Category: Labour rights

Original Marines is facing international criticism for its ongoing failure to respect and uphold the rights of women and men making its products in Indonesia. Although the iconic Italian company claims to have ‘always helped families’, this has not been the experience of the families of workers who lost their jobs trying to improve working […] Read more »

The other morning I spoke with some villagers who live in the district surrounding the Ching Luh factory. They told me about a local hustler who promotes factory recruitment. Potential applicants are asked for money ranging from 2-2.5 million rupiah (equivalent to two months of a factory workers’ full time wage). The hustler demanded upfront […] Read more »

Whether it’s through longer working hours, higher production targets, shorter contracts or leaner real wages, too often global brands race to the bottom when it comes to the rights of workers making their products.But on the eve of the 2012 Olympics in London, many are convinced that global brands can do better. Campus groups around […] Read more »

While our athletes prepare to go for gold at the London Olympics, the workers who make the clothes they wear are being forced to work excessive hours for poverty-level wages, a recent report has found. Oxfam is calling on the Australian Government to ensure workers who produce sportswear for Australia’s Olympic athletes are treated fairly. […] Read more »

Nestle claims to endorse the pure life, but dirty practices continue at the factories that produce its products Almost 10,000 people have joined the campaign to get Nestle to respect trade union rights in Indonesia. The IUF began the online campaign after 53 union members at the company’s factory in Panjang, Indonesia were fired as […] Read more »

The Make IT Fair campaign, together with GoodElectronics, is putting the pressure on big IT companies like Apple and Samsung to give a fair deal to the people that make their products. Apple is now the world’s largest corporation, valued at more than half a trillion US dollars. Workers in factories that manufacture Apple products, […] Read more »

Phillips Van Heusen Corporation (PVH) who owns both Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein has signed a historic agreement to protect Bangladeshi garment workers from dangerous working conditions. PVH, one of the largest apparel sourcing companies acting in Bangladesh, has faced much criticism in the past for failing to act in response to numerous fatal factory […] Read more »

The International Labour Rights Forum (ILRF) has released its latest Working for scrooge report, which exposes companies with some of the worst records on respecting freedom of association in 2011. Four companies were singled out for individual scrutiny because of their poor labour practices. Culprits include the world’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable producer, Dole […] Read more »

A living wage is increasingly acknowledged as  a fundamental right for workers throughout the world. But in a world of finite resources and slowing economic growth, the question remains of what might need to change to allow low-waged workers to obtain a fairer share of pie. Many believe that the answer may lie in examining the opposite spectrum […] Read more »

The region’s first Freedom of Association Protocol is showing promising signs for factory workers in Indonesia. Read more »