Coca-Cola under fire at INTO congress
The company has a high profile at the primary teachers’ gathering in Tralee and delegates are given free drinks from a stand outside the meeting hall.
Some delegates objected to having Coca-Cola as congress beverage sponsor because of allegations of anti-trade union activity by the company in Columbia and South America, and health issues such as obesity.
Dublin North West delegate Maurice Hurley claimed the company was pumping money into schools and sports sponsorship to get children drinking its product from a young age. “The fact that the system is under-funded allows the company into schools.”
Some student union outlets have already organised a boycott on sales of the company’s products.
However, the INTO, through its general secretary John Carr, said it was following the line taken by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and was not supporting calls for a boycott. “We’ve written to the company expressing our concern regarding the company’s failure to address in a systematic way the accusations of worker rights abuses at some bottling franchises in various countries.”
In an unscheduled statement to delegates, Mr Carr urged the company to negotiate a global framework agreement with the appropriate Global Union Federation.
The allegations have been strongly rebutted by the company, with Coca-Cola Bottlers managing director Alfie Lydon saying respect for labour and human rights was fundamental to their operating principles and code of ethics.
Regarding workers’ rights, he said the company condemned all acts of violence by paramilitary groups or guerrilla groups in Columbia and elsewhere.
Mr Lydon said such issues could best be resolved through dialogue and the company would continue to engage with the ICTU.
More than 30,000 pupils take part in a school tour programme at the Coca-Cola bottling plant, Naas Road, Dublin each year. They each get a free bottle of Coke for answering questions such as: “What is the best drink in the world?”
Primary school GAA and soccer competitions are also sponsored by the company, which employs 1,350 people in Ireland and has a 59% market share.
The company warned that a fall-off in sales could result in job losses.
