It has been six months since we distributed the postcard at the International Just Transition Conference in November 2023, now this postcard is ready to be delivered to you through this website. These postcards will bring you to TPOLS research findings on safety and...
Beyond Health and Safety: The Struggle of the Alienated Body and the Emergence of New Forms of Worker Organization on Palm Oil Plantation
Since the colonial era, health has been an integral part of labor control, as seen on palm oil plantations. Today, these agri-capitalist factories, operating in multinational contexts, continue to benefit from this mechanism of control, degrading workers’ bodies...
Beyond the Red Circle: Notes on a Palm Oil Plantation Union Meeting in Indonesia
In September last year, I attended a group discussion with workers organised by a branch of SERBUK (People’s Labour Union) at a palm oil plantation company in the Sambas Regency of West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. It was the first gathering of union members...