This album is a work of resilience and solidarity.
The songs and interviews were recorded by members of the "Perfection 12", a group of union women who are fighting back after surviving sexual violence in the glasshouses of Perfection Fresh.
TRACKLIST
LYRICS
Bread and Roses / Bret Mo Roses (cover)
Heat of the sun / Sun I Bonem Mi (cover - Marcelina Mete)
My God / God Blo Mi (cover)
It is Well / Hemi Oraet (cover)
MUSIC VID
THE BACKSTORY
Who are the "Perfection 12"?
The “Perfection 12” are the group of 12 women, who have taken Perfection Fresh to the Federal Court of Australia after repeated sexual harassment and abuses of power.
Perfection Fresh is a key supplier of tomatoes and mini-cucumbers to Coles and Woolworths, and failed in its legal duty to ensure a safe workplace for women.
Now, with the backing of their union, United Workers Union, the Perfection 12 are fighting for justice.
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?
The Perfection 12 want all of the 10,000 workers in Perfection Fresh’s supply chain to have:
– job security;
– access to the union from their very first day;
– and for their leaders to be able to speak out without retaliation on union issues.
The women believe that these are significant steps the company can take to stop sexual harassment and assaults from occurring at Perfection Fresh.
One way to support the women in their fight, is to get this album in the ears of as many people as possible. The more people who reach out to Coles and Woolies, the more likely they will be to force their supplier to act.
THE MAKING OF
On the island of Efate, Vanuatu, members of the Perfection 12 recorded an album: Bread and Roses.
Unable to reveal themselves publicly, yet still wishing to tell people about their fight for justice, the women decided on music as a means. From the pain of being cut off from family, to the strength they drew from unionising, each track marks a point in their journey.
The studio was called Era Kehto. Its thatched roof was patched up with tarpaulin, damaged by a cyclone earlier in the year. Despite the humidity and a lack of airconditioning, the door remained shut, as the rural property was also home to vocal farm animals.
Four songs were selected, all of which are covers. The title track, Bread and Roses (Bret Mo Roses), is an old union song, which the women adapted to reflect their own fight for respect.
Sun I Bonem Mi (Heat of the Sun) was originally sung by another farm worker, Marcelina Mete, about the sacrifices that seasonal workers make for their families.
Sun I Bonem Mi features a verse about the border closures of the pandemic. Many farm workers, including the Perfection 12, were cut off from their families and communities for years.
Both God Blo Mi (My God) and Hemi Oraet (It is Well) are religious songs, speaking to the power of their spirituality and the cultural importance of Christianity in Vanuatu.
Other than the title track, all of the songs are either in part or wholly sung in the language of Vanuatu, Bislama. The final track, Hemi Oraet, celebrates the indigenous languages of two of Vanuatu’s islands, Ambae and Malo.
The album also features interludes – interviews with each of the women, spliced and mixed, their voices altered. These tracks break up the music and help to map the women’s journeys.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
RAISE YOUR CONCERNS WITH THE BIG SUPERMARKETS.
These women were harassed while working on farms that supply Coles, Woolworth & Aldi supermarkets with fresh produce.
Orders from the big supermarkets keep companies like Perfection Fresh in business. Coles, Woolworths & Aldi have huge power over their supply chain – and should use it to hold their suppliers to account & demand those companies make changes to better protect workers.
RESOURCES
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD:
STAND WITH THE PERFECTION 12.
sign up for updates on the progress of the album, the campaign, and the federal court case.
Authorised by C. Cinanni, United Workers Union, 833 Bourke St, Docklands, VIC 3008.