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
On August 26th, 2009, the Mexico Committee of the MFA Forum hosted a multi-stakeholder forum to present to representatives of government, the private sector and civil society a new initiative the Forum is launching at the international level to respond to the impact of the current economic crisis on the industry and to promote a more sustainable future for both the apparel and footwear industries.
On September 30 – October 2, 2008, MSN and the Honduran Independent Monitoring Team (EMIH) co-sponsored a regional seminar entitled "MFA+3: Labour Rights in a Changing Garment Industry." The seminar brought together approximately 60 representatives of labour and women's rights organizations from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Argentina.
With the demise of the import quota system at the beginning of 2005, companies began restructuring global supply chains with little regard for the workers, communities and countries that are affected. When the economic crisis hit in the latter half of 2008, the industry began a whole new wave of downsizing and restructuring.
On March 17, 2005 the Ethical Trading Action Group (ETAG) sponsored a public forum in Toronto on the impacts of the garment and textile import quota phase-out, which was followed by a civil society strategy meeting and a No Sweat campaign consultation on March 18th. Some of the presentations made at the Forum are available in PDF format below.
Coming ten months after the demise of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA), the exchange was designed to give participants an opportunity to share what the end of the import quota system has meant for workers and communities in Thailand, China/Hong Kong, Cambodia, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and the Dominican Republic and to discuss strategies for better defending workers' rights in a post-quota industry.
On August 18, 2005, MSN and the Mexican women's organization MUTUAC co-sponsored a one-day conference entitled "What lies ahead for the Mexican garment and textile industry? The impact of end of the MFA on the industry and labour rights" featuring presentations by representatives of Mexican garment manufacturing firms, the Mexican government, national and international labour organizations, leading international brands, and Mexican labour rights organizations. Read about it here.
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