We have introduced 30+ benefits to our banana team in Zambia. This is in addition to the basic salaries. The benefits is a mix of both recommendations, the law (compliance), and fair trade based benefits introduced to all our team members (employees) of One Planet Café Zambia:

They include following:

1. Salaries above minimum wage 

2. House support (called house allowance)

3. Transport support for commuting to work (called transport allowance)

4. Free breakfast

5. Free lunch

6. Free fruits (banana, mango, passion fruits etc, to boost immune system)

7. Bonus when achieving certain goals

8. Double pay if need to work on holiday

9. Hourly added pay from the first hour after ordinary work time.

10. Inofficial Ambulance service (for employees & surrounding villages)

11. Health insurance for employees (accidents)

12. Health insurance for employees (sickness)

13. Medical assistance for examinations

14. Paid sick leave (employees paid even when sick and recovering)

15. Dental assistance (toothache or precaution treatment)

16. Sick child leave (both women and men)

Micro Credit loan system (called Advance) for following 3 purposes…

17. (Type A): Emergencies – self or family not covered by insurance.

18. (Type B): Education – (self or family/children)

19. (Type C): Improvement – support to improve quality of life (e.g. repairing house, making village toilets more hygienic, etc.)

20. Maternety Leave

21. Food Security Package (during specially harsh periods / for example floods and recent years corona pandemic).

22. Funeral support (immediate family)

23. Funeral support (relatives)

24. Solar panel & solar lamps support (for home)

25. Malaria Net support (if need for purchasing malaria prevention mosquito nets)

26. Education during work hours (SDGs and Fair Trade-related education occures regularly)

27. Community water support – free to draw water at our Green Factory for nearby villages and employees. Open twice a day (AM and PM)

28. Clean water projects for some small-scale banana famers (so called borehole drilling)

29. Reflective belts to employees (precaution of road accidents after sunset)

30. Travelling support (in unforseen emergencies in support for long-distance relatives or family members)

31. Business travel support (called per diem reimbursement). For example when going on day-long work to nearby city of Chipata (110 km) for vehicle service and insurance that can not be done nearby)

32. Christmas package (every end-of-year season).

33. Gratuity – annual contract renewal support (currently 25% of employees basic salary).