Building Stronger Fairtrade Leadership: Technical Training for Compliance Committees in Tea Plantations at Hatton, Sri Lanka
A one-day technical training and guidance session in Hatton brought together 42 workers and management representatives from five Fairtrade certified tea estates to address persistent gaps in Fairtrade Compliance Committee roles and responsibilities.
Under the latest Fairtrade Tea Standard, the Fairtrade Compliance Committee (FCC) is a formal workplace requirement from the third year of certification onwards. While FCCs had already been established across many estates, opportunities remained to strengthen members’ understanding of their roles, improve alignment of committee processes, and support more effective implementation of Fairtrade requirements.
A one-day technical training was organised by Fairtrade NAPP for forty-two workers and management representatives from five Fairtrade certified tea plantations (Madulsima Plantations PLC, Stassen Natural Foods (Pvt.) Ltd. (Idulgashina Bio Tea Garden), Horana Plantations PLC, Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC, and Hatton Plantations PLC) came together for a focused session on FCC roles, responsibilities, and compliance requirements. Twenty-six of the 42 participants were women.
Key Benefits for Participants
Participants came away with a clearer and more practical understanding of what the FCC is, what it is not, and what it is required to do. For many, this was the first structured opportunity to disentangle FCC functions from those of overlapping committees such as Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) bodies and Women's Committees. A particularly meaningful aspect of the session was that workers and management representatives contributed directly to developing the criteria points that will be included in Fairtrade evaluation checklists. This meant participants were not only learning the requirements; they were also helping to shape how compliance is assessed, giving them a practical stake in how the standards are applied at estate level.
Learnings for Participants
- Understanding the distinct mandate of the Fairtrade Compliance Committee- Through a review of the Fairtrade Tea Standard and practical workplace examples explained in both English and Tamil, participants clarified that the FCC carries specific compliance monitoring and oversight responsibilities distinct from other estate committees.
- Identifying and correcting composition errors- By working through real cases, participants gained specific, actionable clarity, not just a general overview of FCC requirements.
- Workers' rights under Fairtrade hired labour standards- The session included a dedicated component on hired labour conditions and rights, covering labour legislation, freedom from discrimination and sexual harassment, and freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. This gave workers a grounded understanding of the protections that Fairtrade certification places on participating estates, and the role the FCC plays in monitoring them.
- Using a Terms of Reference as a working tool- Participants examined what a functional FCC Terms of Reference (ToR) looks like and understood its role in keeping committee operations consistent and measurable. Several estates will revise their ToRs as a direct follow-up to this training.
- Managing Fairtrade Premium responsibilities within the committee structure- The session covered how Fairtrade Premium Committees operate, how Fairtrade Premium funds should be managed, and how Premium and Organisational Development plans should be structured, connecting FCC compliance knowledge to the practical management of worker-directed benefits.
Voices from the Activity
"The Fairtrade team has continuously worked with us through training on various topics, and this session covered a very important area. Building knowledge on the Fairtrade Compliance Committee is crucial from the workers' perspective. As workers, we have a significant role to play, and we will strive to implement FCC functions effectively in the workplace."
"To my knowledge, this Fairtrade consultant has been providing training for the past 13 years. In academic terms, 13 years is equivalent to completing Advanced Level education. Similarly, we have gained a great deal of insight through these trainings, and we feel like Advanced Level graduates. I will ensure that the knowledge gained today is shared with my fellow workers and applied in our workplace."
What Comes Next
The training identified clear follow-up steps. Participating estates will revise their Fairtrade Compliance Committee (FCC) Terms of Reference, with particular attention to separating FCC functions from OHS structures where management involvement has created structural non-compliances. An evaluation checklist, developed with direct input from training participants, is being finalised to help estates assess their own FCC effectiveness between audit cycles.
Fairtrade NAPP is planning a dedicated follow-up workshop for Fairtrade Officers at the participating estates, focused on strengthening oversight and ensuring that the structural and governance improvements identified in Hatton are carried through into sustained practice.
