This research analyses Heineken’s business operations in Ghana, and is the first study on this
company conducted in the context of the FNV Company Monitor project. It should be emphasised
that, at present, Heineken only has a minority share in the operations in Ghana. Until 2004,
Ghana Breweries Limited (GBL) formed part of Heineken. However, in December 2004, GBL
merged with Guinness Ghana Limited (GGL), which was owned by Diageo, to form Guinness
Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL). Heineken now has a 20% stake in the merged company, and
Diageo owns 50.5%. As Heineken operates in many countries through such minority participation,
it would be relevant to study these as well, and it was therefore decided to proceed with the study
of Heineken’s operations in Ghana. Throughout the report, ’GBL’ and ‘GGL’ sometimes refers to
the sites previously comprising the separate companies GBL and GGL.
Heineken’s corporate management in The Netherlands was contacted from the outset of the
research to ensure the company’s co-operation. Subsequently a detailed research proposal was
designed for the research in Ghana, including a comprehensive questionnaire for management
and workers. The questions addressed a variety of issues including the company’s general
characteristics; its stance towards corporate social responsibility (CSR); CSR related policies and
standards; labour relations; working conditions; supply chain issues etc. The research plan also
included site visits and meetings with representatives of the company’s management, workers
and the unions.
A number of letters were sent and repeated phone calls were made to Corporate and Human
Resources Directors at the company’s headquarters in Accra, the managers of the main plants in
Accra, Ahensan and Kaasi (in Kumasi, Ashanti region). The letters included copies of the
communications with the Dutch headquarters. Initially the company did not respond to these
requests.
Therefore the draft research report was largely based on information and documents provided by
the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) in Accra, including copies of the collective
bargaining agreements, annual reports and a other documents relating to the company’s
operations. Information on CSR related issues was obtained from the internet. In addition, with
the help of national and local union leaders, interviews were conducted with workers and union
representatives at the Ahesan and Kaasi plants. Local union leaders participated in a group
discussion after working hours. The researchers also met with representatives of the communities
that “own” the land of the Kaasi and Ashanti plants. After the first draft report had been submitted
to the company for comments, the management also started to co-operate on the research. The
researchers met with management representatives who provided feedback to the draft report.
The management later explained that the researchers had originally approached them during the
peak production season, which did not facilitate their co-operation to the study.