Bunge Strengthens Ethical Recruitment through Collaborative Training for Palm Oil Supply Chains

Bunge recently joined forces with its joint-venture partner, IOI Corporation Berhad (IOI), to deploy a collaborative  Pre-Employment Orientation (PEO ) initiative aimed at strengthening ethical recruitment practices for migrant workers in countries producing palm oil.    Bunge believes that sector collaboration is an important way to effectively address common challenges in the palm value chain, such as ethical recruitment and forced labor.

Held in Lombok, Indonesia, the program was led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and saw participation from Bunge’s Tropical Oils Sustainability Managers Kaixiang Chin and Pitt Onn Wong.

Lombok, Indonesia, serves as a crucial migration corridor for the Malaysian oil palm sector, which relies heavily on migrant workers for core agricultural tasks. This training initiative aims to empower local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), jointly selected by IOI and IOM, to support prospective migrant workers with information on employment in Malaysia, aligned with best practices based on the International Labour Organization standards and the “Employer Pays Principle.” 

As part of IOI’s recruitment program, appointed CSOs are trained under a Train-the-Trainer session to equip them to independently conduct the PEO training with a specialized module co-developed by IOI and IOM, to prepare recruited workers prior to their departure to Malaysia. This is fundamental for promoting safe and responsible labor migration, supporting reduction of exploitation risk and the sustainability of IOI’s operations.

The all-day session covered learning modules that can empower migrant workers, including mental preparedness, understanding host country regulations (Malaysia), migrant worker rights, IOI’s ethical recruitment process, and financial literacy. Key highlights from the training included:

• Valuable insights from CSOs on recruitment challenges and worker experiences, particularly about informal middlemen, also known locally as tekong, sponsor or calo, or unregulated intermediaries.
• Discussions on preferred work destinations and the socio-economic drivers for working abroad, such as low wages and limited employment opportunities.
• A strong commitment from CSOs to collaborate on ethical recruitment advocacy and attend to unfair practices at the town and village level.

A train-the-trainer session on migrant workers in the Malaysian Palm Oil Sector brought together IOI, IOM representatives, Bunge leaders, and local Civil Service Organizations in Indonesia.

Kaixiang Chin, Bunge Tropical Oils Sustainability Manager, closed the session by reminding attendees of the importance of respecting human rights across supply chains.