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| July 2010 Edition | ||||
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Dear NikeWatch Supporter, This July we encourage you to increase your impact by sharing our campaign actions through out your own networks. We report how the adidas campaign is faring across Europe. We introduce Exchange for Change, a festival looking at the fashion industry and celebrate the launch of an exciting new labour friendly label. We invite you to support the rights of Turkish leather workers, investigate challenges faced by Indonesian migrant workers and take stock of a sobering global report on workers’ rights. |
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| Adidas campaign gains momentum | |
Last month, as world cup final fever spread across the world, the adidas:stop wearing us out campaign also went global. Oxfam Australia and Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) allies from Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK delivered almost 1000 of your messages to adidas. The message was loud and clear: adidas needs to demonstrate a genuine commitment to freedom of association by fulfilling its promise to support the employment opportunities of unfairly dismissed union leaders. In the past month we have received an additional 1,300 letters, while CCC has also reported a strong response from its European supporter base. Help keep the pressure up by sharing the action with your friends. You can also send a direct message to support unemployed union leaders. |
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| Exchange for Change 29-31 July | |
Exchange for Change is a three day festival which will explore the questions: What are our clothes made of? Who makes them? Under what conditions? The free event features one of Sydney’s largest clothing swaps and an expo of designers who are trying to create fairer and more environmentally friendly fashion. The festival also includes a range of talks, sustainable design workshops and creative opportunities for labour rights activism. Presenters include FairWear, the Social Studio and Ethical Clothing Australia. The event takes place from 29-31 of July at CarriageWorks in Sydney. | |
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| Garment workers launch labour friendly label! | |
Cooperatives made up of laid-off workers in Thailand and Argentina have collaborated to create a new labour friendly label known as ‘No Chains’. The clothing line features graphic design t-shirts and aims to both raise awareness on the exploitation of garment workers while demonstrating the possibility of fairer and more co-operative fashion business. |
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| Support workers’ rights at Prada supplier | |
The DESA leather factory, which supplies luxury brands including Prada, Mulberry, Marks and Spencer, has a history of poor practice regarding the treatment of its workers. Workers at the factory have contended with excessive overtime (up to 36-40 hours without a break), denial of leave entitlements, as well as poor sanitation and working conditions. When workers have organised to voice their concerns, they have faced harassment and even dismissal. In 2009, under mounting international pressure, factory management signed a protocol pledging to reinstate unfairly dismissed workers and to respect workers’ right to organise. Yet almost a year later factory employees report that DESA has not met its commitments – instead workers claim that repression has intensified. |
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| The Challenge of protecting migrant worker rights | |
Union organisation within Indonesia is challenging enough, so spare a thought for the estimated 6 million Indonesian women employed as migrant workers in places like Hong-Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Middle East. Female migrant workers are vulnerable to abuse and stories of ill-treatment frequently feature in Indonesian media. For migrant workers, lack of union connections, absence of community networks as well as language and cultural barriers present persistent obstacles to organising. |
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| Workers rights survey reveals sobering results | |
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) 2009 report reveals growing pressure on fundamental workers’ rights against a background of the global financial crisis. The survey shows a dramatic increase in the number of trade unionists murdered (30% more than in 2008). In just one incident, six Bangladeshi garment workers on strike for a pay increase and settlement of outstanding wages died after a police intervention. |
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