Coffee and social protection: moving towards formalisation A workshop by the ILO and GIZ prompts reflection on how to improve social protection in the coffee sector this labour day

BOGOTA (ILO News) In Huila, the Regional Coffee Chain Committee, the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) opened an international exchange and dialogue space to jointly address one of the key challenges in the sector: social protection, a critical pathway towards labour formalisation.

The event provided an opportunity to share experiences with Gustavo Picado, Chief Financial Officer of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), who explained in detail their social security delivery model, known as the “collective insurance agreements”. This model, which complies with all nine ILO principles of social protection — including universality, adequacy, accessibility, equity, and participation — is tailored to the needs of both coffee producers and harvesters. The session aimed to identify lessons learned that could inspire progress in jointly developing social protection proposals for Colombia’s coffee sector, starting from the Huila region.

Picado emphasised:

This has been an inter-institutional effort. While it is true that social security matters fall under the purview of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, key stakeholders such as ICAFE and the Ministry of Finance — which contributes to the co-financing of this insurance scheme — along with the Ministry of Labour, have played essential roles. Thanks to this coordinated effort, more than 30,000 coffee harvesters have been enrolled in CCSS health insurance coverage for a fourth consecutive harvest season.”

The event was attended by representatives of key institutions, including the National Federation of Coffee Growers, the national and regional offices of the Ministry of Labour, CUT Huila, the Solidarity Unit, the Huila Territorial Office of the Ministry of Labour, Colpensiones Huila branch, SKN Caribecafé, NESPRESSO, the coffee workers’ union SINRECTRAGH, local producers, and other strategic actors across the coffee supply chain.

Why talk about social protection in the coffee sector?

According to a rapid assessment conducted by the ILO in 2022, 85% of Colombia’s coffee production takes place within the informal economy. This means that most coffee workers face daily challenges related to health, income, and overall wellbeing. Establishing a robust social protection system is essential to ensuring decent work and a dignified life for coffee workers and their families.

Martha Agudelo, National Project Coordinator for Social Protection at the ILO, noted:

During a person’s productive years, social protection becomes a fundamental tool to safeguard both the worker and their household. It is a key guarantee of decent work that all economic sectors should enjoy. This workshop, held with the coffee sector in Huila, represents a step forward a tripartite effort to bring together diverse actors to identify the right path towards greater formality, coverage and access to social protection systems.”

A proposal from the huila regional coffee committee

The Huila Regional Coffee Chain Committee presented a proposal aimed at making the dream of coffee growers a reality: having a system in place to protect themselves and their families. The proposal was introduced by Nancy Casas Montilla, a representative of the Regional Committee, and Yader Goyeneche, a committee member from the export segment.

This proposal was submitted to a working group made up of representatives from the private sector, government, workers’ organisations, and members from all segments of the coffee value chain from production to transformation, marketing and export. The aim was to foster a tripartite discussion on the feasibility of the proposal as a long-term strategy.

Through the joint ILO–GIZ initiative Systemic strengthening of the coffee supply chain, efforts will continue to promote spaces for social dialogue and foster inter-institutional coordination in support of actions that improve working conditions and quality of life for more than 548,000 coffee-growing families across Colombia.

And this 1st of May, we highlight the voices of those who participated in this important gathering.