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Fighting Against the Global Sweatshop
Economy 1470 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010 202-232-5002, [email protected] |
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Gina Workers in Thailand Have Won but Need Your Help One More Time1400 sweatshop workers in Thailand --1100 of whom are women producing for The Gap, Victoria's Secret, The Limited, and Banana Republic--recently won a resounding victory! Your support – through letters and faxes to the corporations involved – helped make this happen! Thank you for assisting in this crucial struggle for workers’ rights! After a three year struggle, on July 10, the Gina Relations Worker Union (GRWU) concluded a new collective bargaining agreement that granted all its key demands. The agreement reinstated 38 union members who were fired over a year ago and secured recognition for the union and a commitment to adhere strictly to labor laws. The workers also improved their monetary benefits. BUT THE STRUGGLE IS NOT OVER YET! The union is asking once again for international support. As of July 16, 90% of the workers were still not back at work because the factories are saying that they haven’t yet received any orders from the US corporations. TAKE ACTION!Call or write Gap, the Limited and Victoria’s Secret and ask them: WHERE ARE THE ORDERS? BACKGROUNDWhile there was a great deal of happiness & satisfaction with the collective bargaining agreement, which was an achievement that the Gina Relations Worker Union (GRWU) committee is immensely proud about, that sense of victory is tempered by a big problem – that the Gina Form Bra management is still saying that there are no orders. The result is that management is STILL USING ARTICLE 75 leave (leave with 50% pay per the Labor Protection Act of 1998), and management has extended that status for the workers UNTIL AUGUST 4, 2003. This continues the use of Article 75 leave which began on June 23. So far there have been three separate Article 75 announcements covering June 23-30, July 1-15, and now July 16-August 4. According to the GRWU, more than 90% of the workers are STILL NOT BACK AT WORK – only workers in cutting & receiving, and some of the supervisors, are working regularly, and these people are called to come to work by management on a person by person basis. The big question is – ‘where are the orders?’ The GRWU wants to know whether Victoria’s Secret/The Limited, or GAP, or other customers have sent orders to the Gina factory or not. Where are the orders? Have orders been sent to the Clover Group in Hong Kong – what can GAP & The Limited say about this? If they have been sent, are they being diverted to Clover Group’s factories in other countries? There are rumors and reports that Gina orders may have been sent to two other intimate apparel factories in Thailand, one called Jintana, and the other called Intimate Fashion. The GRWU and its allies in Thailand are following up on this, and so is the Thai Ministry of Labor because if it is found that Gina management has been diverting orders to other factories, then they would be in clear violation of the ministerial regulations connected with Article 75, and could be ordered to pay the remaining 50% in pay for the period that workers have been put on this leave. On issues connected to the contract that was reached with management on July 9, the first test of good will by the employer will come on Friday, July 18, when there is a Labor Court date in the Gina management case seeking to fire the 5 union leaders. It is expected that the Gina management will formally withdraw the case at that time. Regarding the reinstatement of the 37 workers (3 union committee members, 34 members who were among the most active in the union), there will need to be a meeting between GRWU and management to figure out how much each of the workers will be paid under the Labor Relations Committee reinstatement order that management has now agreed to follow. This may take some time. These workers have been out of work for between 1 and 2 years, but all will be going back to work per the contract. TAKE ACTIONCall or write Gap, the Limited and Victoria’s Secret and ask them: 1) to start placing their orders with the Clover Group in Hong Kong; 2) to let you know if and when they have started placing their orders; 3) for their reassurance that these corporations won’t cut and run so as to moot the union’s victory. SAMPLE LETTERDear [Decision Maker], It has come to my attention that the workers at Gina Bra Form factory in Thailand, which [Company Name] sources from, have reached a collective bargaining agreement with management in the factory. This is great news, and I appreciate any support you gave in resolving the workers’ just demands. However, there are still some concerns. The sense of pride about the victory is being tempered by the claim by management that there have been no orders to the factory. This means that the workers at the factory are still not back to work and will not return until there is work for them. I urge you to start placing orders with the Clover Group in Hong Kong. Please send me information regarding if and when you start placing these orders. Finally, I ask for your reassurance that you will not cut and run so as to moot the workers’ victory. I look forward to hearing about the status of your orders and what other steps you are taking to address this situation. Sincerely, CONTACT INFORAMATIONLimited and Victoria’s Secret: The Gap and Banana Republic: Please also send copies of your letters and any responses you receive
to: Campaign for Labor Rights Substantially derived from information provided by Phil Robertson, Solidarity Center – Thailand, July 16, 2003 |
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| © 2003 Campaign for Labor Rights |
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