The Clean Clothes Campaign is very pleased to report that garment workers at the Gina Form Bra Co. have reached an agreement in the dispute at this factory that produces for such major brands as Victoria's Secret, Gap, and Kmart. Gina Form management had been involved in the harassment and intimidation of union members and illegal lay-offs and firings of union leaders since 2001.

At the end of 2002, a call for help reached the CCC. Management of the factory apparently repressed the independent Gina Relations Worker Union (GRWU), unlawfully fired union leaders and workers and refused to recognize the GRWU and the workers' rights to bargain collectively. An international appeal was launched, in cooperation with TIE Asia and the Thailand Centre for Labour Rights, to pressure the sourcing brands, the Thailand government and factory management into taking responsibility and positive action to put an end to these violations. Almost two years of persistent writing and campaigning by organizations and individuals from the CCC European network and their global partners from amongst others Canada, Thailand and the United States, resulted in this victory for worker's rights and international solidarity.

A collective bargaining agreement was signed between the GRWU and Gina Form Bra management after an eight-hour bargaining session, mediated by a conciliator from the Thai Ministry of Labour. Phil Robertson, of the Solidarity Centre - Thailand, spoke with the President and Deputy President of the GRWU on July 9th, and with their advisor from the Thailand Centre for Labour Rights (TLR) about this important victory. Robertson reports that they were very happy, and appreciative of all the solidarity support they have received over this long struggle from the many trade unions and NGOs overseas.

The sacrifices, struggle, and bravery of the GRWU leaders and their membershas paid off, and they couldn't have done it without the generous aid of many people. The CCC thanks all those who responded to our appeal for action on this case. The letters they have been sending to Gina Form clients and management since December 2002 and up until this agreement was reached have helped make this victory happen, and were crucial in the process of making the brands and factory take responsibility for the labor conditions in which the clothes are made. A joint statement between the company and the GRWU was signed on July 9th, in both English and Thai, and is being distributed by the company to its customers.

Basically, almost all the key issues that the union wanted have been achieved. It is a resounding victory for workers' rights in Thailand, and a historic case in the Thai labor movement that will be a future example of the effectiveness of international solidarity, when combined with tenacious and courageous labor leaders who maintain unity in the face of tremendous anti-union pressures.

The latest information available from Thailand in late September continues to be positive. All the court cases against the Gina Relations Worker Union committee and members had been withdrawn by management, and the 37 union members who were the subject of court cases had been paid in accordance with the decision of the Labour Relations Committee, and reinstated. All 37 are back at work in their former positions in the factory.

Production at the factory is back to normal - forced leave ended as of the end of August, and orders (mostly from Victoria's Secret/The Limited) are in production in the factory. For the time being, management is not causing any problems for the union or its members, and the "yellow" Gina Ruamjai Union, used during the struggle to create an obstacle to GRWU organizing, has continued to decline, and no longer poses any sort of credible threat to the GRWU.

This is a great example of how these campaigns and their volunteers actually do make a difference.