On February 11, 2013 the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) released a report on alleged U.S. labor rights violations by Theo Chocolate and IMO, the “Fair For Life” certification body of Theo’s Fair Trade recognition. IMO does not accept the report findings and conclusions. Theo has not issued a response yet, but one will be added to this post if Theo does.
The ILRF report states that “IMO violates consumer trust, changes code to accommodate companies’ interference with worker organizing… and neglects to intervene to uphold its commitment to fair trade standards.” The report states that Theo “hired an anti-union consultant and was violating the international labor standards promoted by “Fair for Life” during a union organizing campaign. When Theo workers decided to join the Teamsters, management responded with hostility, intimidation and retaliation including threatening to close the company if workers formed a union, harassing union supporters, driving several workers to leave the company, and firing at least one union supporter.”
See ILRF report
See IMO response
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