In 2002, 207 workers at the North Sails factory in Sri
Lanka were dismissed because they had gone on strike to
protest against management's refusal to pay their annual
quality bonus. Since their wages are extremely low, the
workers needed these "bonus-es" to survive. Now,
three years later, these workers are still unemployed.
North Sails, which produces sails and sailing garments,
is now known as Global Sports Lanka (GSL), following its
sale to the Swiss company Global Sports Technologies. A
"memorandum of understanding" outlining a process
to resolve the dispute was signed by GSL management in 2003.
However, they ultimately did not act in good faith and in
the CCC's view failed to follow the spirit of the agreement.
Despite repeated attempts by the FTZ&GSEU (Free Trade
Zone & General Services Union) in Sri Lanka the situation
remained unresolved.
So, in 2004, the CCC re-launched an international campaign
to urge Global Sports Technologies to pressure local management
to resolve the dispute. CCC called upon GSL either to reinstate
the dismissed workers or, at a minimum, agree to third party
mediation. GSL ignored these calls and has not shown any
initiative to come to a fair resolution in this dispute.
On March 29, 2005, the third anniversary of this dispute,
Dutch Clean Clothes Campaign activists sent a "message
in a bottle" to North Sails by launching 207 protest
letters in bottles into the North Sea in a symbolic gesture
of solidarity with the 207 dismissed North Sails workers.
This international day of action coincided with a protest
march by North Sails workers in Sri Lanka.
GST has been contacted again but has yet to respond to
the CCC's call for them to intervene to bring about a fair
resolution to this case. The CCC intends to continue the
campaign against North Sails until workers' demands are
met.
More information on the North Sails case can be found at:
www.cleanclothes.org/companies/northsails04-12-24.htm
