September 26, 2006

Second and Final Report concerning the case of Gildan Activewear in Honduras

The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), the Honduran Independent Monitoring Team (EMIH), and the Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) has released the second and final update on the verification of Canadian T-shirt manufacturer Gildan Activewear's compliance with a January 2005 agreement to give priority hiring opportunities to approximately 1,800 former employees of the company's Gildan El Progreso factory in Honduras. To review the agreement click here.

The update concludes that Gildan's remedial response would have been much more effective had the first hire policy been adopted and implemented immediately following the factory closure before workers were forced to make decisions about whether or not to stay in the region. It goes on to say that it would have been preferable if Gildan had opened a new facility in the El Progreso area, rather than 90 minutes by bus from the town where most of the former Gildan El Progreso workers lived.

The update on Gildan's compliance with the January 2005 priority hiring agreement includes a series of recommendations to Gildan based on the El Progreso experience.

To access the full report and recommendations, click here (for SECOND and FINAL REPORT).

MSN is not requesting any action as follow up to the final update.