Gildan given 90 days to comply with the Fair Labor Associations
standards
Tell Gildan to reverse their decision to close the El Progreso
factory, and to fully comply with all the recommendations of
the FLA and WRC for corrective action.
Source: Maquila Solidarity Network
Gildan Campaign Update and Action Alert
July 30, 2004
Gildan Workers' Rights Violated, Say US Monitoring Groups
Tell Gildan: Don't Cut and Run from Your Responsibilities to
El Progreso Workers
In separate reports released this week, the Fair Labor Association
(FLA) and Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) confirmed that the rights
of workers at Gildans El Progreso factory in Honduras have been
violated. Both reports substantiate earlier findings of MSN and
the Honduran Independent Monitoring Team (EMIH) that Gildan fired
workers for attempting to form or join unions.
The parallel investigations by the two organizations also verified
other violations of the FLA and WRC codes of conduct and Honduran
law, including excessive hours of work; compulsory, unpaid overtime;
failure to pay legal overtime premiums; failure to provide full
statutory holiday benefits; sexual harassment by the company doctor;
and failure to provide child care and nursing facilities as required
by Honduran law. These findings mirror those of MSN and EMIH.
The WRC investigation also found specific examples of illegal
firings of pregnant workers and failure to provide pregnant workers
immediate medical attention or leave from work to visit a doctor
outside the factory. While neither report could confirm worker
allegations of forced pregnancy testing, the WRC report notes
that workers continue to believe that blood tests for new employees
are for pregnancy or HIV-AIDS.
On July 29, the FLA released a public statement, announcing that
it was placing Gildan on a 90-day special membership review because
it has "failed to achieve or maintain compliance with the
FLA's standards. In its announcement the FLA states, "Since
Gildan's decision to close the factory raised questions about
its commitment to freedom of association, the FLA Board believed
it was essential for Gildan to publicly reaffirm and communicate
this commitment.
The unprecedented decision, which was made by the FLA's Board
of Directors at its July 27 meeting in Seattle, means that Gildan
must take a number of specific steps to be removed from the FLA's
membership review status. If it fails to do so, Gildan could face
possible expulsion from the Association. One of the key conditions
for Gildan's continued membership in the FLA is its willingness
to implement an adequate corrective action plan at El Progreso.
REQUESTED ACTION:
Please first read the updates
on this case
We have at most two months to convince
Gildan to not cut and run from its responsibilities to its El
Progreso workers.
(See below,"What the Workers in Honduras Are Saying.")
Please write a letter to Gildan today (see
sample letter below). Tell them to reverse their decision to close
the El Progreso factory, and to fully comply with all the recommendations
of the FLA and WRC for corrective action.
If you are involved with one or more organizations
or institutions that bulk purchases Gildan T-shirt, please ask
them to write or phone Gildan today. Ask them to tell Gildan that
future orders with the company depend upon how Gildan treats its
El Progreso workers.
(List of European Gildan distributors)
SAMPLE LETTER (Please write your own and
send a copy to MSN)
Letters can be sent by e-mail to:
slemay@gildan.com, or by fax to: (514) 735-6810.
Stephane Lemay, Vice-President, Public
and Legal Affairs
Gildan Activewear
725 Montée de Liesse
Montreal, Quebec
H4T 1P5
Dear Mr. Lemay:
I am extremely concerned to learn that
in the face of credible reports from the Fair Labor Association
(FLA) and Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) confirming that workersrights
at your company's El Progreso factory in Honduras have been systematically
violated, your company continues to deny that any workers have
been fired for their union sympathies. I am even more disturbed
to learn that your company has announced it is cutting and running
from its responsibilities to those workers who were brave enough
to tell the truth about their situation to FLA auditors and the
WRC investigative team.
I also understand that, as a result of
your decision to cut and run from El Progreso, the membership
of your company in the Fair Labor Association (FLA) is now under
review. Gildan promotes itself as a socially responsible company.
I would hope that your company would use this opportunity to demonstrate
that these nice words on paper have real meaning for the workers
who make your products.
I would urge your company to reverse its
decision to close the El Progreso factory, and to fully comply
with all the recommendations for corrective action from the Fair
Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium.
I will be watching closely to see that
your company lives up to its responsibilities to current and unjustly
fired El Progreso employees. Before I buy another Gildan product,
I would like assurance that your company will do everything in
its power to ensure that those workers continue to have employment
opportunities with your company at El Progreso or another Gildan
factory in Honduras, that they receive just and generous compensation
for their highly productive labour, and that they are not subjected
to blacklisting for speaking the truth.
Yours truly,
[signature and name]
WHAT THE WORKERS IN HONDURAS ARE SAYING
Far from accepting Gildans statements that it is complying with
and exceeding legal standards, Gildan El Progreso workers are
concerned that they will not receive what is legally due to them.
They report that after being told that the plant would be closed,
they were called to the office one-by-one to receive and sign
their notice forms. Those that hesitated were told that they would
loose any severance pay if they didn't sign. Workers report that
some have already been let go from the factory without due severance.
Others were given one week to one month's notice as of last week.
They have no word about additional benefits Gildan has claimed
to be providing.
As well, workers report seeing machinery already being sent out
of the El Progreso factory: it is thought to be going to Nicaragua
or Haiti, but this is unconfirmed.
At a meeting July 28 with MSN coordinator Lynda Yanz and a representative
from EMIH, the Honduran Independent Monitoring Team, workers expressed
their outrage that Gildan is not only closing their factory, but
also portraying them in the Canadian media as unproductive workers
and blaming the factory closing on a lack of efficiency. According
to workers, the only days when production was lost in the last
several months was when workers were told there was no work because
cloth hadnt arrived from Gildans textile facility in Canada with
the result that workers were sent home - without pay. While Honduran
law requires that Gildan provide workers during this notice periodwith
time off to look for other work, the workers report that its becoming
clear that Gildan workers are now black-listed in the El Progreso
Provenir industrial park. They also point out that they cant afford
to take time off without pay; they need every penny they can earn
over the next one or two months. While Gildan still claims that
the factory closing had nothing to do with the MSN/EMIH complaint
or the FLA and WRC reports and recommendations, the workers say
theyre getting a different message: If you stand up for your rights,
if you talk to auditors, this company walks away from its workers.
On July 29, EMIH convened a meeting with Honduran labour, women's
and human rights groups to develop a common strategy to fight
Gildan's unjust decision to cut and run from its responsibilities
to its El Progreso workers. One of the groups present, Centro
de Derechos de Mujeres (CDM), was particularly concerned to read
Gildans assertion that Gildan and CDM were collaborating on the
preparation of an educational brochure on freedom of association,
without having ever been notified of this by Gildan. They will
be making a public clarification shortly. Over the next two months
MSN will be working in collaboration with these groups to defend
the rights of current and unjustly fired Gildan employees.
BACKGROUND
The FLA and WRC investigations were carried out in response to
a Third Party Complaint filed by MSN, together with the Canadian
Labor Congress (CLC) and the Independent Federation of Honduran
Workers (FITH), alleging
that approximately 100 workers at the El Progreso factory were
unjustly fired for union activity in 2002 and 2003.
In January 2004, Gildan agreed to fully cooperate with the FLA
investigation and to accept its findings. While it did not allow
the WRC investigative team access to the factory, following the
investigations, it did engage in joint discussions with the WRC
and FLA on corrective action. However, after receiving the results
of the two investigations, and in the midst of face-to-face negotiations
on a corrective action plan, on July 12, Gildan's CEO made the
surprise announcement that his company was closing the El Progreso
factory on September 30, 2004.
For a summary of the key findings that came out of the two investigations,
see Summary of Fair Labor Association and Worker Rights Consortium
findings at www.maquilasolidarity.org
Maquila Solidarity Network / Ethical Trading Action Group
606 Shaw Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6G 3L6
416-532-8584 (phone) | 416-532-7688 (fax)
info@maquilasolidarity.org
www.maquilasolidarity.org
European Gildan Distributors
AUSTRIA
Kona
St Pantaleon, Austria
Tel 06 277 728 80
Fax 06 277 729 0
kona@magnet.at
BELGIUM
Top Tex
Heppignies, Belgium
Tel 071 37 80 30
Fax 071 37 80 37
Catherine@toptex.be
WIC
Deinze, Belgium
Tel 09 386 23 62
Fax 09 386 32 88
info@wic.be
CROATIA
Studio Propaganda d.o.o
Zagreb, Croatia
Tel 01 628 82 10
Fax 01 628 82 11
studio-propaganda@za.tel.hr
CYPRUS
T-SHIRTKING LTD
Ayia Napa, Cyprus
Tel 357 23721165 / 357 99637340
Fax 357 23724108
combase1@logosnet.cy.net
DENMARK
Funtex Cl.Co. Aps
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel 039 18 18 56
Fax 039 29 32 58
funtex@funtex.dk
ENGLAND
BTC Activewear
North: 0125 424 5448
Southwest: 0175 269 1202
Central: 0208 208 1155
London East: 0208 523 3286
Midlands: 0121 522 2333
info@btcactivewear.co.uk
Elms & Elms
Stockport, England
Tel 0161 428 8383
Fax 0161 428 5666
info@elmsandelms.co.uk
IS Enterprises International
Essex, England
Tel 0800 328 3868
Fax 01206 79 11 86
sales@isenterprisesintl.co.uk
Mr President Leisurewear ltd
Swanley, England
Tel 013 22 614 840
Fax 013 22 615 281
huw@mrpresident.co.uk
PAG
London, England
Tel 0800 328 42 40
Fax 0208 993 21 64
sales@pag1.co.uk
UK Leisurewear Plc
Swindon, England
Tel 0800 220 955
Fax 01793 514 154
orders@leisurewear.co.uk
ESTONIA
Prefer LLC
Tallinn, Estonia
Tel 372 6670 758
Fax 372 6670 753
info@prefer.ee
www.prefer.ee
FRANCE
Imbretex
Guengat, France
Tel 02 98 91 08 08
Fax 02 98 91 02 01
imbretex@wanadoo.fr
Publistyle
La Ferté Saint-Aubin, France
Tel 02 38 49 34 34
Fax 02 38 49 34 33
contact@publistyle.fr
Team Tee
Thouare sur loire, France
Tel 02 51 13 02 97
Fax 02 51 13 02 98
team.tee.nantes@gofortex.com
Top Tex
Toulouse: 05 61 00 62 00
Strasbourg: 03 90 57 29 30
laurent.davin@toptex.fr
GERMANY
Falk & Ross
KL-Erfenbach, Germany
Tel 0800 351 71 40
Fax 0800 351 71 71
info@falk-ross.com
G2
Ellerbek, Germany
Tel 04101 330 25
Fax 04101 367 97
g2@g2-textilvertrieb.de
Groener GmbH
Ulm, Germany
Tel 0731 3982 0
Fax 0731 3982 263
info@groener.de
www.groener.de
GREECE
Fex Imports
Athens, Greece
Tel 210 5786782
Fax 210 5767882
info@feximports.gr
www.feximports.gr
HOLLAND
HMZ Fashiongroup bv
Zoeterwoude, Holland
Tel 071 541 36 41
Fax 071 589 31 07
info@hmz.nl
HUNGARY
PR-Tipp Kft
Budapest, Hungary
Tel 01 288 09 00
Fax 01 288 09 01
pr-tipp@mail.matav.hu
Reintex Kft
Szolnok, Hungary
Tel 056 424 455
Fax 056 424 743
slakatos@emitel.hu
IRELAND
Caramba
Dublin, Ireland
Tel 01 855 04 90 or 1800 300 020
Fax 01 855 13 32
sales@caramba.ie
ITALY
Innova
Rome, Italy
Tel 0672 672 107
Fax 0672 672 105
info@innovasrl.it
Marca
Vicenza, Italy
Tel 0444 240 665
Fax 0444 247 112
info@marcasrl.it
NORWAY
Handelskompaniet AS
Skien, Norway
Tel 035 90 50 00
Fax 035 90 50 01
postmaster@you.no
SCOTLAND
BTC Activewear
Musselburgh, Scotland
Tel 0131 273 4363
Fax 0131 273 4362
scotland@btcactivewear.co.uk
SLOVENIA
Euroton
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Tel 01 200 26 77
Fax 01 200 26 99
info@eurotonsi.com
UMco d.o.o
Brezovica, Slovenia
Tel 01 125 1240
Fax 01 219 505
umco@feliks-te-gleda.com
SPAIN
Camimpress
Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona), Spain
Tel 093 473 31 41
Fax 093 373 96 00
camimpress@camimpress.com
Linitex
Madrid (Getafe), Spain
Tel 091 683 13 00
Fax 091 684 31 19
linitex@linitex.com
Ziraketan
Noain, Spain
Tel 094 831 64 31
Fax 094 831 85 49
ziraketan@ziraketan.com
SWEDEN
Trendmark AB
Götenborg, Sweden
Tel 031 91 45 00
Fax 031 91 43 44
info@trendmark.se
SWITZERLAND
MC Sport Mode AG
Interlaken, Switzerland
Tel 033-828-1145
Fax 033-828-1141
mc@lowa.ch
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