Labour rights are often violated in the flower production around the equator although most of the countries have signed respective conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Among the most violated rights is freedom of association. Workers often face discrimination and repression when they join a trade union or when they want to organise themselves into a Union.

Most of the flower workers are women while the majority of the supervisors and managers are men. Women are often discriminated against. They don't have protective clothes while their male colleagues do. They don't get paid maternity leave. Many cases of sexual harassment are reported. Thus, the prohibition of discrimination is not respected or not enforced.

In general, flower workers are not well paid. Their salaries are not sufficient enough to feed a family, to pay school fees, to cover medical costs. Since many female workers are single mothers they only rely on that salary. Additionally, overtime is hardly paid adequately and workers don't enjoy job security. Thus, in general flower workers don't earn living wages.