Watchdog Says Central Romana Still Abuses Workers After 2022 U.S. Sugar Ban Was Lifted
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 18
Watchdog Says Central Romana Still Abuses Workers After 2022 U.S. Sugar Ban Was Lifted
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 18
Summary
Corporate Accountability Lab said Tuesday that abusive conditions persist at Central Romana’s Dominican sugar plantations, weeks after the Trump administration lifted a U.S. import block tied to forced-labor concerns.
More than 100 worker interviews across five visits found poverty wages, excessive overtime, intimidation by supervisors, and overcrowded company housing that in some cases lacked electricity and potable water.
The findings suggest many of the conditions behind the 2022 U.S. ban on Central Romana sugar were not fixed before shipments to the United States resumed.
Central Romana’s owner, José "Pepe" Fanjul, has close ties to Trump through 2024 campaign and White House ballroom donations, adding to scrutiny over whether politics influenced the reversal.