Action request --FOL in Morocco

January 24 2001, Fruit of the loom condemned for 'disgraceful behaviour' in three continents

Dear Friends,

Please find below information from the International Textile, Garment andLeather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) on the case of a factory producing forFruit of the Loom in Morocco. ITGLWF reports that management at thisfactory, which produces for the European market, is preventing workers fromexercising their right to freedom of association.

Contact Fruit of the Loom today and let them know that you find thisunacceptable:

Dennis S. Bookshester
CEO Fruit of the Loom Ltd.
P.O. Box 866GT
3rd Floor, Anderson Square Building
Shedden Road Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, BWI
tel. 345-945-8210

For more information on this case, please contact the ITGLWF at the contact addresses listed below.

ITGLWF PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 24 2001, Fruit of the loom condemned for 'disgraceful behaviour' in three continents

The Chicago-based clothing multinational, Fruit of the Loom, is today accused of behaving disgracefully in its treatment of workers in three continents and its CEO, Dennis Brookshester, has been urged to call a halt to the company's latest union-busting campaign at its Moroccan production plant near the country's capital, Rabat. The problems in Morocco follow a long history of virulant anti-union activity by the company in the United States and its mass dismissal of workers in Ireland.

Condemning the company's activities in the Americas, Europe and Africa, theBrussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers'Federation (ITGLWF) is now demanding that the company immediately clean upits act and respect international labour standards. In addition todemanding the direct intervention of Fruit of the Loom's CEO, the ITGLWF isalso to lodge a complaint with the International Labour Organisation andwill be seeking a determination that the company's behaviour in Moroccobreaches the OECD's recently revamped guidelines for MultinationalEnterprises.

This action was sparked by the the dismissal of eight union leaders who hadestablished a union branch at the Rabat factory. The ITGLWF claims thatsince then the eight have been harassed, even outside the factory, and atone point were detained for questioning by the police. The remainingworkers are living and working in a climate of fear.

The Moroccan plant, in Salé, near Rabat, employs some 1,200 workers andreceives cut fabrics from the Fruit of the Loom factory in Buncrana inIreland. The finished garments are then marketed in Europe. The Services,Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) in Ireland has alsoasked the Fruit of the Loom Irish subsidiary to intervene to ensure therights of Moroccan workers are respected.

Says ITGLWF General Secretary Neil Kearney: "This is the unacceptable faceof globalisation - a multinational company showing scant respect for thepeople they employ and deliberately trampling on their human rights. Thecompany's Moroccan workforce simply held a General Assembly at theheadquarters of the Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT), and decided to createa branch union.Within a week of hearing of the meeting, the companyembarked upon a union-busting campaign and a militia was employed tointimidate those workers who had attended".

"Two days later, having discovered the names of the union leaders and evenbefore any demands had been made, management announced their dismissal.General Manager Abdelmalek El Ouassini was adamant in his refusal to allowa union in the factory. 'There is no freedom of association here!', hesaid. He then hung a huge banner on the front wall of the factory whichread 'no to the union'". "Since then, there has been an atmosphere of fear inside the factory. Theworkers are constantly watched and management forbids them to have anycontact with the fired leaders. The eight union leaders are subjected toharassment from the militia, and at one point were detained by the policefor five hours. This is not uncommon in Morocco, where employers regularlycollude with the police, and striking union leaders are liable to beimprisoned on criminal charges for 'withholding labour'.

"A delegation of the UMT met with Mr Assila, the governor of Salé, toprotest at the situation at Fruit of the Loom. The governor told them: "Idon't want unions in my prefecture'".

The union has appealed to the labour authorities. But Morocco's labour codedoes not protect trade unionists against anti-union discrimination, nordoes it protect unions from acts of interference by employers. Theauthorities rarely act against employers who victimise trade unionists,refuse to pay the minimum wage, or close factories illegally, said Mr.Kearney.

Meanwhile, close to 800 workers at two plants in Buncrana and Derry inIreland are out of work or will lose their jobs in the next few months, asa result of the shift of production to Morocco. According to the company,the job losses in Donegal and Derry are due to high production costs inIreland and the decision was an 'economic necessity'.Neil Kearney, himself a native of Donegal, says the company probably pulleda large part of its production out of Ireland simply to avoid dealing witha unionised workforce just as it has been doing in the United States foryears. "But," he says, " this time it can't get away with its virulentanti-union behaviour. Trade unions internationally will do everythingpossible to ensure that Fruit of the Loom is called to account andshoulders its responsibility to respect basic worker rights in its Moroccanplant.

"Fruit of the Loom has long abused workers rights in its US plants. Thenthe job losses in Derry and Donegal were a devastating blow to the localeconomy. Now it is workers in Morocco who are feeling the brunt of thecompany's disgraceful behaviour. Of course, these workers need the jobs,but, unless they have the right to organise and bargain collectively fordecent wages and working conditions, neither the workers nor theircommunities will benefit", concluded Kearney.

The ITGLWF has also asked the Prime Minister of Morocco, Abderrahman Youssoufi, to intervene to put a stop to the company's union-busting campaign. It will also be asking Fruit of the Loom's customers in Europe to insist that the company abandon its socially irresponsible behaviour. -END- The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation is an International Trade Secretariat bringing together 250 affiliated organisations in 130 countries, with a combined membership of 10 million workers.

For more information, contact: Neil Kearney, General Secretary: 32/2/512.2606 (office) or 32/475.93.24.87 (mobile)
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