What do we do to safeguard Porters working conditions?

To be a Porter for a western trekking group in the Third World may, to many of us, appear a thankless task with low pay and heavy toil. However, in many of the communities where we walk, a job as a Porter is seen as:

• Prestigious.
• Well paid in comparison with local rates.
• A stepping stone for more senior positions in the trekking work place.

Nevertheless understandably many western voices are concerned about exploitation of Porters and we are pleased to provide a written record of our policy on Porters, which is as follows:

1. We ask for a written assurance from local operators before confirming any contract that:

• Porters will be provided with appropriate clothing and footwear.
• Porters will be provided with insurance.
• We have confirmation that no Porter will be abandoned because of altitude sickness or illness.

2. We ask that our local operators provide opportunities for training for those Porters who wish to further their career and personal development.

3. We always ask our operators to ensure that equipment appropriate to each stage of each particular trek should be provided to Porters, including, for example; sleeping tents, protective clothing, carrying equipment and kerosene for their own use.

4. A maximum load of 30 kilos is set and Porters are not asked to carry more than this under normal circumstances. If Porters are permitted to carry above this weight on request, we ask that Porters must be remunerated accordingly.

The amount of trekkers’ luggage and equipment that Porters are expected to carry should take the weight of the Porters’ own personal loads into account.

Where younger workers are employed as Porters, the maximum weight of their loads is adjusted accordingly.

5. All clients are given a post-trek feedback form to complete, to include specific questions on Porters’ working conditions.

If points of variance from our policy are identified we will bring this to the attention of the operator concerned requesting written confirmation that this will not be repeated. If there is evidence that our instructions are not complied with, we will not longer use that operator.