Oxfam Trade campaign focus on garment workers

Dear all,

Feb 2004, On february 8 Oxfam International, as part of their Make Trade Fair Campaign, released a new report " Trading Away our Rights -- Women Working in Global Supply Chains ". The report was released in Cambodia, and the launch was supported by actress Minnie Driver who visited garment factories and talked to workers in Thailand and Cambodia. National launches and events took place also in Bangladesh and on Sunday february 22 in Thailand, about which a short report (courtesy of the Thai Labour Campaign) can be found below.

In the next months attention in the Make Trade Fair campaign will go to the labour situation of women workers specifically in the food and garment industry. For more information on the Make Trade Fair campaign go to:
http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=06022004155806.htm

The report, based on research and interviews in 12 countries, documents how current business practices favor production where it is cheapest, fastest and most flexible. The report highlights the impact of these global business practices on women working in the garment and food industries. See chapter three specifically on conditions for women in the global garment industry. To download the report, please see
http://www.oxfam.org/eng/pdfs/report_042008_labor.pdf

Report from Thailand:

"On Sunday February 22, over 150 members of the labour movement in Thailand came together to celebrate the launch of the campaign, " Stop Trading Away Our Rights! " In a show of labour strength and solidarity, trade unionists, labour leaders, members of NGOs, and academics participated in a series of events that focused on the struggles of women workers in the textile and garment industries. Sunday saw the first public showing of the documentary produced in conjunction with the campaign, consisting of interviews with women workers and labour activists. Following a panel discussion moderated by Rakawin, of HomeNet, which included Dr. Voravid, of Chulalongkorn University, Somsak, of the Labour Coordination Center, and Sunee, of the National Human Rights Commission, the participants issued a statement in which they committed themselves to:

1. Support the demands made by the Women's Unity Group, TLGWF, the trade unions and other labour organizations.

2. Call upon the government to ratify ILO conventions 87 and 98 and to enact the Labour Relations Act proposed by the workers.

3. Call upon the government to speed up the process of amending the law to help workers negatively effected by the quota phase out, and to insure that employers will behave responsibly, and not take advantage of the crisis by laying-off workers without compensation.

4. Support the struggle of workers in textile, garment, leather, jewelry, and other industries, in cases where their rights have been violated.

The afternoon also included cultural performances by the workers that were greatly enjoyed by all. Members of the Solidarity Co-op (garment workers) gave a performance highlighting the discrepancy between the illusion of high fashion and the reality of the living and working conditions of workers who produce the clothing flaunted on the cat-walk. Workers form the Solidarity Co-op also designed and produced all of the clothing worn".