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
Campaigning - 2010 Highlights
June 6, 2011
MSN promotes solidarity with workers in global supply chains struggling to win improved wages and working conditions.
- Since 2009, MSN has been lobbying in support of workers at the Vision Tex and Hugger factories in Honduras to gain their legal severance pay and owed back pay after they lost their jobs as a result of irresponsible factory closures. In July, Nike and the workers' union announced that they had reached an agreement that would provide a US$1.5 million fund for the 1,500 displaced workers, as well as health care for workers and their families for a year, and training and employment opportunities.
- MSN has been working with an international coalition to support Johnson Controls (JCI) auto parts workers (see picture below) in Puebla, Mexico. After staging two strikes in May and August, the workers won the right to be represented by an independent union. However, workers and members of the Worker Support Centre (CAT), MSN's partner in Puebla, which has provided the Johnson Controls workers with advice and support, have increasingly suffered threats and physical attacks. MSN and our counterparts in the international coalition are continuing to push JCI to put a stop to the violence and to respect the workers' rights.
- In January, MSN published an online action tool (in English, Spanish and French) for the international Play Fair campaign that consumers can use to rate and compare commitments made by sportswear brands to improve labour standards and communicate to the brands their desire for further progress. The online campaign was promoted by unions and NGOs in Canada and globally, using a set of online video ads prepared by MSN.
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In the wake of massive protests in Bangladesh to demand a better minimum wage, the Bangladeshi government arrested members of respected labour rights NGOs and trade unions and, in some cases, withdrew the legal status of the NGOs. MSN and our counterparts around the world lobbied apparel companies, governments and international human rights organizations to pressure the Bangladeshi government to release unjustly imprisoned labour rights advocates and to respect their right to carry on their legitimate function.
