No Sweat

From the Guardian, Dec 3, 2008. Original article in response to our letter, plus response from TUC chief Brendan Barber to TUC General Council and affiliates.

Apparently, the TUC is thinking hard about who it books its facilities out to. We would still like to see the AGM blocked and a firm statement from the TUC urging Primark to clean up its act!

TUC in 'sweatshop labour' row over firm hiring congress hall

The TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, is refusing to back down over a decision to let out its congress hall this Friday to a British company whose suppliers are alleged to use sweatshop labour in Bangladesh to manufacture cheap T shirts.

On Nov 27 a labour court in Bangkok gave Body Fashion Thailand, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Triumph International, the green light in its effort to dismiss union president Jitra Kotshadej.

Please find below a new e-action asking the Co-op to support the supermarket watchdog Action Aid and others have been campaigning for. Please do send it yourself and pass on to others who would do the same.

Massacre in Chiapas & more...
Chinkultic Archaeological Site - On October 3, state police opened fire on unarmed indigenous residents of Miguel Hidalgo ejido, ultimately killing 6, injuring 17 and leaving 36 held in police custody.

A threadbare defence
Primark answered critics over its use of child labour by closing factories in India. But its PR worries aren't over yet
Ewa Jasiewicz

Five months after the Panorama child labour exposé, Primark has been caught with its trousers down – this time over a protest against the clothing company's participation in a major PR event.

In the run up to the Banlgadeshi Garment Workers Solidarity Tour, we take a look at the situation in Bangladesh and show how our solidarity can make all the difference.

Young workers in NZ take on the Clown. And he doesn't seem to like it.

British fast fashion giant PRIMARK was due to present on how it weathered the Panorama scandal which exposed the use of child labour in its' supply chains this summer. Unfortunately for them their boasts of having made the outcry go away were premature!

Not only are Primark holding their AGM in order to coincide with the Bangladeshi Garment Workers Solidarity Tour - but they are holding it at TUC headquarters!!!

Take action to support Turkish leatehr workers producing for Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry and others.

Here is the latest number of the General Workers Union (UGT) Brasil international newsletter, World UGT.

Read the PDF attachment for news from Brazil.

The workers at Body Fashion Thailand (BFT), Triumph International’s Thai subsidiary, are responsible for sewing the underwear and bras that bear Triumph’s name. They are proud of their work—and their union. So when their union president, Jitra Kotshadej, was unfairly dismissed in July, they went on strike to demand justice. While Ms. Kotshadej awaits a hearing of her case in court, members of the Triumph International Thailand Labour Union went back to work.

Workers at Oak Harbor Freight Lines in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, who deliver for GAP, went on strike more than a month ago and the response of the company has been brutal.

They've employed scabs, cut off health care to retirees, and bullied and intimidated striking workers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Walmart is telling its Chinese suppliers they have to repsect workers' rigths, including the right to organsie. Shame they don't do this in their own stores. Oh, and there's still the little question of who will pay for better wages and conditions. Walmart seem to think it must be someone else.

By Ann Zimmerman and Mei Fong, 23 October 2008, The Wall Street Journal Europe

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is hitting its Chinese suppliers with a slate of stringent environmental and safety mandates, just as the manufacturers face rising costs and dwindling demand for their products.

Triumph International Fails to Credibly Address the Violation of Basic
Human Rights at its Thai Subsidiary http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/08-09-23.htm

From July 30 to September 13 more than 2,000 workers were on strike to
demand reinstatement of their union president, Ms. Jitra Kotshadej, at
the Thai subsidiary of underwear giant Triumph International.

HONG KONG / MONTREAL – Sept. 24, 2008 – A large part of China's remarkable economic development has been achieved at the expense of the basic rights of millions of former state-owned enterprise workers, says a new report released today by the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin and Canada's International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, commonly known as Rights & Democracy.

From China Labour Bulletin:

Thanks to Richard and Andrew and to Andrew O'Neil and Team Mud and to everyone who came and made last week's No Sweat comedy fundraiser a fantastic night and raised over £1,000 to help us organise our annual gathering, coming up in December.

It was recorded by Andrew Collins and Richard Herring and their set is available as podcast in which they deliver our own sideways look at the news. Available at:

http://www.comedy.org.uk/podcasts/collingsherrin/

LabourBbehind the Label have just published Let's Clean Up Fashion 2008 update. You can download the pdf from http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/images/pdf/letscleanupfashion2008.pd...