<p> AAN INTRODUCTION FOR VVOLUNTEERS</p><p>Introduction to Banana Link Aims Activities Structure Partners and networks Office</p><p>Volunteer Policy Recruitment process and confidentiality General volunteer roles and opportunities Translation work Training and supervision Expenses Health & safety and insurance Other relevant policies available on request</p><p>Appendix: Equal Opportunities Policy Ethical Policy INTRODUCTION TO BANANA LINK</p><p>Banana Link is a small and dynamic not-for-profit co- operative, founded in 1996 that campaigns for a fair and sustainable banana and pineapple trade. We work in close partnership with Latin American and West African banana and pineapple workers’ trade unions, small Caribbean farmers’ cooperatives and civil society organisations in Europe and the U.S. Bananas and pineapples are symbolic of the wide range of injustices present in international trade today, including suppression of labour rights, widespread environmental degradation and the inordinate power of transnational corporations.</p><p>Aims Banana Link works to achieve fair and sustainable production and trade in bananas, pineapples and related crops that will:  alleviate poverty;  benefit the livelihoods and health of small-scale producers and agricultural workers; and  reduce environmental degradation that results from polluting cultivation practices.</p><p>Activities Our main areas of work are:  raising awareness about the social, economic and environmental conditions of banana and pineapple production and trade to mobilise action by consumers, NGOs and trades unions;  building and strengthening alliances and solidarity between producer and consumer countries, particularly with small-scale farmers' organisations in the Caribbean and banana workers' trade unions in Latin America, and civil society organisations in Europe and North America;  promoting sustainable production and trade practices, and their integration into international policy-making;  facilitating fair trade with marginalised banana producers and encouraging suppliers and retailers to comply with minimum social and environmental standards whilst seeking constant improvement;  monitoring and verifying social and environmental standards in banana production to influence international fair trade labelling and ethical trade movements.</p><p>Structure We have a small team of staff here at Banana Link, which reports to and is guided by a Board of Directors (Management Committee). The National Coordinator (Jacqui Mackay), Finance Manager (Helen Mian), and Communications Officer work in the Norwich office. The International Coordinator (Alistair Smith), Policy Analyst (Iain Farquhar), Education and Solidarity officer (Julie Porter) and Translation Coordinator (Romina Oliveira) work remotely. All staff work part-time. </p><p>2 Once every three months, the Management Committee meet to discuss Banana Link’s work and to make decisions about future projects and the running of the organisation.</p><p>Communications and Translation officers</p><p>Partners and networks The nature of Banana Link’s work means that we collaborate with partner organisations across the world. Many of these are banana plantation workers’ trade unions, and small farmer cooperatives. In particular, we work in close partnership with COLSIBA (the Coordination of Latin American Banana Workers' Unions), WINFA (the Association of Caribbean Farmers), GAWU (General Agricultural Workers Union) in Ghana and FAWU (Food and Allied Workers) in Cameroon. We link up with trade unions in the UK in order to facilitate the sharing of experiences and knowledge between our Latin American and West African partners and build up solidarity along the banana supply chain including the GMB Britain's third biggest union, who support the organising and training of members of Costa Rican trade union SITRAP. We lead the Make Fruit Fair Campaigns, details for which can be found on our website http://www.makefruitfair.org.uk. And in North America, we work closely with US LEAP - US Education for Labour in the Americas Project. Banana Link is one of a group of CSOs that helped to create the World Banana Forum, a multi- stakeholder initiative dreamt of since our establishment in 1996. We are a key member of the European Banana Action Network (EUROBAN), an international network of European non-governmental organisations and trade unions committed to the fundamental rights and needs of banana workers, small farmers and the environment. Finally, we are a charity stakeholder in the Fairtrade Foundation, and belong to coalitions working for social justice that include The UK Food Group, Tescopoly, The Trade Justice Movement, and SOLIDAR. </p><p>3 Office Our office is based at 42-58 St George’s Street, Norwich NR3 1AB - above the Playhouse Theatre. Our office is open from Monday to Friday. </p><p>VOLUNTEER POLICY Volunteers are integrated into many levels of Banana Link’s work and are vital in helping us fulfil our aims. As well as enabling us to deliver on many aspects of our work, the benefits to be gained from volunteering include:  an insight into the operation of a non-governmental organisation,  a chance to learn about the social and environmental impacts of international trade, and  an opportunity to develop your practical and interpersonal skills. The purpose of this volunteer policy is to:  clarify what volunteers can expect from Banana Link,  set out the responsibilities of staff in working with volunteers, and  highlight other Banana Link policies relevant to volunteers. We are always seeking to improve how we work with volunteers and so we would be grateful for any feedback about this policy or any aspect of our work with volunteers. Either speak to the Translation Coordinator (Romina Oliveira) in person, or send an email to [email protected]. </p><p>Recruitment process and confidentiality The process is sometimes more informal, but generally the stages are as follows:  Fill in a simple form outlining interests, skills and availability and providing details of someone who can provide a reference.  If there is a suitable volunteer opportunity, you will be invited to come along for an informal interview to talk this through further.  Subject satisfactory references being received, you will be invited to take up your volunteer role.  For translation volunteers only – you will be sent a simple test document so we can get an idea of the level of your language skills.  Sign a volunteer agreement setting out the expectations – both ways. All application data will be kept securely and treated confidentially. </p><p>General volunteer tasks and opportunities While we ask all office based volunteers to take on some admin tasks, we try, where possible, to also offer opportunities that match with the interests and aspirations of volunteers. As well as helping out with day to day work, there are a number of areas of project work you can get involved with – depending how much time you are able to commit. There are also ongoing volunteer tasks, and having regular volunteers to take on specific responsibilities is a huge help. </p><p>4 Voluntary work is generally done from our office on a weekly or fortnightly basis, but some tasks, and in particular translation work, can be undertaken from home if this is easier for you. Some volunteers do a combination of both working from home and coming into the office. It is helpful for us to have a clear idea about what kind of commitment you can offer – however small or infrequent – so we can plan our work and your input effectively. We appreciate whatever help you can give us, and you will always receive a warm welcome at the Banana Link office. Less regular volunteer tasks, for example helping with events, are put out via our volunteer email list. The following is not a definitive list, but will give you some idea of the sort of tasks you could help with. Administration and IT  general office tasks such as stuffing envelopes for mailings  website and computer maintenance  updating Banana Link’s mailing lists  responding to resource requests by packing up and sending out Banana Link materials Communications  compiling and designing online newsletters  updating leaflets and webpages  writing funding applications and coming up with new fundraising ideas  updating our Facebook and Twitter accounts Events  raising funds through Banana Link’s involvement with the Workers Beer Company who employ volunteers to work behind the bars at summer music festivals around the country,  representing Banana Link and setting up and staffing information stalls at events such as trade union and fair trade conferences, street carnivals, volunteering fairs  giving presentations about Banana Link (with training) at conferences, workshops and schools Research  web-based research on issues related to banana and pineapple production, ranging from pesticides to minimum wages</p><p>Translation work Banana Link’s international reach means that we are constantly working with partners in different parts of the world. As well as running a bi-lingual website (English and Spanish), the effectiveness of our work depends on being able to translate documents from and into Spanish and, increasingly, from and into French as well. We rely almost exclusively on volunteers for this work. The following is an outline of the ongoing tasks and project work for our team of volunteer translators. Coordinating and proofing translation work  working on translation projects independently or other volunteers  updating the vocabulary and acronym dictionaries for translators</p><p>5  proofing English to Spanish to English documents  proofing English to French to English documents Regular translation projects  quarterly Union to Union newsletter: English to Spanish  quarterly Make Fruit Fair newsletter: English to Spanish  new Banana Link website: English to Spanish  World Banana Forum communications: English/Spanish/French  communications with partners in Latin America and West Africa: English/Spanish/ French Website  translating and uploading news stories on Banana Link website: English to Spanish  translating and uploading news stories on Make Fruit Fair website: English to Spanish  translating changes to website content: English to Spanish Facebook  developing Spanish Facebook page  liaising with Spanish speaking partners to engage them on Facebook</p><p>Training and supervision We will explain the standards we expect for our services and encourage and support you to help us achieve and maintain them. We will also provide a named person who will act as your point of contact – to meet with you regularly to discuss your volunteering, and any successes and problems, and to help you develop your role with us. Training and induction is largely offered ‘on the job’ – you will learn as you go. Some IT training is offered to enable you to do specific tasks, for example:  website management – Drupal – for Banana Link and Make Fruit Fair sites  Banana Link archive management  Banana Link Facebook account management</p><p>Expenses We undertake to repay the following expenses:  travel to and from home to Banana Link office  lunch allowance of up to £4 when working 4 hours or more  travel and meal allowance when attending events on behalf of Banana Link</p><p>Health & safety and insurance Volunteers are covered by our Employers’ Liability insurance cover. A detailed Health & Safety Policy is available on request. The key points are: 1. The day-to-day responsibility for ensuring health and safety procedures are followed falls to the Communications Officer (Clementine Florence).</p><p>6 2. The First Aid box is green and is kept above the photocopier in the Banana Link office. 3. Accidents should be reported to the Communications Officer and recorded in the Accident Book which is kept in the First Aid box. 4. In case of a fire, all persons should evacuate the building through the nearest Fire Exit. 5. Much of the office-based work involves using computers. Care should be taken to ensure regular breaks are taken away from computers (to avoid eye strain), and that seating and desk space arrangements are comfortable.</p><p>Other policies available on request  Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures  Health & Safety policy</p><p>Banana Link – working towards a fair and sustainable banana and pineapple trade 01603 765670 [email protected] www.bananalink.org.uk Registered company number: 3144239</p><p>7 Banana Link Equal Opportunities monitoring form</p><p>Banana Link is committed to the principle of equal opportunities and strives to be an equal opportunity employer. In order to ensure the continued development of this policy, Banana Link asks all applicants to complete the details below. This information, which will be used solely for monitoring purposes, will be treated as confidential and will be separated from your application on receipt and before any consideration of candidates takes place. </p><p>Completion is entirely voluntary and is not required for consideration for employment.</p><p>Post applied for: ……………………….………………………………………………….</p><p>Where did you see the post advertised: ………………..……………………………………….</p><p>I would describe my ethnic origins as: (Place a tick or highlight the relevant category in BOLD)</p><p>White Black or Black British British Caribbean Irish Africa Any other White background Any other Black background Please write below Please write below</p><p>…………………………………………… ……………………………………………</p><p>Mixed Asian or Asian British White and black Caribbean Indian White and black African Pakistani White and Asian Bangladeshi Any other mixed background Any other Asian background Please write below Please write below</p><p>………………………………………….… …………………………………………</p><p>Other ethnic group Chinese Latin American Any other Please write below</p><p>……………………………………………</p><p>My sex is: MALE / FEMALE</p><p>Do you consider yourself Disabled? YES / NO</p><p>Age: …………………………………………………. Date: …………... ………………….</p><p>8 Thank you for your co-operation.</p><p>Ethical Policy DATE APPROVED 30 July 2014 REVIEW DATE The next Management Committee after July 2015 ______Banana Link recognises that its actions can have an impact on the lives of tropical fruit plantation workers and small farmers as well as those in other industries. In addition, as a solidarity organisation promoting responsible corporate behaviour of other companies, Banana Link recognises its responsibility to ensure its own practices are socially and environmentally responsible.</p><p>This may require Banana Link to invest more resources and staff time to fulfilling its ethical policy, and commit to doing this where financially possible. As a small organisation with limited budget, a balance needs to be struck between acting in a manner consistent with our values and ensuring we have the financial, technical and human resources to fulfil our organisational aims effectively.</p><p>This policy aims to set guidelines and minimum standards to ensure that this balance is reached in the everyday functioning of Banana Link.</p><p>Travel Close collaboration with partners in producer countries and participation in national and international networks requires effective communication and the development of personal relationships through some degree of face-to-face contact. Outreach work too necessitates travel to the location of target groups. While recognising this, Banana Link staff should seek to keep the total amount of travelling to a minimum, and to eliminate air travel wherever possible. Banana Link also recognises the need for staff to take into consideration time away from home and personal safety issues when planning travel for work. The following guidelines aim to empower staff when considering potential journeys.</p><p>1. Before committing to attend any event or meeting that requires intercity or international travel, staff should fully consider: a) whether the event will help Banana Link achieve its aims and objectives. b) possibilities for replacing meetings with other forms of communication such as Skype or phone conferencing. c) options for staff located closer to the meeting or event to attend in their place. d) whether or not attendance is justified if neither b) nor c) is feasible. 2. Travelling to and/or from a meeting or event by air within Europe may not be considered unless one of the following criteria is met: a) train or coach travel would cost significantly more than budgeted travel expenditure. b) the travel time required would not be justifiable in terms of staff time budgeted for the activity/project. c) the time away from home would have a negative impact on wellbeing or other responsibilities i.e. family.</p><p>9 3. When planning travel staff should where possible try and coordinate other events in the same location to make the most of the travel undertaken and time spent away from home.</p><p>4. Staff should aim to book travel as early as possible to ensure that the most competitive travel tickets are available.</p><p>5. When air travel is necessitated companies offering carbon offsetting will be chosen or donations will be made to carbon offsetting initiatives.</p><p>6. Staff will record all their travel noting the location and type of transportation used through their expenses claim forms or invoices for travel.</p><p>7. Car use should only be considered as an option for UK travel when the person travelling is carrying heavy or bulky items, or if no other form of transport is available to get to within a reasonable distance of the destination.</p><p>Ethical Procurement BL exists to promote responsible corporate behaviour, and we will therefore seek to source products and services in a way that promotes sustainable production and trade.</p><p>1. All quotes for products will be compared on the basis of their environmental and social impact and this will be given highest priority in sourcing.</p><p>2. Where possible, we will aim to use products and services that meet at least one of the following criteria: a) are locally-sourced. b) are supplied by local businesses. c) are supplied by businesses with a social or environmental aim, social enterprises, or companies from the trade union or co-operative movements. d) are second-hand where appropriate. e) are recommended by Ethical Consumer where appropriate. f) take into account active campaign recommendations (e.g. electronics campaign).</p><p>3. Where BL sources garments, suppliers must meet all provisions of the CCC model code, including credible independent verification of working conditions, and membership of a multi-stakeholder initiative if appropriate. The manufacturing workforce should be organised into a trade union or cooperative..</p><p>4. Organic, fair trade and recycled products shall be bought where available and not prohibitively expensive.</p><p>5. Plastics (other than recycled) and polystyrene will be avoided unless absolutely necessary.</p><p>10 6. A brief letter outlining BL's concerns about working conditions in the manufacturing process will be sent out to relevant companies that BL purchases from. Information technology BL supports the open source movement as a means of promoting wider access to technology, safeguarding knowledge for the collective benefit, spending our own resources more effectively, and challenging the dominance of corporate monopolies. We also aim to maximise our productivity and professionalism. In order to do both: 1. BL will work towards the use of open source operating systems and software wherever possible, which includes our websites (server, Content-Management System, etc.).</p><p>2. Job descriptions should state as “desirable” familiarity with open source software, and new staff without this familiarity should receive comprehensive training as part of their induction.</p><p>3. All volunteers should receive basic training in open source software as needed. </p><p>4. BL will work towards a website that is accessible for all users as possible, using Web Content Accessibility 1.0 Guidelines (http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/wai- pageauth.pdf). Energy use Many of BL's key stakeholders in the South will be severely affected by climate change. It is therefore imperative that we minimise our carbon footprint:</p><p>1. All plugged electrical equipment should be switched off at the wall socket when not in use.</p><p>2. All lights will be switched off when not in use, including leaving the room for short times.</p><p>3. All office light bulbs will be energy saving (where possible).</p><p>4. Computers will be set so that they will go to stand-by within five minutes of non-use and will switch off completely if not used within 15 minutes.</p><p>5. We will work to ensure that our offices are run on green electricity tariffs.</p><p>6. Heating and cooling should be at the minimum needed in order to maintain a comfortable working environment.</p><p>7. We will conduct an energy audit of office premises to inform any other possible energy reducing activity. </p><p>Reduction, re-use and recycling of paper BL aims to minimise its environmental impact, while striving to maximise productivity and professionalism. The following protocols should ensure this:</p><p>11 1. Where feasible, documents should be read and stored electronically rather than as paper copies. Office systems should be designed to maximise the amount of work that can be conducted electronically and minimise the amount of paper used.</p><p>2. All paper will be printed on both sides of the page.</p><p>3. All waste office paper will be recycled after use.</p><p>4. Staff are encouraged to print all internal documents two sheets to one page and on both sides of the paper. Appropriate printer drivers should be installed to ensure this is possible.</p><p>5. Where appropriate, envelopes and other stationery will be re-used.</p><p>6. All office paper should be unbleached and recycled and where not available or inappropriate, from sustainably managed sources.</p><p>7. All mass printing will be printed on recycled or sourced from sustainably managed forest paper with water based inks. Public communication of our ethical policy BL aims to set a standard for other organisations to follow, and to demonstrate that an organisation can function sustainably without compromising its effectiveness. To that end:</p><p>1. This policy should be placed on the BL website.</p><p>2. Wherever possible, documents for external consumption should contain an ethical statement, for example, “Printed on recycled paper using water-based inks. Written in open source software on computers powered by green electricity.”</p><p>3. Publications should be licensed under the Creative Commons License. www.creativecommons.org</p><p>4. Documents circulated externally (including online) should be tested for accessibility in open source applications, for example OpenOffice, open source PDF readers, and Firefox.</p><p>5. A statement on implementation of this policy will be included in the BL annual report.</p><p>6. BL will strive to develop targets to record our performance relating to this policy.</p><p>Policy implementation and review</p><p>1. All staff have a responsibility to ensure this policy is implemented in their work and in their workplace.</p><p>12 2. This policy will be reviewed annually by the BL Management Committee.</p><p>13</p>