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  Labour issues: General - 1997-2000  

See also other materials on "Labour issues: General"

International Labour Organization materials:

Globalization’s downside - From shipyard to graveyard: Is there a decent way to break ships? - ...Local businesses and others say the annual breaking of some 700 ships benefits the five nations (India, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Viet Nam) where the work takes place these days. But critics claim these countries have become dump sites for the industrialized world; an environmental disaster and an example of poor, often highly dangerous working conditions. (World of Work - The Magazine of the ILO, Dec. 2000)

ILO Governing Body opens the way for unprecedented action against forced labour in Myanmar (International Labour Organization, Nov. 2000)

Tripartite Meeting on Labour Practices in the Footwear, Leather, Textiles and Clothing Industries - Geneva, 16-20 October 2000 (International Labour Organization): 

Close Look at Factory for Nikes [Indonesia]:...the Nike representatives in Indonesia are upfront in saying that it was American public pressure that pushed Nike to require its contractors to improve pay, benefits and working conditions over the past three years. (Frank Denton, Wisconsin State Journal, 30 July 2000)

International Labour Conference adopts Resolution targeting forced labour in Myanmar (Burma) (International Labour Organization, June 2000) 

Your Voice at Work [first global report released under ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work] (International Labour Organization, May 2000)

Globalization, Liberalization and Social Justice: Challenges for the International Community (Michel Hansenne, Director-General, International Labour Organization, 28 Oct. 1998)

Forced labour in Myanmar (Burma) (International Labour Organization, 2 July 1998)

Corporate Codes of Conduct and Labour Standards (Jill Murray, International Labour Organization, 1998) 

Other materials: 

2000:

Dropped Stitches: Deth Chrib worker her way out of a brothel.  Now a global campaign against exploitation of third-world workers could force her back. (Gina Chon, Asiaweek, 22 Dec. 2000)

Yes to Globalization, But Protect the Poor (Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, in International Herald Tribune, 21 Dec. 2000)

Chinese union activist sent to mental hospital (John Gittings, Guardian [UK], 18 Dec. 2000)

Mercedes Benz: Industry and Human Rights -...During the Argentinian dictatorship at least 13 members of the union Internal Commission at Mercedes Benz disappeared...While the criminal prosecution was not allowed in Germany against Daimler Chrysler, German justice did allow proceedings against the company branch in González Catán and the current director of the firm, Tasselkraut...In November 2000 Juan Carlos Capurro, lawyer for the Legal Action Committee of the Argentinian workers’ union CTA (Central de Trabajadores Argentinos), lodged the Mercedes case with the Secretariat of Human Rights in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Gaby Weber, Le Monde Diplomatique, Southern Cone edition, Dec. 2000)

Can Corporate Codes of Conduct Promote Labor Standards? Evidence from the Thai Footwear and Apparel Industries (Junya Yimprasert and Christopher Candland, Thai Labour Campaign, Dec. 2000)

Jewish Land, Foreign Labor: How Israel's exploitation of foreign workers betrays its founding ideals (Samuel Thrope, New Voices: The National Jewish Student Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 2000)

New alliance [Global Alliance for Workers and Communities] asks workers overseas what they desire (Kate Shatzkin, Baltimore Sun, 30 Nov. 2000)

Fire, stampede kills 45 garment workers in Bangladesh (King5.com, 25 Nov. 2000)

Farm laborers run high risk of health woes: Most in state lacking care, survey finds - California farm workers in the prime of their lives are far more likely than the general population to suffer health problems ranging from high blood pressure and obesity to tooth decay, according to a first-of-its-kind survey released Tuesday. (Andy Furillo, Sacramento Bee, 22 Nov. 2000)

Japan not respecting its WTO/ILO commitments on labour rights (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 15 Nov. 2000)

Piecework lawsuit settled: Claim over man's home assembly of electronics (K. Oanh Ha, SiliconValley.com, 13 Nov. 2000)

A World of Sweatshops: Progress is slow in the drive for better conditions (Aaron Bernstein, Business Week, 6 Nov. 2000)

"What is Society Willing to Spend on Human Beings?" (Multinational Monitor, Nov. 2000)

Power and Pain: Worker Organization and Workplace Safety in Southern Africa - An Interview with Rene Loewenson (Multinational Monitor, Nov. 2000)

Double Standards: U.S. Manufacturers Exploit Lax Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement in Mexico's Maquiladoras: An interview with Garrett Brown (Multinational Monitor, Nov. 2000)

Workshop on Occupational Health and Safety in the Mekong Region (Asia Monitor Resource Center, Nov. 2000)

Working Women in Indonesia (speech by U.S. Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard, 20 Oct. 2000)

Human Rights and Corporate Sense (S. Prakash Sethi, Far Eastern Economic Review, 19 Oct. 2000)

Inside a Chinese Sweatshop: "A Life of Fines and Beating" (Dexter Roberts and Aaron Bernstein, Business Week, 2 Oct. 2000) 

The Global Labour Standards Controversy: Critical Issues for Developing Countries (Ajit Singh and Ann Zammit, South Centre, Oct. 2000)

Côte d'Ivoire claims to take action on child slave workers (afrol.com, 13 Oct. 2000)

Only remote Ivorian farms use child labour, farming figure says (Reuters, on CNN.com, 6 Oct. 2000)

Cadbury response to a letter concerning the use of slavery on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire (letter from Cadbury Consumer Relations, UnfairTrade.co.uk, undated)

The Daily Mail City Editor on extra responsibilities at Cadbury Schweppes (Alex Brummer, Daily Mail [UK], 30 Sep. 2000)

Massive use of slaves on Ivorian cocoa plantations documented (afrol.com, 29 Sep. 2000)

Exporters cautioned to play by the rules [Thailand] (Penchan Charoensuthiphan, Bangkok Post, 28 Sep. 2000)

Trade Union-NGO Consultative Body to Fight for the Abolition of Forced Labour in India: NHRC [National Human Rights Commission] Moved on Growing Attacks on Bonded Labour Activists (press release by HMS, AITUC, CITU, CEC, Volunteers for Social Justice; in Labour File, 26 Sep. 2000)

U.S. Business Reentry into Cuba and Worker Rights (Robert Weekley, President of American Chamber of Commerce of Cuba in the United States, in Cuba Today: Best Business Practices and Labor Rights, Fall 2000)

Cuban Sweat for Sale (Guillermo Cueto, Regional Director, U.S.-Cuba Business Council, in Cuba Today: Best Business Practices and Labor Rights, Fall 2000)

Nike: American dream on RI [Republic of Indonesia] sweat (Donna K. Woodward, Jakarta Post, 13 Sep. 2000)

Nike Workers (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 12 Sep. 2000)

Claim Against Unocal Rejected: Judge Cites Evidence of Abuses in Burma but No Jurisdiction (William Branigin, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2000)

My factory visits in Southeast Asia and UM [University of Michigan] code and monitoring (memo from Linda Lim [Associate Professor of Business Administration, University of Michigan Business School] to Larry Root [Director, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of Michigan], 6 Sep. 2000)

Developing Effective Mechanisms for Implementing Labor Rights in the Global Economy (International Labor Rights Fund, Aug. 2000) 

Unfair Advantage: Workers' Freedom of Association in the United States under International Human Rights Standards (Human Rights Watch, Aug. 2000)

LABOUR: Frequent inspections [of workplaces] urged: Lax system allows abuse, says lawyer [Thailand] (Penchan Charoensuthiphan, Bangkok Post, 28 July 2000)

Corporate Codes of Conduct: A Follow-up Study (Junya Yimprasert and Christopher Candland, Thai Labour Campaign, 24 July 2000)

Socially Responsible Investors Sponsor Shanghai Conference on Sweatshops (Verité, Ethical Funds Inc., Calvert Group, Domini Social Investments, Walden Asset Management, 20 July 2000)

A Good Taste in the Mouth (Roger Trapp, Independent (UK), 16 July 2000)

African trade unions faced with globalisation (François Misser, Trade Union World, 15 July 2000) 

Paying a Price (Dan Biers, Far Eastern Economic Review, 13 July 2000)

Resolution on Worker Rights and Democracy in the Global Economy (American Federation of Teachers, July 2000)

Promoting Sustainable Social Progress (Fackson Shamenda, President, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 27 June 2000)

Labor Relations and Labor Rights in Cuba: Todo Tiempo Futuro es Mejor (Guillermo J. Grenier, Director of Center for Labor Research and Studies, Florida International University, in Cuba Today: Best Business Practices and Labor Rights, Summer 2000)

Europe and Cuba: The Dilemma of Economic Interests Versus Human Rights (Liduine Zumpolle, Coordinator of Latin American Dept. of Pax Christi Netherlands, and Jan Dagen, in Cuba Today: Best Business Practices and Labor Rights, Summer 2000)

Sweaty Sneakers (Alan Pittman, Eugene Weekly [Oregon, USA], 13 June 2000)

Monitor U.S. firms in China (Karl Schoenberger, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2000)

Levi's Children: Coming to Terms with Human Rights in the Global Marketplace - Levi's Children is a book about corporate social responsibility and the rising demands that U.S. companies be held accountable for labor practices and political conditions in the international markets where they do business. It tells the story of Levi Strauss & Co. (Karl Schoenberger, June 2000)

Death by Overwork: Corporate Pressure on Employees Takes a Fatal Toll in Japan (Darius Mehri, Multinational Monitor, June 2000)

Saudi Arabia Business Briefing (Amnesty International UK Business Group, June 2000)

Visible Hands: Taking Responsibility for Social Development (U.N. Research Institute for Social Development [UNRISD], June 2000)

A Letter to Jiang Zemin: The quixotic tale of three American CEOs and their ill-fated mission to change China from the inside (Tony Emerson, Newsweek International, 29 May 2000)

Investigative team sought for high-tech labor abuses (K. Oanh Ha, SiliconValley.com, 18 May 2000)

Dark Knight [regarding Nike] (Michele Orecklin, Time, 8 May 2000)

Nike wrong-foots the student critics (Jagdish Baghwati, Professor of Economics, Columbia University, in Financial Times, 2 May 2000)

Saudi Arabia -- Asian workers continue to suffer behind closed doors (Amnesty International, 1 May 2000)

Ratcheting Labor Standards: Regulation for Continuous Improvement in the Global Workplace (Charles Sabel, Dara O'Rourke, Archon Fung, May 2000)

The Final Report of The Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights (University of Michigan, May 2000) 

Chinese Rights, U.S. Wrongs: Interviews with Wei Jingsheng and Alice Kwan (Multinational Monitor, May 2000)

Labour Standards and World Trade Law: Interfacing Legitimate Concerns:...We submit that the WTO labour-related measures should focus on a product-related approach while the implementation of broader policies and efforts should be pursued within the ILO (Thomas Cottier and Alexandra Caplazi, Institute of European & International Economic Law, University of Berne, Mar. 2000)

Blood and Oil in Burma (Daniel Zwerdling, American RadioWorks, National Public Radio, Mar. 2000)

Saudi Arabia: Open for Business (Amnesty International, 8 Feb. 2000)

Codes of Conduct, Government Regulation and Worker Organizing - Codes of Conduct: The Debates (Bob Jeffcott and Lynda Yanz, Maquila Solidarity Network, Feb. 2000)

Anti-Sweatshop Movement is Achieving Gains Overseas (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2000)

Palestinian Arab Women: Discrimination in the Workplace (Arab Association for Human Rights, 5 Jan. 2000)

Stuck in the Mud: The Future in Our Hands [regarding shipbreaking industry] (Morten Rønning, NorWatch, Jan. 2000)

Just Earth! Danger Zones: Burma (from Environmentalists Under Fire: 10 Urgent Cases of Human Rights Abuses, joint publication by Amnesty International USA and The Sierra Club, Jan. 2000)

Just Earth! Multinationals: Unocal & Total (from Environmentalists Under Fire: 10 Urgent Cases of Human Rights Abuses, joint publication by Amnesty International USA and The Sierra Club, Jan. 2000)

Multinational Enterprises and the Social Challenges of the XXIst Century: The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles at Work; Public and Private Corporate Codes of Conduct; edited by Roger Blanpain (abstract of book by the publisher, Kluwer Law International, Jan. 2000)

Saudi Arabia - Alone, afraid and abused: Migrant workers (Amnesty International, 2000)

1999:

East-West Divide: Should the World Trade Organization be in charge of enforcing global labour standards?  Many developing countries in Asia say labour issues are none of the WTO's business, but Western governments want to free toiling children and improve workers' treatment (Shada Islam, Far Eastern Economic Review, 2 Dec. 1999)

Sweatshops: No More Excuses (Aaron Bernstein, Business Week, 8 Nov. 1999)

Building Workers' Human Rights into the Global Trading System (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Nov. 1999) 

Globalisation and the Struggle for Labour Rights: An Indonesian View (Vedi Hadiz, Research Fellow, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia, Oct. 1999) 

Trade Unions and Environmentalists Join Hands to Challenge Dirty Shipbreaking in Asia (Greenpeace, 21 Sep. 1999)

Report on a Labor Rights-Women's Rights Advocacy Dialogue: Women's Rights and Labor Rights in Global Trade (International Labor Rights Fund, Sep. 1999)

New race-bias issue: the workplace climate - Case of black airline mechanic in Los Angeles follows lead of sex-harassment law. Following in the legal footsteps left by sexual-harassment cases, a new kind of lawsuit is emerging to combat racial prejudice on the job. As of yet, racial-harassment suits - which focus on workplace climate - are a tiny part of the overall caseload. But they are growing in number and are giving minorities a new recourse that some experts say will help eradicate more overt forms of racism. (Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 1999)

The shame of sweatshops (Consumer Reports Online, Aug. 1999)

Thailand plans lawsuit against Israel for exploiting its foreign workers (Yossi Bar-Moha, Ha'aretz, 19 July 1999)

Spotlight on Benetton (CCC Newsletter, 11 July 1999)

Sweatshops tarnish Silicon Valley image (John Naughton, Indian Express, 10 July 1999)

Job Opportunity or Exploitation? Asia: To Vietnam's impoverished, a $65-a-month position at a Nike factory is a prize.  Though the company has cracked down on labor abuses in the last few years, critics say the moral questions go beyond that.  (David Lamb, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 1999)

Report on a Labor Rights-Environmental Dialogue: Labor Rights, Environmental Protection, and the Global Economy: Sharing Advocacy Experience (Workers in the Global Economy Project, Apr. 1999) 

Nike accuses its critics: A senior executive of sports shoe manufacturer Nike has accused critics of the company's labour practices in Vietnam of indirectly seeking to overthrow Vietnam's communist government. (Financial Times, 21 Jan. 1999)

Jobs for Cambodians - or Sweatshops? (Michael Richardson, International Herald Tribune, 12 Jan. 1999)

The Trade-Labor Linkage: Issues and Prospects (Robert Shelburne, Division of Foreign Economic Research, U.S. Department of Labor [U.S. Government], Jan. 1999) 

Voluntary Codes of Conduct: Do they Strengthen or Undermine Government Regulation and Worker Organizing? (Bob Jeffcott and Lynda Yanz, Maquila Solidarity Network, 1999)

1998:

Mexico - A Job or Your Rights: Continued Sex Discrimination in Mexico's Maquiladora Sector (Human Rights Watch, Dec. 1998)

Adalah's Statement to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) (Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Nov. 1998): see "Main Points", section III, "Employment Rights", and "Extended Statement", section III, "Employment Rights"

Forced labour in Myanmar (Burma) (International Labour Organization, 2 July 1998)

Letter from Bill Jordan (General Secretary, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) to R.P. Wilson (Chairman, Rio Tinto) regarding Rio Tinto's Statement of Business Practice (14 Apr. 1998)

Mexico: the shameful side of the maquiladoras (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 11 Feb. 1998)

Can multinationals buy good conduct? (Luc Demaret, Trade Union World, 1 Feb. 1998)

Human Rights and Industrial Relations (Braham Dabscheck, Australian Journal of Human Rights, vol. 4, issue 2, 1998)

The Economic Analysis of Employee Rights (Chris Nyland and Robert Castle, Australian Journal of Human Rights, vol. 4, issue 2, 1998)

1997:

To End Sweatshops: Designing A Code of Conduct for a Global Industry (Robert Senser, Commonweal, 18 July 1997)

Statement on slavery and chocolate production (Anti-Slavery International, 1997)