WELCOME TO THE ARCHIVE (1994-2014) OF THE MAQUILA SOLIDARITY NETWORK. For current information on our ongoing work on the living wage, women's labour rights, freedom of association, corporate accountability and Bangladesh fire and safety, please visit our new website, launched in October, 2015: www.maquilasolidarity.org
January 23, 2015
Since 1995, MSN worked extensively on campaigns defending the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively. Below are some examples of the campaigns we were involved in between 2006 and 2014. Each campaign heading links to examples of stories that we published throughout the trajectory of that campaign:
MSN has been working with Mexican and international stakeholders to tackle widespread systemic barriers to workers' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining in Mexico and the failure of Mexican government institutions to protect and enforce this fundamental right at the workplace.
When Canadian T-shirt manufacturer Gildan Activewear purchased Anvil Knitwear in May 2012, workers at Anvil’s unionized Star factory in El Progreso, Honduras were understandably worried about their job security. After all, Gildan was the same company that had closed a wholly-owned factory in El Progreso eight years earlier in order to avoid having to accept and negotiate with a union.
Since 2007, MSN has been actively involved in an international campaign to push Milwaukee-based auto parts manufacturing company Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) to respect the rights of workers in their Puebla, Mexico plants.
Sportswear supplier Russell Athletic has reached a historic agreement with the union representing 1,200 unjustly laid off workers at its shut down Jerzees de Honduras (JDH) factory. Under the agreement the company will open a new facility in the Choloma area, re-hire and provide substantial compensation to the former JDH workers, and sign neutrality agreements to open the door for union organizing at all of Fruit of the Loom’s Honduran facilities (Russell Athletic is owned by Fruit of the Loom).
MSN worked closely with the independent September 19 union of the Authentic Labour Front (FAT) and the Human and Labour Rights Commission of the Tehuacan Valley (CDHLVT) to help the workers win the right to be represented by an independent union.
In December 2003, MSN, together with the Canadian Labour Congress and the Independent Federation of Honduran Workers (FITH), filed a formal complaint with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) concerning the unjust firings of workers suspected of union sympathies at Gildan Activewear's El Progreso factory in Honduras. The complaint alleged that there was a pattern of violations of freedom of association at the factory. On January 6, the same parties filed a complaint with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC). Investigations by both the FLA and WRC confirmed MSN's allegations of violations of worker rights at the factory.
Workers producing clothes for Wal-Mart at the Korean-owned Chong Won Fashion garment factory in the Philippines went on strike to end the employers' attempt to destroy their union through violence, mass firings and intimidation. The employer responded by shutting down the factory.
Gina Form Bra factory workers in Bangkok, Thailand, fought to keep their unionized factory open after receiving word in early September 2006 that the owner was going to close the factory and shift orders to China or Cambodia. International brands including Warnaco, La Senza, Victoria's Secret and others bought apparel from the company. With the help of international organizations including the Maquila Solidarity Network, the workers were able to win a substantial severance package well above the norm in Thailand.
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