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INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE, GARMENT AND LEATHER WORKERS'
FEDERATION
FOR THE PRESS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 9 2001
Triumph accused of double-speak over refusal
to quit Burma
Lingerie giant Triumph has been slammed over its refusal to pull
out of Burma following a campaign by unions and rights organisations
to urge the multinational to sever its links with the slave nation.
Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the Brussels-based International
Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation, today dismissed
as
double-speak a statement issued by the multinational defending its
position
not to close its Rangoon factory. In a letter to the head of Triumph
International Overseas, Gunther Spiesshofer, the ITGLWF rebutted
the
company s arguments, and warned that international pressure would
continue
to mount until Triumph pulls out of Burma.
"Triumph claims that it is not providing resources to members
of the
government, and is therefore not affected by the sanctions imposed
by the
Swiss government", says Kearney. "But in reality, the
army s tentacles
reach into all areas of foreign investment, and it is therefore
virtually
impossible for any foreign company to produce goods in Burma without
providing direct or indirect support to the regime".
"In the case of Triumph, the factory is located on an Industrial
Estate
rented from the Mingaladon military brigade, just north of Rangoon's
airport. The leasing arrangements are no doubt handled through the
Union of
Myanmar Economic Holdings (UMEH), a company which controls all investment
in the industry, and whose major shareholder is the department of
the
Ministry of Defense responsible for purchasing arms for the junta.
Then
there is the 5% tax levied on exports. But the full extent of the
army s
control over the industry is not known. For instance, in 1997, a
BBC report
filmed with a hidden camera showed workers being forced to pay half
their
daily wages to the army in order to keep their jobs".
Kearney points out that in November, the International Labour Organisation
(ILO) adopted a Resolution calling on other organisations, as well
as on
national governments and private companies, to review their relations
with
Burma, in order to ensure their relations do not serve to perpetuate
or
extend the widespread system of forced labour. "This Resolution
affects
Triumph", says Kearney. "The garment industry provides
support to the
military, mainly to its most senior members. And it is precisely
these
senior members who responsible for the massive forced labour problem
affecting the civilian population. In addition, the garment industry
relies
on the country s infrastructure, which is being built with forced
labour".
"And of course, as a member of EURATEX, Triumph subscribes
to the code of
conduct negotiated between EURATEX and the ETUC/TCL which prohibts
the use
of forced labour".
According to Triumph, the campaign is a purely a political one
aimed at a
private company. "This is disingenuous", counters the
international labour
leader: "Triumph is purposefully ignoring the fact that this
effort is
spearheaded by Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the
National
League for Democracy Party (NLD), who won 82% of the seats in 1990
elections".
Kearney scorns the company s claim that its sense of responsibility
to the
1,000 workers it employs prevents it from closing the factory. "The
company
s concern for its workers is touching", he comments. "But
what about the 13
million people living below subsistence levels and the 40% of children
suffering from malnutrition as a result of the junta s misrule ?
Or the two
million men, women and children pressed into forced labour on construction
projects or as porters in the army ? Or the 300,000 who have been
forced to
flee the country ? Or the 800,000 people displaced either by the
government
s relocation policy or because of fighting ? Or the 1,500 political
prisoners held behind bars in horrendous conditions and routinely
tortured ?
"The fate of a population of forty million people, condemned
to live in
poverty and fear by an odious regime, outweighs the limited benefits
afforded by 1,000 low-paid jobs. While the 1,000 workers who lose
their
jobs might suffer in the short-term, by hastening the regime s demise
the
move would provide longer-term benefits for them and their families.
Only a
transition to democracy will give these workers the fundamental
right to
form independent unions and to engage in collective bargaining".
Kearney suggests that the company s refusal to close its Burmese
factory
probably has more to do with the total lack of freedom in the country
than
its concern for the workers it employs. Workers are denied sometimes
at
gunpoint - the right to organise and bargain collectively. Not
surprisingly, conditions in the garment industry are appalling.
Working
hours in the industry are said to approach 60 hours a week. Average
shopfloor wages, said to be about 8 US cents an hour, are among
the lowest
in the world.
According to Triumph, parts of the political opposition in Burma
itself are
against a boycott, and Tin Htun Maung, a former member of parliament
and
politician of the opposition, says that "sanctions are only
damaging the
people".
"This is the regime s propaganda", retorts Kearney. "The
fact is the
military fears the withdrawal of investment and has reacted to the
ILO s
sanctions with a campaign of disinformation, including a open letter
from
the workers of Myanmar warning that the ILO s decision has jeopardized
the
livelihood of 18 million workers . In reality, the people will not
be hurt
by sanctions, because they are not being helped by investment. Foreign
investment only helps perpetuate the rule of a repressive, unelected
junta".
Triumph also claims that dialogue, not economic sanctions, is the
way to
embarrass a government into changing its policies. "Forced
labour has
existed for many decades in Burma. The ILO has exhausted itself
trying to
persuade the regime to respect fundamental freedoms, but to no avail.
The
generals have simply become very good at making cosmetic gestures
just
before they are due to receive important foreign delegations".
Concludes Kearney: "An international trade union conference
entitled
"Democracy for Burma and the ILO Resolution: Trade Unions in
support" held
in Tokyo last week resolved to keep up the pressure on multinationals
still
trading or investing in Burma. That includes Triumph. The company
should
know that pressure will not abate as long as it continues to support
the
illegal, corrupt and undemocratic regime in Rangoon".
-end-
The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation
is an
International Trade Secretariat bringing together 220 affiliated
organisations in 110 countries with a combined membership of 10
million
workers.
For more information, contact:
Neil Kearney, General Secretary, Neil Kearney
(General Secretary) at 32/2/512.2606 (office) or 32/475932487 (cell)
The full text of the ITGLWF s four-page letter to Triumph International
is
available on request.
--
Laura Carter
Assistant to the General Secretary (Policy)
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF)
708 3rd Street
Nelson BC V1L2R2
Canada
Tel/Fax: 1/250/354.2016
Brussels fax: 32/2/706.5423
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