October 26, 2006

Gina Form Bra Factory campaign, Fall 2006

[CLOSED: No further action required]

Help Gina Form Bra Factory to Fight Closure

Gina Form workers need your support!

October 25, 2006

Your continued support is urgently needed today to help unionized workers at Gina Form Bra in Thailand fight the closure of their factory.

Despite a military coup in their country, the Gina Form workers have bravely taken to the streets to stop the closure; they've taken their protest right to the doors of Clover Group, the parent company in Hong Kong; and they've launched an international campaign to pressure the brands buying from Clover.

But on Friday October 20, flanked by police and the Thai military, Clover Group locked the gates, pressured workers to sign resignation letters, and closed the factory.

International pressure from supporters like yourself helped push Clover Group management to finally meet with the Gina workers union and a further meeting, with buyers present, is scheduled for Friday October 27th in Hong Kong.

But more pressure is needed on Clover Group and its clients to urge them to work with the union to keep the Gina factory open. Otherwise Clover Group will get away with reversing a major international anti-sweatshop victory you helped us win, and contributing to a growing trend of closing good, unionized factories in favour of factories with sweatshop conditions.

REQUESTED ACTION:

Your action is urgently needed to help stop Clover Group's attempt to violate workers' rights. Companies producing their garments at Gina Form and at other Clover Group facilities have a responsibility to push their supplier to keep Gina open and to respect workers' rights at all their facilities.

The Gina Form Bra factory produces underwear for companies like Victoria Secret (owned by The Limited) and Calvin Klein (owned by Warnaco). Its owner, the Clover Group, also produces underwear for Gap and the Montreal-based lingerie company La Senza.

Please contact the Limited, Warnaco and La Senza today and call upon them to ensure that during the tripartite meeting scheduled on October 27th alternatives to closure are discussed in a meaningful way and that Clover bargains in good faith with the union.

They should also make sure that Clover Group halts all forms of intimidation and coercion against the Gina Form workers to press them into signing documents or prevent them from exercising their legal right to demonstrate.

Addresses and sample letter are provided below. Please copy your message to the Clover Group and to the Maquila Solidarity Network.

MSN continues to contact buyers from Clover's facilities in Cambodia and China, pushing them to ensure Clover takes appropriate action.

Letters and emails should go to:

Irving Teitelbaum Chairman of the Board and CEO La Senza Corporation 1608 St. Regis Blvd. Dorval, Quebec, H9P 1H6 Canada Tel: (514) 684-3666 ext. 3476 Fax: (514) 684-7448 E-mail: ir@lasenza.com

Leslie Wexner CEO, The Limited Three Limited Parkway Columbus, OH 43230 tel: 614-415-7000 lwexner@limitedbrands.com

Joseph R. Gromek President and Chief Executive Officer Warnaco Inc. 501 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018 tel: 212-287-8280 fax: 212-287-8511 contactus@warnaco.com

Gerald Lau CEO, Clover Group Block A_H, 11th Floor, Ka Ming Court, 690 Castle Peak Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: +852 27465793 Fax: +852 27862123 g_lau@clover.com.hk

Sample letter (Please write your own and send a copy to MSN):

Dear ___________:

I am extremely disappointed to learn from the Maquila Solidarity Network that the situation in Thailand at the Gina Form Bra factory is rapidly deteriorating. I understand that Clover Group closed the factory down unexpectedly last week, using illegal means.

I am writing to ask you, as a client of the Clover Group, to inform Clover Group that they unless they immediately halt the closure of the factory and bargain in good faith with the Gina Relations Workers Union (GRWU) on how to keep the factory open, your company will immediately discontinue all business with Clover Group globally (in Thailand, Cambodia, China, and any other location that Clover might have operations, now or in the future).

There is a meeting scheduled for October 27th in Hong Kong between buyers, Clover Group and the GRWU.

Clover Group must be willing to discuss alternatives to closure in a meaningful way with the union at this meeting. I also ask that your company explore options with Clover Group and the GRWU regarding orders that can be placed at Gina Form Bra. Further, both Clover Group and your company must be willing to share information with the GRWU to allow a full and productive discussion, including financial information on Clover Group operations and your own company's sourcing policies.

In the meantime, Clover Group must halt all forms of intimidation and coercion against the Gina Form workers to press them into signing documents or prevent them from exercising their legal right to demonstrate.

Please let me know what you are doing to address this urgent matter,

Sincerely