back to home

back to index for this section

See also other materials on "Labour issues: General"

1 Aug. 2002 to present:

2003:

China: ICFTU denounces prison sentences on worker rights activists (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 14 May 2003)

Bomb blast kills 3 workers at the Cali Water Treatment Plant [Colombia] - PSI is requesting its affiliate organisations to write letters to the Colombian government following a bomb blast at the Cali Drinking Water Treatment Plant which killed 3 workers on Thursday May 8th. The three men were all long-standing members of the PSI affiliated trade union, SINTRAEMCALI, which has been engaged in a determined campaign to prevent the privatization of the municipal services company. (Public Services International, 13 May 2003)

Union wins Wal-Mart fight [Canada] - B.C.'s [British Columbia's] Labour Relations Board has ruled Wal-Mart violated the rights of workers at its Quesnel store by interfering with efforts to unionize the store. (CBC News British Columbia, 12 May 2003)

Rising tide of labour protest has Chinese leadership worried (Geoffrey York, Globe & Mail [Canada], 12 May 2003)

Employers and Unions to fight HIV/AIDS together - The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) today issued a joint statement of commitment to join forces in the fight against HIV/AIDS...Work on HIV/AIDS will be built around the “ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work”. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 12 May 2003)

• joint statement: Fighting HIV/AIDS together - The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) jointly recognize the direct impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the world of work. This joint statement gives voice to that mutual recognition, hereby calling on IOE and ICFTU affiliates and their member enterprises and trade unions, wherever located, to give the issue the highest priority. (International Organisation of Employers & International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 12 May 2003)

• {···español} Empleadores y Sindicatos combatirán juntos el VIH/SIDA (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 12 mayo 2003)

• {···español} Combatir juntos el VIH/SIDA - La Organización Internacional de Empleadores (OIE) y la Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres (CIOSL) reconocen conjuntamente la repercusión directa que tiene la pandemia de VIH/SIDA en el mundo del trabajo. En esta declaración conjunta se pone de manifiesto dicho reconocimiento y se hace un llamamiento a los miembros de la OIE y de la CIOSL y de sus empresas miembros y a los sindicatos, donde fuera que tuvieran sus sedes, para que den a este problema la máxima prioridad. (Organización Internacional de Empleadores & Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 12 mayo 2003)

• {···français} Employeurs et syndicats unissent leurs efforts pour combattre le VIH/SIDA (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 12 mai 2003)

• {···français} Combattre ensemble le VIH/SIDA - L’Organisation internationale des employeurs (OIE) et la Confédération internationale des syndicats libres (CISL) reconnaissent l’une comme l’autre l’incidence directe de la pandémie du VIH/SIDA sur le monde du travail. Cette déclaration commune exprime cette reconnaissance mutuelle, en engageant les membres de l’OIE et de la CISL, ainsi que les entreprises membres et les syndicats, où qu’ils se situent, à octroyer leur toute première priorité à ce problème. (Organisation internationale des employeurs & Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 12 mai 2003)

China: Harsh Sentences for Labor Activists - Relatives Report Police Abuse at Hearing - China's conviction of two labor activists for organizing peaceful protests shows how little China's legal system has changed in political cases, Human Rights Watch said today. The activists, Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang, were convicted without legal representation. (Human Rights Watch, 10 May 2003)

Company Accused of Threatening Workers [USA] -...The two men complained to the labor board [National Labor Relations Board], which last week lodged charges against their company, Consolidated Bus, accusing it of illegally spying on the men and threatening to assault them. The labor board said the company had illegally retaliated against Mr. Fleurimont and Mr. Guzman for trying to exercise their rights as union members in ways that displeased the company and their union, Teamsters Local 854. (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 9 May 2003)

Dirty lingerie - La Senza and Jacob [Canadian retailers] cut ties to Thai bra factory [Gina Form bra factory in Bangkok] despite pleas from activists to stay put -...Activists charge that the factory's new management has mounted an aggressive anti-union campaign...But just when protestors started to capture corporate attention on the matter, La Senza and Jacob both announced they were immediately severing all ties to the factory. It was not the turn of events anti-sweatshoppers had imagined – or desired. (Now [Canada], 8 May 2003)

Trade Unions Call for Social Dimension at UN Commission on Sustainable Development - Trade union representatives at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) have called on governments to prioritise social concerns in their actions for sustainable development. The plans under discussion will form the basis for implementing the outcomes of last year’s Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development...The union movement has criticized the “sidelining” of social and employment concerns in the draft conclusions of the CSD meeting...While social and employment issues are linked to water, energy, access and some other priorities for action in the draft conclusions, the main thrust of the document pays insufficient attention to poverty eradication and the overall social dimension of sustainable development. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 7 May 2003)

ICFTU calls for World Bank commitments on workers’ rights (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 6 May 2003)

• {···español} La CIOSL exhorta a los gobiernos para lograr un compromiso del Banco Mundial hacia los derechos de los trabajadores (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 6 mayo 2003)

• {···français} « La Banque mondiale doit s’engager en faveur des droits des travailleurs », exhorte la CISL (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 6 mai 2003)

Internationally-recognised Core Labour Standards in New Zealand -...Most trade union rights are now respected, although there remain problems, such as protection against discrimination for striking workers, and promotion of collective bargaining...discrimination against women remains a problem, especially as concerns equal remuneration for work of equal value. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 6 May 2003)

PT Johnson accused of antiunion bias [Indonesia] - Workers of multinational fragrance company PT S.C. Johnson & Son (SCJ) protested on Wednesday against the company's alleged moves to dismiss or transfer employee activists who are involved in organizing an independent union in the company. (Jakarta Post, 2 May 2003)

Solidarity Center announces publication of new worker rights manual - Justice for All: A Guide to Worker Rights in the Global Economy (Solidarity Center, 1 May 2003)

UC opposes anti-sweatshop bills [USA] - The University of California shocked anti-sweatshop activists Tuesday by opposing bills that would require state contractors to certify that they do not use sweatshop labor. The pair of nearly identical bills, AB 1557 and SB 578, were passed by the state Legislature on Tuesday. (Adam Foxman, Daily Bruin, 1 May 2003)

Cameroon: New wave of harassment and arrests - Just two months after the release of half a dozen trade unionists following strong international protests, the Cameroon authorities have done the same thing again...In a letter to the government of Cameroon, ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder stressed that the ICFTU saw these new arrests as “clear evidence that the authorities are conniving with the management of Camrail [railway company] in their intensive harassment of trade unionists who are merely defending the interests of the workers they represent”. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 28 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Nueva ola de hostigamiento y arrestos - Nueva queja de la CIOSL contra Camerún - Dos meses después de la liberación de media docena de sindicalista a raíz de las fuertes protestas internacionales, las autoridades camerunesas reinciden. (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 25 abril 2003)

• {···français} Cameroun - Nouvelle vague de harcèlements et d’arrestations - Deux mois après la libération d’une demi-douzaine de syndicalistes suite à de fortes protestations internationales, les autorités camerounaises récidivent. (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 25 avril 2003)

Levi Opts Out of Sweatshop Settlement - Levi Strauss & Co. has opted out of a $20-million settlement approved this week to compensate garment workers on the Pacific island of Saipan..."The allegations against Levi Strauss and company are not true," said company spokesman Jeff Beckman. (Reuters, 25 Apr. 2003)

Abuse and Physical Violence against Workers in the North! [Haiti] - The May First Batay Ouvriye Union Federation loudly denounces the barbaric treatment undergone by the labourers of the Northern Brewery (“Brasserie du Nord”) in Cap-Haitien on 22 April 2003. (Batay Ouvriye Union Federation, 23 Apr. 2003)

Rural Slavery Tough to Root Out [Brazil] - An estimated 25,000 men, women and children continue to work today as slave labourers in rural Brazil, despite persistent complaints by human rights organisations and promises by the new government to eradicate the practice over the next four years. But slave labour, in the form of debt bondage, is not exclusively employed by Brazilian plantation owners, as shown by the Senor estate in the northern state of Maranhao, which is owned by a Belgian company, and was holding more than 200 workers in slavery conditions...The Belgian company that owned the Senor estate was prosecuted and forced to pay back wages to its 200 workers. (Mario Osava, Inter Press Service, 23 Apr. 2003)

26 sue turf club [Malaysia] - Twenty-six former Penang Turf Club workers are suing the club for alleged wrongful dismissal...They also claimed that their dismissal was prompted by their active involvement in the formation of the Penang Turf Club Race Day Workers' Union. (The Star [Malaysia], 22 Apr. 2003)

FTSE4Good raises the bar for companies - FTSE Group recently announced a new, more stringent set of human rights criteria for companies in the socially responsible index series FTSE4Good...FTSE are trialling the human rights standards on the global upstream oil gas and mining sector...They are asking companies to commit to ILO core labour standards on a global scale, support publicly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have guidelines on the use of armed security guards according to the UN Basic Principles of the Use of Force and Firearms and to reference “respect of the rights of indigenous peoples”. In order to stay in the FTSE4Good Index, companies will also have to provide training for employees on human rights policy, provide evidence of undertaking a human rights impact assessment and integration of their policy into risk assessment processes...In countries of particular concern such as Angola, China, Burma, Zimbabwe and Sudan, resource companies must commit to meeting more stringent guidelines (Tobias Webb, Ethical Corporation Magazine, 21 Apr. 2003)

Nike defends claims of sweatshop labour and false advertising -...the United States Supreme Court is about to hear a landmark case about whether Nike's defence of labour conditions in its factories represents false advertising. Nike is asking the Supreme Court to protect free speech by giving companies immunity from laws against false advertising...Nike's critics say false claims made in a speech is just as misleading to consumers as a claim made in a paid commercial. (AM, ABC Local Radio [Australia], 21 Apr. 2003)

Human rights, salary at issue for Coca-Cola - Coca-Cola should...use its influence in Colombia to encourage greater protections of human rights. These were just a few of the more controversial proposals members of the Atlanta company's board of directors fielded from some of the 400 shareholders gathered here Wednesday for Coke's annual meeting...Perhaps the most controversial proposal concerned allegations that the company's plant managers used paramilitary groups to intimidate and kill eight union organizers at a bottling plant in Barrancabermeja, Colombia...Coke denies that it is in any way responsible...Richard Shaw of the AFL-CIO implored the company to take a more active role in helping protect the union organizers. Deval Partrick, Coke's general counsel, said the company has gone as far as providing security for Colombian individuals being threatened. (David Kaplan, Houston Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2003)

Coca-Cola karma: irony in advertising? -...Today, the Coca-Cola Company is holding its annual shareholders’ meeting. One participant will be William Mendoza...the President of the National Food Industry Workers’ Union in his hometown of Barrancabermeja...Paramilitary groups have killed seven employees of Coca-Cola bottlers – all union members – in Colombia since 1990. Mendoza claims that he is among 65 union members who have received death threats from paramilitary groups. (Rick Stern, Montana Kaimin [USA], 16 Apr. 2003)

Calpers adds watchlist to emerging-markets policy - Calpers, the No. 1 U.S. pension fund, said on Monday it would in future wait a year for possible reforms before cutting off investment in emerging-market countries that no longer meet its criteria, which include political as well as economic issues.  The Philippines was the only country given the year under the new watchlist policy...But Malaysia and Thailand, dropped from the list in February at the same time as the Philippines, will not be given the year to reform...In February, Calpers also ruled out investing in such large countries as China, India and Indonesia. Calpers, which can set the tone for other institutional investors, based its decisions on criteria that include civil liberties, accounting standards, labor law and market transparency. (Reuters, 14 Apr. 2003)

Court says Granite City Steel broke labor laws [USA] -...The ruling won't ban the hidden cameras, but it will force National Steel Corp., which owns the Granite City plant, to talk about them when negotiating contracts with the 10 unions representing plant workers. (Michael Shaw, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11 Apr. 2003)

Partial victory for Coca-Cola workers -...On March 31, US District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ruled that a group of Colombian plaintiffs can move forward with cases brought under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) for human rights violations committed by paramilitaries in Colombia on behalf of two Colombian Coca-Cola bottling companies: Panamco and Bebidas y Alimentos. (New Colombia News Agency, 10 Apr. 2003)

TRADE: Central American Deal a Dud, Activists Say - Activists from labor, development, human rights, and farm groups are calling on the United States and five Central American countries not to rush a trade agreement [Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)] that they say is undemocratic and would drive farmers and other vulnerable groups deeper into poverty. (Emad Mekay, Inter Press Service, 10 Apr. 2003)

Environmentalists set sights on Sasol - A website has been established to keep an eye on the environmental impact South African oil and chemicals group Sasol's operations has on communities in South Africa and the US. (Justin Brown, Sunday Times [South Africa], 10 Apr. 2003)

• Sasol May See Red Over Greens' Guerrilla Tactics - On the same day Sasol listed on the New York Stock Exchange, environmental groups launched a website warning investors about its "environmentally destructive industrial operations". (Larry Claasen, Business Day [South Africa], 10 Apr. 2003)

• SasolWatch: Welcome to SasolWatch.com a website dedicated to tracking the environmental, public health and labor infractions resulting from the operations of Sasol Ltd. and its international subsidiaries

• SASOL: A global leader or a major polluter - South African and African American Communities on the Fencelines of Sasol Facilities Warn Investors of Sasol's Liabilities for Environmental Destruction & Health Threats (SasolWatch, South African Exchange Program on Environmental Justice, Mossville Environmental Action Now, 8 Apr. 2003)

• company website: Sasol

Banks in drive for project principles - The drive by Citigroup and large European providers of project finance in emerging markets to obtain industry-wide adherence to the International Finance Corporation's social and environmental guidelines may increase pressure on export credit agencies to do the same..."In the past, the US Export-Import bank has taken the lead on environmental standards and issues of transparency," said John Sohn, an expert on export credit agencies at Friends of the Earth...The impetus behind the US lead was in part due to financing of the controversial Three Gorges dam in China in 1996. The US Export-Import bank decided not to finance the project...Non-US ECAs, such as Germany's Hermes and Export Development Canada, less constrained by environmental standards, provided some finance for the dam. In an attempt to create a level playing field, the US Export-Import Bank began promoting within the OECD the concept of common and transparent environmental standards but its moves have generally been met with resistance. (Demetri Sevastopulos, Financial Times, 9 Apr. 2003)

• Four banks adopt IFC agreement - At least four European and US banks plan to adopt the International Finance Corporation's social and environmental guidelines for project finance in emerging markets, a clear signal that banks are awakening to the risks of socially irresponsible investing. ABN Amro, Barclays, Citibank and WestLB, in collaboration with the IFC, the private-sector arm of the World Bank, have drafted an agreement called the "Equator Principles"...Under the agreement, the banks agree to adopt the IFC's social and environmental rules for sustainable development, which include guidelines on issues ranging from environmental assessment and natural habitats to indigenous peoples and child and forced labour. (Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, 6 Apr. 2003)

• Four Banks Adopt Social and Environmental Guidelines for Developing World Projects (Business for Social Responsibility News Monitor summary of article in Financial Times, 7 Apr. 2003)

Nike: Free Speech or "False Promises"? - On Apr. 23, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear charges that Nike committed consumer fraud by making false statements about the labor conditions in its overseas factories. (Aaron Bernstein, Business Week, 9 Apr. 2003)

Domini files amicus brief with Supreme Court in Nike v. Kasky - Socially Responsible Investors Argue that Nike’s Position Threatens Securities Regulation - Domini Social Investments LLC today announced that it has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that supports San Francisco activist Marc Kasky in his effort to hold Nike accountable for its statements concerning the company’s use of sweatshop labor. (Domini Social Investments, 7 Apr. 2003)

US firm faces $1bn claim for complicity [South Africa] - Fluor, the biggest US publicly traded engineering and construction company, faces a $1 billion claim by black former workers who allege they were discriminated against under apartheid. Anglo American, the world's second-biggest mining company, and diamond producer De Beers also face a lawsuit by former employees who say they were enslaved, beaten and tortured under apartheid. Lawyer Ed Fagan said a lawsuit would be filed today in California federal courts. The suit will argue that Fluor paid blacks less than whites and that the company helped repress workers during a 1987 strike in which two were killed. (Jonathan Rosenthal and Antony Sguazzin, Business Report [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Anglo stock hit by class action suit [South Africa] - Shares in Anglo American and Sasol fell sharply on Friday after it was disclosed that US lawyer Ed Fagan and local representative John Ngcebethsa were planning to file a class action suit for damages against Anglo and Fluor, a US company that worked with Sasol, for their role in human rights abuses during apartheid. (Max Gebhardt, Business Report [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Lawsuits Force Anglo, Sasol Shares Lower [South Africa] - Government does not back the multibillion-dollar lawsuits [in U.S. courts] for apartheid reparations being brought against SA corporate giants, but will also not intervene to stop them, says Justice Minister Penuell Maduna. (Rob Rose & Julie Bain, Business Day [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Anglo case to start in New York - The apartheid reparations class action lawsuit, which includes commodity giant Anglo American (Anglo) as a respondent, is set to start May 19 in a New York court...Anglo, along with the world's largest diamond miner De Beers which is 45% held by Anglo, faces a $3.1 to $6.1bn apartheid lawsuit...US construction and engineering group US Fluor Corporation is also facing a claim of between $900m and $1.4bn. (Justin Brown, News24.com [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Sasol slumps on apartheid claim [South Africa] (AFP, 7 Apr. 2003)

• Ed Fagan, SA lawyers take aim at Fluor [South Africa] (South African Press Association, in Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 6 Apr. 2003)

• Diamond industry hit by £3bn suit - The maverick lawyer who forced Swiss banks to pay out huge reparations to Holocaust victims yesterday took on the diamond industry, demanding billions of dollars be paid to South African workers "exploited" during the apartheid era. (Fred Bridgland, The Scotsman, 5 Apr. 2003)

• Ed Fagan meets local lawyers and claimants [South Africa] - Local lawyers and US class action lawyer Ed Fagan have announced in Johannesburg that they would be suing US company, Fluor International, for more than $700 million in damages for discriminatory wages paid to the company's employees in South Africa in the 70s and 80s. (SAPA, 5 Apr. 2003)

• Lawyers say to file apartheid suit against Fluor (Reuters, 5 Apr. 2003)

• Anglo Rejects $6bn Reparations Claim [South Africa] - Anglo American has swept aside pressure from a US lawyer that it must provide between $3 and $6 billion in reparations for apartheid-related damages. The group claims that questions of reparations to individuals is a matter for South Africa and its courts, if necessary. In a strongly worded statement issued on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Friday, the UK-listed mining group said it had already made "extensive contributions" to reconciliation and reconstruction in South Africa. (David Mckay, Mineweb [South Africa], 4 Apr. 2003)

Global Trade Unions state Position for WTO Cancun Meeting (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 7 Apr. 2003)

• Trade union statement on the agenda for the 5th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) (Cancún, 10-14 September 2003) (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 6 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Declaración sindical para incluir en el orden del día de la 5ª Conferencia Ministerial de la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC), Cancún, 10-14 de septiembre de 2003 (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 7 abril 2003)

• {···français} Le mouvement syndical international annonce sa position pour la réunion de Cancun de l’OMC (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 7 avril 2003)

• {···français} Déclaration syndicale concernant l'ordre du jour de la 5e conférence ministérielle de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC), Cancún, 10-14 septembre 2003 (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 7 avril 2003)

Students urge Taco Bell boycott [USA] -...UA [University of Arizona] students joined a group of campus protests across the country, including some at Cornell University and University of Southern California, to boycott Taco Bell for their connection to a tomato farm in Florida with substandard workers’ rights. (Bob Purvis, Arizona Daily Wildcat, 7 Apr. 2003)

Latin Sweatshops Pressed by U.S. Campus Power [Dominican Republic] -...The pact [a union-negotiated labour contract at BJ&B hat factory], signed last week, was the latest victory for a once unlikely coalition of United States college students, labor activists and world-class brands like Nike and Reebok working to improve labor conditions in the factories in developing countries that make caps and clothing emblazoned with university names and mascots...Labor leaders here and abroad now say it [BJ&B factory] is probably the largest factory among the free-trade zones of the Caribbean, Central America or Mexico to have been unionized. (David Gonzalez, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2003)

ILO keeps pressure on several anti-union governments - The ICFTU was particularly satisfied that the ILO’s CFA [Committee on Freedom of Association] upheld all its complaints against governments brought before the Committee over the last year, including China, Colombia, Belarus and Venezuela, singled out in a special introductory paragraph (n°10) as presenting the most serious violations of trade union rights. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 4 Apr. 2003)

Nationwide Ad Campaign Exposes Worker Issues at Natural Food Giant [Whole Foods Markets] [USA] -...The National Labor Relations Board postponed the scheduled April 4 election at the Whole Foods store in Tyson's Corner, Va., while it investigates charges that the company engaged in a variety of illegal activities designed to stop the employees' organizing efforts (United Food and Commercial Workers Union, 4 Apr. 2003)

• company website: Whole Foods Markets

Trade union victory in South Korea: release of union leader Dan Byung-Ho (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 3 Apr. 2003)

• {···français} Victoire syndicale en Corée du Sud : libération du dirigeant Dan Byung-Ho (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 3 avril 2003)

Taxi industry next in government's drive to protect vulnerable workers [South Africa] - More statutory minimum wage and working conditions loom for industries that fall outside the scope of bargaining councils, a labour analyst predicts. (Business Day [South Africa], 3 Apr. 2003)

Coke bottler faces death suit - A US court has ruled that Coca-Cola's main Latin American bottler can stand trial for allegedly hiring right-wing paramilitaries to kill and intimidate union leaders in Colombia...Panamerican Beverages (Panamco), Coca-Cola's main bottler in Latin America of which it owns about 25%, and Colombian bottler Bebidas y Alimentos now face a trial. But District Judge Jose E Martinez in Miami excluded the Atlanta-based drinks giant Coca-Cola and its Colombian unit because its bottling agreement did not give it "explicit control" over labour issues in Colombia. (Stefan Armbruster, BBC News, 2 Apr. 2003)

• Court Rules that Human Rights Case Can Go Forward Against Coca-Cola Bottlers (Terry Collingsworth, Executive Director of the International Labor Rights Fund, and Dan Kovalik, United Steel Workers Union, posted on CorpWatch website, 1 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Investigan en E.U. a embotelladora de Coca Cola en Colombia por presunto apoyo a paramilitares - Una Corte Federal de Miami aceptó una demanda contra la empresa en un caso de muerte y persecución de sindicalistas. El caso fue aceptado el 30 de marzo por el juez José E. Martínez, de una corte de esa ciudad, y afecta a las empresas Panamericana Beverages Inc. (la embotelladora de la gaseosa en América Latina) así como a las colombianas Panamco y Bebidas y Alimentos, según los abogados de los trabajadores. El caso que motivó la demanda es el de Isidro Segundo Gil, dirigente sindical que fue encontrado muerto en el interior de la embotelladora en la población de Carepa (Antioquia), en 1996. (El Tiempo, 3 abril 2003)

• Judge: Lawsuit against Colombian Coca-Cola bottlers can proceed (Jane Bussey, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 1 Apr. 2003)

Burundi government criticized by world labour body - New ICFTU Report on labour standards - In a new report on Burundi, produced to coincide with the 2 April WTO review of that country’s trade policy, the ICFTU reports on the continued violations of core international labour conventions and calls on the authorities to cease interference in the affairs of trade unions...The 7-page report also observes pervasive discrimination against women, including as concerns access to employment...The situation of child labour is alarming...Forced labour is prohibited by law but occurs in practice. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 2 Apr. 2003)

• full report: Internationally-recognised Core Labour Standards in Burundi - Report for the WTO General Council review of trade policies of Burundi (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 2 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Organismo sindical mundial critica al gobierno de Burundi - Nuevo informe de la ciosl sobre normas laborales (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 2 abril 2003)

• {···français} La CISL critique le gouvernement du Burundi - Nouveau rapport de la CISL sur les normes du travail (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 2 avril 2003)

• {···français} texte complet du rapport: Normes fondamentales du travail, reconnues a l'échelon international - Rapport préparé pour l'examen par le Conseil Général de l'OMC des politiques commerciales au Burundi (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 2 avril 2003)

Anglo in 'slaves' charge [South Africa] - Mining group Anglo American is facing a multi-billion dollar lawsuit claiming that it profited from collaborating with apartheid-era South Africa. Lawyers representing thousands of victims of the racist regime are to file a legal action this week alleging that the UK-listed Anglo American exploited black workers, seized property and stripped the country of natural resources during the Seventies and Eighties. The legal claim follows a report by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission earlier this month, which singled out Anglo American as a beneficiary of apartheid and urged corporations to compensate victims. Anglo American denies wrongdoing...The lawyers...plan to lodge a complaint in the US courts by Friday. (Conal Walsh, Observer [UK], 30 Mar. 2003)

IUF and Shangri-La Group Reach Agreement [Indonesia] - Shangri-La Jakarta Conflict at an End (IUF - International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations, 27 Mar. 2003)

Labour department to investigate local firm [St. Lucia] - Officials of the St Lucia Labour Department are expected to undertake an investigation into claims by the National Workers Union (NWU) that a company called Windward Ltd is mistreating its employees. (St. Lucia Star, 26 Mar. 2003)

US Consumers Successfully “De-Pants” Burma’s Junta - New Data Shows Clothing Imports Plummet $100 Million as 39 Retailers Ban Retail of Products from Burma over Rights Concerns - According to newly released statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce, apparel imports from the Southeast Asian country of Burma dropped by 27% between 2001 and 2002, from $411 to $303 million. (Free Burma Coalition, 25 Mar. 2003)

From folk hero to corporate monster - Mallen Baker looks at the financial rise and reputational fall of the world's largest company, US retailer Wal-mart. (Mallen Baker, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 24 Mar. 2003)

Judge Orders Reinstatement, Backpay for Wal-Mart Worker [USA]; Issues Nationwide Remedy for Retailer's Anti-Union Tactics - Labor Board Judge Rules Retail Giant Illegally Tried to Silence Workers - Wal-Mart Ordered to Remove Anti-Union Language from Benefits Materials (UFCW International Union, 11 Mar. 2003)

• company website: Wal-Mart

Company sued for flouting job laws [Bahrain] - A Bahrain company which employed 32 expatriate workers illegally has been taken to court, as part of a government campaign to enforce labour laws...More labour inspectors have been recruited and inspections stepped up, said Labour and Social Affairs Ministry labour inspection head Shaikh Ali bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa..."As it is a human rights issue, we shall study the cases of illegal workers with the embassies concerned, as well as the human rights organisations." Shaikh Ali said his inspectors would also visit labour camps to ensure that the workers' accommodation meets the necessary safety and hygiene conditions. (Soman Baby, Gulf Daily News [Bahrain], 24 Mar. 2003)

She has designs on global activism [USA] - Stephanie Odegard...started what has become a multimillion-dollar hand-woven rug business [Odegard Inc.] that also combats child labor and inhumane practices. (Neal St. Anthony, Star Tribune, 21 Mar. 2003)

Arrests begin in Suizhou retired textile workers’ protest [China] - China Labour Bulletin was reliably informed today that a retired worker who wrote the protest banners and poems displayed by former employees of the Tieshu Textile Group, in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, during their collective demonstration outside the factory gate last week has now been secretly arrested...China Labour Bulletin urges the Chinese authorities to end the arbitrary detention of workers for their involvement in legitimate and peaceful demonstrations and instead to respond to the demands of the workers for an end to official corruption and non-payment of basic wages and pensions. (China Labour Bulletin, 21 Mar. 2003)

TUC calls for enforcement of ILO Conventions [Ghana] - The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to legislate all International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions into the national laws in conformity with Article 75 of the Constitution to make them enforceable on social partners. (News in Ghana, 20 Mar. 2003)

SAS [Students Against Sweatshops] continues push to oust Taco Bell [USA] - Due to labor issues surrounding the people who pick tomatoes for Taco Bell, a Grand Valley student organization is trying to get the restaurant kicked off campus. Allison Kranz, member of Students Against Sweatshops, a fair labor and human rights organization, has been working on the project for over a year now. (Danielle McGillis, Grand Valley Lanthorn, 19 Mar. 2003)

Low pay crooks dodge the law [UK] -...The fashion industry has also seen an explosion in back street sweatshops exploiting illegal or underpaid labour...Anne Carvell of trade body the Knitwear Industries Federation says sweatshop labour could account for up to 40% of the jobs in the clothing and knitwear industry...The High Street retailers make all of their suppliers sign a code of conduct forbidding the use of cheap labour. But according to one senior industry source, "the retailers like to keep everything at arms length." (Brian Wheeler, BBC News, 19 Mar. 2003)

Working conditions: Results of the monitoring of Chinese garments suppliers - The pilot project on independent monitoring set up by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and by Migros, Switcher and Veillon makes today public the reports on its follow-up visits to Chinese suppliers of these three Swiss companies (Press release of the Clean Clothes Campaign in Switzerland and the companies Migros, Switcher and Veillon, 19 Mar. 2003)

• Findings to the Chinese supplier of Switcher (Clean Clothes Campaign) 
  • Summary report on supplier of Switcher 
  •  Comment from Clean Clothes Campaign 
• Findings to the Chinese supplier of Migros and Veillon (Clean Clothes Campaign) 
  • Summary report on supplier of Migros and Veillon
  • Comment from Migros
  • Comment from Veillon
  • Comment from Clean Clothes Campaign

Union leader Somboon reinstated!! Action still needed on Gina Form Bra factory [Thailand] - GAP has reacted quickly to the organisations filing the complaint, and a monitoring team has visited twice and has also held meetings with the Union and other Thai organisations...CCC is pleased that the Gap is investigating this case and it taking an active role...WRAP has not reacted to the Unions complaint nor to letters of other organizations...La Senza is reportedly threatening to cease placing production orders with Gina Form Bra Company. The union DOES NOT want the brand label companies to withdraw orders and the factory to close...Victoria’s Secret [owned by the Limited Brands], K-mart and Boutique Jacob did not react at all. (Clean Clothes Campaign, 19 Mar. 2003)

Metro 'betrayal' over Turkish union deal - Leading German retailer Metro has been accused of "betrayal" by global union UNI for undermining an agreement reached only a few weeks ago to end union busting in its Turkish cash and carry subsidiary. (Union Network International, 19 Mar. 2003)

External Monitor Gives Chiquita SA8000 Certification for Costa Rica Banana Farms - Chiquita Brands International Inc. said that Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI), an external auditing organization, has certified that Chiquita’s banana farms in Costa Rica meet the Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) labor standard. According to the AFX Global Ethics Monitor, BVQI has certified that Chiquita’s Costa Rica farms forbid the use of child and forced labor, guarantee the right to unionize, require a safe and healthy workplace and provide other safeguards for workers. (Business for Social Responsibility News Monitor summary of article in AFX Global Ethics Monitor, 18 Mar. 2003)

Fiji: No Trade Union Rights at Turtle Island Resort -...The IUF-affiliated National Union of Hospitality, Catering and Tourism Industries Employees (NUHCTIE) has repeatedly assisted resort employees seeking union representation, but each time Mr. Evanson has responded by firing union members. (IUF, International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations, 18 Mar. 2003)

Workers flee sweatshops [New York City] - Chinatown's garment factories, already reeling from a string of setbacks, are facing an unexpected challenge: Longtime garment workers are turning down factory work and instead taking paid job-training classes that they hope will lead to better-paying jobs. (NY Times News Service, 17 Mar. 2003)

Taco's tomato pickers on slave wages [USA] - Dispute over poor pay by contractors highlights plight of immigrant workers - The American fast food giant Taco Bell has been buying tomatoes produced by slave and sweatshop labour, according to a group of Florida tomato pickers who held a 10-day hunger strike outside the company's headquarters. (Duncan Campbell, Guardian [UK], 17 Mar. 2003)

Lawbreaking continues at Point Blank [USA] - Bullet-proof vest maker continues to violate employees' rights, commit unfair labor practices, labor charges allege - On the eve of a possible war, an important defense contractor, Point Blank Body Armor [subsidiary of DHB Industries], has allegedly committed more than a dozen violations of national labor law, according to charges filed by UNITE union with the National Labor Relations Board late last week...The charges allege that Point Blank committed 15 violations of its employees’ rights by illegally terminating an employee for union support, subjecting employees to surveillance because of union activity, and retaliating against union supporters by denying them overtime – all in defiance of a recently issued injunction. (UNITE - Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees,17 Mar. 2003)

• company website: Point Blank Body Armor

Metro deceives UNI and ver.di, misuses Turkish trade union, threatens workers with dismissal if they don't join - Only two weeks after concluding an agreement with UNI Commerce and German affiliate ver.di, which was to restore the normal trade union rights of Turkey's commerce trade union Tez-Koop-Is, management had misused another union and was forcing workers to join it, under threat of dismissal. (Global Unions, 17 Mar. 2003)

Labour Dept campaign finds 700 alleged workers compensation violations [South Africa] - More than 700 workers in Gauteng reported to the Department of Labour on Saturday how they had received no compensation for injuries they suffered while at work and how some of them had been fired after they were injured. (South African Press Association, 16 Mar. 2003)

ICFTU targets 11 key countries for grave violations - Violations of trade union and other human rights in 11 countries [including Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, China, South Korea, Burma, Belarus] as well as the issue of globalisation and its impact on respect for human rights will be on the ICFTU’s agenda for this year’s 59th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 14 Mar. 2003)

• {···español} La CIOSL acusa a 11 países clave de graves violaciones de derechos [derechos sindicales] [Colombia, Venezuela, Haití, Zimbabwe, República Democrática del Congo, China, República de Corea, Birmania, Belarús...] (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 14 marzo 2003)

• {···français} La CISL dénonce de graves violations [violations des droits syndicaux] dans 11 pays clés [Colombie, Venezuela, Haïti, Zimbabwe, République démocratique du Congo, Chine, République de Corée, Birmanie, Biélorussie...] (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 14 mars 2003)

NEWS from the USWA [United Steelworkers of America]: Labor Network Challenges Rio Tinto plc to Live Up to Its Self-Proclaimed Image of `Corporate Responsibility' - Leaders of the Rio Tinto Global Network -- a coalition of labor unions representing thousands of union members around the globe who work for the London/Melbourne-based multinational mining and minerals conglomerate Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RTP) -- called on the company today to abandon its worldwide de-unionization efforts and to live up to its often-stated image of being a "responsible" global corporation. (United Steelworkers of America, 14 Mar. 2003)

• company website: Rio Tinto

Tea gardens' labourers in distress [Bangladesh] - Thousands of people engaged as labourers in the tea gardens of Sylhet region have been leading a sub-human existence for years together. These ill-fated people are deprived of basic rights-- food, clothing, shelter, education and healthcare-- some tea labourers told this correspondent with an air of utter despondency. (Independent [Bangladesh], 13 Mar. 2003)

Union push for maternity law [Papua New Guinea] - The PNG Banks and Financial Institutions Workers Union has urged Minister for Labor and Industrial Relations Peter O’Neill to push legislation through Parliament to enact the maternity leave protection bill for female employees in the country. The Union’s general secretary Johnny Waxie said such a bill should be enacted so that PNG fully complied with the International Labour Organisation Convention protecting the rights of women. (The National [Papua New Guinea], 12 Mar. 2003)

Chinese workers denied permission to protest over jailed leaders - Police have rejected a request by workers in China's northeast to hold a 1,000-strong protest to mark the anniversary of the arrests of two of their leaders and to demand their release, sources said Wednesday. (Agence France-Presse, 12 Mar. 2003)

MYANMAR: Forced Labor Continues, ILO Representative Says (UN Wire, 12 Mar. 2003)

Japanese court tosses forced labor suit - A court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of Chinese who sought compensation from the Japanese government and 10 companies for allegedly using them as slave laborers during World War II...All but one of the 10 companies being sued - Hazama Corp., Furukawa Co., Tekken Corp., Nishimatsu Construction, Ube Industries, Dowa Mining, Nittetsu Mining, Mitsubishi Materials Corp., Tobishima and Japan Energy Corp. - are publicly listed. (Kenji Hall, Associated Press, 11 Mar. 2003)

• Court throws out Chinese wartime slave labor claim - A claim for compensation from the Japanese government and 10 companies filed by 42 Chinese people who said they were submitted to forced labor during World War II was Tuesday rejected by the Tokyo District Court. (Mainichi Shimbun, 11 Mar. 2003)

Brazil unleashes anti-slavery initiative - Brazil unleashed Tuesday a new initiative that would combat the use of slave labor by landowners in the nation's vast rural areas. The federal government is seeking to pass legislation as part of its National Plan for the Eradication of Slave Labor, which includes penalties of up to four years imprisonment for landowners convicted of using what is commonly known as "debt slavery." (United Press International, 11 Mar. 2003)

Internationally-recognised core labour standards in Canada - Canada has ratified only five of the eight core labour standards...Canada has ratified both the ILO’s core conventions on discrimination. While the law is generally in compliance with those conventions, in practice women continue to receive much lower remuneration than men. Disabled people and aboriginal peoples are greatly under-represented in the work force. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 11 Mar. 2003)

• {···français} Les normes fondamentales du travail internationalement reconnues au Canada - Le Canada a seulement ratifié cinq des huit normes fondamentales du travail...Le Canada a ratifié les deux conventions fondamentales de l'OIT sur la discrimination. Si, d'une manière générale, sa législation se conforme à leur texte, dans la pratique, la rémunération des femmes reste très inférieure à celle des hommes. Les personnes handicapées et les peuples autochtones sont nettement sous-représentés dans la population active. (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 11 mars 2003)

Int'l Women's Day today [Bangladesh] - Members of the National Garment Workers Federation stand in a human chain blindfolded at Muktangan in Dhaka yesterday to protest repression on women at work. (Daily Star [Bangladesh], 8 Mar. 2003)

Doosan chief faces probe over labor feud [South Korea] -...Sources at the Ministry of Labor said yesterday that Park Yong-sung, chairman of Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, has been asked to appear before a Labor Ministry tribunal by March 13 to face questioning over his alleged involvement in the Doosan company's unfair anti-labor activities. (Yoo Cheong-mo, Korea Herald, 8 Mar. 2003)

Activists targeting UI deal with Coke [USA] - The University of Illinois' exclusive beverage contract with Coca-Cola is under scrutiny from activists who say Coke bottling plants in Colombia have links to anti-union violence. (Julie Wurth, News-Gazette, 7 Mar. 2003)

Global Meeting of Coca-Cola Workers: Delegates Vow To Continue Fight for Worker Rights -...Participants heard reports of union rights violations in Colombia where union representatives had been arbitrarily fired following the signing of a collective agreement at the Coca-Cola bottler in Carepa, Urabá. Participants also heard about repeated union busting in Pakistan and, in response to an attack on fundamental union rights by the local bottler at the Moscow Coca-Cola plant, participants adopted a solidarity resolution in support of the IUF’s affiliate in Russia and its members at Coca-Cola...The second day’s discussion included presentations by David Schilling of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and John Wilson of the Christian Brothers Investment Services who described their efforts to use shareholder pressure to push Coca Cola to respect human rights throughout the company’s system. (IUF - International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations, 6 Mar. 2003)

Protesters starve for tomato workers [USA] - A group of protesters gathered outside Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine this week as part of a weeklong hunger strike demanding better wages and working conditions for tomato workers in Florida. (Youmi Chun, Daily Bruin [UCLA], 1 Mar. 2003)

Misery of rag-trade slaves in America's Pacific outpost - Workers in Samoan sweatshop beaten and starved [refers to factory in American Samoa that made clothes for Sears and JC Penney] (David Fickling, Guardian [UK], 1 Mar. 2003)

International Right to Know Campaign Promotes Disclosure of Global Corporate Impacts - In a recent report, the International Right to Know Campaign outlines the benefits of corporate disclosure of global environmental and social policies and practices...The McDonald's (MCD) case study illustrates the use of child labor in China to produce its Happy Meal toys, the Nike (NKE) case study focuses on labor rights abuses in Indonesia, and the Unocal (UCL) case study discusses human rights abuses in its use of security forces in Burma. The ExxonMobil (XOM) case study alone illustrates several of the environmental as well as human rights abuses that the IRTK guidelines are meant to expose. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 27 Feb. 2003)

Multinational corporations: Balancing trick - [book review of Empires of Profit: Commerce, Conquest and Corporate Responsibility, by Daniel Litvin] -...a similar pattern emerges time and again: ill-prepared central managers, local officers facing unexpected difficulties on the ground, political pressures at home and abroad, all resulting in a catalogue of unintended and sometimes tragic consequences. [refers to case studies in the book, including United Fruit Company in Central America in the 1950s, Nike in Asia in the 1980s & 1990s] (Clive Crook, Economist, 27 Feb. 2003)

• Greed, megalomania, conspiracy and coups - David Litvin gives an insider's view of multinationals in Empires of Profit [refers to case studies in the book, including Shell in Nigeria] (Christopher Hope, Guardian [UK], 1 Feb. 2003) 

• Empires of Profit: Commerce, Conquest and Corporate Responsibility -...Daniel Litvin traces the clashes of culture and unexpected social problems encountered by a series of powerful companies past and present. (Texere)

Jordan's Sweatshops: the Carrot or the Stick of US Policy? [report on working conditions in Jordan's Qualified Industrial Zones] -...more than 40 thousand workers, toiling in more than 60 factories producing solely for the US market [including Target, Wal-Mart and JC Penny] -...Jordanians own almost none of the factories. Most are owned and operated by entrepreneurs from China, Taiwan, Korea, India, Pakistan or the Philippines who import workers from over-seas...Factory owner Syed Adil Ali says his factory only contracts Sri Lankan girls. "They are very peace minded girls," he says. "I found some kind of problem with the boys. They made some kind of union, some kind of disturbance in the factory. So we prefer the girls." (Aaron Glantz, CorpWatch, 26 Feb. 2003)

Allan Rock's office deluged with thousands of clothing labels, days before government due to respond to coalition's proposal for new disclosure rules to address sweatshop abuses [Canada] -...ETAG's [Ethical Trading Action Group's] detailed proposal, submitted in 2001, calls on the Industry Minister to make minor changes to the Textile Labelling Act requiring apparel companies to publicly disclose the names and addresses of the factories that produce their clothing...Retail and manufacturer associations have lobbied against the proposal for new disclosure rules, but several well-known retailers, including Roots Canada, Mountain Equipment Coop and American Apparel, have signalled their support. (Ethical Trading Action Group, 24 Feb. 2003)

Workers demonstrate against US fast-food giant - Activists in the United States are launching a mass demonstration against US fast-food giant Taco Bell on 24 February, protesting its tolerance of labour exploitation by its suppliers...Taco Bell uses tomatoes "produced in what can only be described as sweatshop conditions", the Coalition says...Anti-Slavery International supports the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' call for a boycott of Taco Bell. (Anti-Slavery International, 24 Feb. 2003)

Ministry focuses on workers’ rights [Fiji] - “Every working person has the right and should be able to enjoy a working environment free from all forms of harassment and discrimination whether on the basis of ethnicity, nationality or social origin, religion, political affiliation, gender or any other form of personal identity,” he [Labour Minister Kenneth Zinck] said. Mr Zinck pointed out it was the responsibility of all employers to ensure there was an internal policy on sexual harassment in the workplace. (Daily Post [Fiji], 23 Feb. 2003)

US factory boss guilty of 'slavery' - The owner of a clothes factory in American Samoa [Kil Soo Lee, who owned the Daweoosa Samoa company which made clothes for the JC Penney chain as well as other retailers before it closed] has been convicted [in U.S. court] of what prosecutors called "modern-day slavery"...he was accused of ordering beatings for disobedient employees, starving workers or threatening them with deportation if they complained. (BBC News, 22 Feb. 2003)

• Man found guilty of running sweatshop - The American Samoan factory's owner abused hundreds of workers (Debra Barayuga, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 22 Feb. 2003)

Investor Dollars Versus Workers' Rights [Kenya] - Recent strikes by Export Processing Zones employees have raised questions about the Government's stand on labour interests against the need to attract foreign investment. The workers' revolt in the Export Processing Zone transfixed the nation and raised a pertinent issue: Should investor privilege compromise workers' rights?...Their complaints about poor pay and "inhuman" working conditions were peppered with accusations of racism and sexual harassment. (Ken Opala, Nation [Kenya], 21 Feb. 2003)

Chinese Toy Manufacturer Labor Standards Found Lacking - New report highlights structural obstacles to toy manufacturer implementation of labor codes of conduct. Nongovernment organizations in Hong Kong released fresh research this week regarding labor issues in southern China's toy manufacturing industry. The research revealed structural flaws in the toy industry that prevent compliance with the voluntary codes of conduct that name brand companies are advocating. Toy manufacturers in China's southern provinces supply almost 70 percent of the world's toys, including products for major U.S. brand name companies such as Mattel, Hasbro, Disney, and fast-food giant McDonald's. (Paddy Manning, SocialFunds.com, 20 Feb. 2003)

Central America Deal Must Boost Labour Rights - Report - A proposed trade agreement [CAFTA] between the United States and five Central American nations could further worsen labour and environmental conditions in the region if Washington does not use its clout to press for greater workers' rights there, says a leading U.S. think tank [Carnegie Endowment for International Peace] (Emad Mekay, Inter Press Service, 19 Feb. 2003)

• Two New Papers on Central American Trade Negotiations Propose Solutions That Promote Workers' Rights, Environmental Protection, Trade (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 14 Feb. 2003)

• full report by Sandra Polaski: Central America and the U.S. Face Challenge-and Chance for Historic Breakthrough-on Workers' Rights (Sandra Polaski, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Feb. 2003)

• {···español} América Central y los EE.UU. enfrentan un desafío - y la oportunidad de un gran adelanto - en los derechos de los trabajadores (Sandra Polaski, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, febrero 2003)

• full report by John Audley: Opportunities and Challenges to Advance Environmental Protection in the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Negotiations (John Audley, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Feb. 2003)

• {···español} Oportunidades y problemas de la protección avanzada del medio ambiente en las negociaciones sobre el libre comercio entre EE.UU. y América Central (John Audley, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, febrero 2003)

Analysis: Premier Oil and Burma – who are the real winners? Alex Blyth looks at the story of Premier Oil and its controversial corporate responsibility programme in Burma (Alex Blyth, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 18 Feb. 2003)

Workers rights deal for Metro in Turkey - An agreement on workers' rights covering multinational retailer Metro's cash and carry operations in Turkey has been reached by the global union federation UNI. The deal follows three years of disputes over trade union rights in Metro cash and carry outlets in Turkey. The agreement - negotiated at company head offices in Dusselfdorf - provides for a no-discrimination clause to cover union members. (Union Network International, 17 Feb. 2003)

OECD principles should stick to corporate governance - Business wants the OECD's principles of corporate governance to play a vital role in how companies are run - but opposes efforts to weigh them down with non-governance requirements...Some countries are already calling for the inclusion of human rights; labour rights and the environment in the principles - issues that business maintains are best dealt with in other bodies. (International Chamber of Commerce, 14 Feb. 2003)

Indictment Text Shows China's Political Use of Subversion - The text of the indictment of Chinese labor activists Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang illustrates how China continues to use the elastic crime of "subversion" as a weapon against leaders of movements that criticize the state (Human Rights Watch, 14 Feb. 2003)

PepsiCo in India – leading the “cola race to the bottom”? Growing union repression and intense pressure from management on the remaining unionised Pepsi bottling plants is the clear picture that emerges from a recent IUF study of PepsiCo bottling operation in India. Incidents at PepsiCo plants in India include police being invited in by the company management to physically beat up unionised workers and constant threats of dismissal when workers start the process of organizing a union in the many plants where unions currently do not exist or where they want to exercise bargaining rights where they do. (IUF - International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations, 14 Feb. 2003)

• company website: PepsiCo

Alternative Organising and the ACFTU [China] -...Although it remains as subservient as ever to the policies of the CCP, there is no doubt that the ACFTU has developed and the organisation certainly recognises that it has to become a more effective organisation if it is to survive...But more interesting and potentially far more important have been workers' attempts over the last year to organise either independently or with various degrees of autonomy. (John Chen, China Labour Bulletin, 13 Feb. 2003)

China Takes Up Cause of Migrant Workers - The plight of those unfortunate laborers found its way into the pages of tightly controlled state newspapers during the run-up to China's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year. This year, some newspapers and Web sites have gone a small step further, not just reporting on the drastic measures desperate migrants have taken, but also even addressing protests that are tolerated in moderation, but still taboo. (John Ruwitch, Reuters, 12 Feb. 2003)

Workers at Fiji-owned cannery below poverty - Over 700 workers at Fiji’s state-owned tuna cannery are reported to be living below the poverty line and working in draconian conditions. (Radio New Zealand International, 12 Feb. 2003)

Wal-Mart takes hits on worker treatment [USA] -...At the pinnacle of its success, the company is fending off critics who say Wal-Mart discriminates against women, underpays workers and uses illegal tactics to kill unionization efforts....Roughly 40 lawsuits have been filed by employees who say they were forced to work overtime for no pay. The company is facing a sexual discrimination lawsuit in California that could become the largest such case in history. (Stephanie Armour, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2003)

Labour Dept Conducts Inspection Blitz in the Free State [South Africa] - Labour department inspectors in the Free State yesterday issued 14 contravention notices, one improvement notice and the recommended prosecution of at least one employer. (Mantshele Wa Ga Tau, BuaNews [South Africa], 11 Feb. 2003)

Processing the export zones - "Legal restrictions on trade union rights in a few export processing zone operating countries, the lack of enforcement of labor legislation and the absence of workers' organizations representation were among the factors noted as undermining the ability of zones to upgrade skills, improve working conditions and productivity and thereby to become more dynamic and internationally competitive platforms," it [ILO] said. (Sam Vaknin, Senior Business Correspondent, UPI, 10 Feb. 2003)

China's gestures of reform leave workers in chains -...Without freedom of association, no amount of tampering with the current legal system will make much difference. (Jasper Becker, International Herald Tribune, 8 Feb. 2003)

Colombia: ICFTU challenges President on the rise in anti-union violence - ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder has asked the President of Colombia to take action to protect human and trade union rights and to bring those who violate them to justice. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 7 Feb. 2003)

• {···español} Colombia: la CIOSL interpela al Presidente sobre la agravación de la violencia antisindical (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 7 febrero 2003)

• {···français} Colombie : la CISL interpelle le Président sur l’aggravation des violences antisyndicales (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 7 février 2003) 

World Trade Body Ignores Union Appeals Over El Salvador's Treatment of Workers - The World Trade Organization praised El Salvador Wednesday for taking steps to open up its economy, but ignored a damning report from a global grouping of trade unions that accuses the country of dismissing workers' rights, particularly in export processing zones (Marty Logan, OneWorld US, 6 Feb. 2003)

Sweat-Free School Purchasing Resolutions: a New Trend? [USA] -...The school board [Minneapolis Board of Education] voted unanimously to develop a "sweat-free" policy for the purchase of all athletic equipment and apparel...The Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously passed a similar resolution in January, which followed on the heels of a sweat-free measure passed by the City Council in October 2002. Twenty separate school districts within the state of New York have implemented sweat-free purchasing policies within the last year and a half, and the New York City Council passed a resolution in 2001 mandating that the city develop a sweatshop free policy for the purchase of all city uniforms. (Ben Plimpton, CorpWatch, 6 Feb. 2003)

Activists Shut Down Salvadoran Consulates - Demanding that the Salvadoran government stop violating internationally recognized labor rights, groups of human rights, labor, anti-globalization, and international solidarity activists are simultaneously occupying the Salvadoran Consulates in New York and San Francisco. (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, 6 Feb. 2003)

El Salvador: Violations of Labour Standards Rife, says new ICFTU Report - ...the ICFTU has condemned El Salvador's failure to protect basic trade union rights in the country's Export Processing Zones...One of the many major allegations of the report was the unsafe working conditions workers face ...Gender discrimination is also widespread...The report also mentions the fact that indigenous people in El Salvador face discrimination in employment...Child labour is also widespread in much of the rural and unregulated urban economies (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 5 Feb. 2003)

• Internationally recognised core labour standards in El Salvador (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 4 Feb. 2003)

• {···español} El Salvador: Proliferan las violaciones de las normas laborales, dice un reciente informe de la CIOSL (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 5 febrero 2003)

• {···français} El Salvador: les violations des normes du travail sont courantes, affirme un rapport de la CISL (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 6 février 2003)

After workers unionize, Puma cuts and runs from Mexico - ..."When the customers do audits of the factory, the company forces us to lie."...Matamoros Garment is a factory that produces uniforms for restaurants and hospitals in the United States under the Angelica label, and sports apparel for the German corporation Puma. (Campaign for Labor Rights, 5 Feb. 2003)

Wal-Mart labor manager works to keep employees from unions [USA] - The slightest discussion of a union among Wal-Mart employees requires managers to jump into action to discourage the activity, company officials told a judge with a federal labor agency Tuesday. But some employees at a store in Aiken have complained they were harassed and interrogated when they talked of organizing a union in the summer of 2001. (Pamela Hamilton, Associated Press, 4 Feb. 2003)

Littlewoods shuns ethical trade [UK] - Christian Aid is profoundly disappointed by the decision of Littlewoods, the high street clothing retailer, to leave the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), a voluntary code of conduct set up to help improve labour standards in poor countries. (Christian Aid, 3 Feb. 2003)

Corporate Social Responsibility - But is it any more than a box-ticking exercise? - Campaigner and writer Marc Lopatin questions whether developed nations are ready to pay more to improve standards -...Kelly Dent, program director of labour rights NGO Transnational Information Exchange, in Sri Lanka says: 'Corporate responsibility has become a PR tool of transnational corporations to convince consumers it's OK to keep buying. In reality, transnational corporations have worsened conditions for workers and communities by pressuring governments to rewrite labour and environmental laws.' (Marc Lopatin, Observer [UK], 2 Feb. 2003)

But is it any more than a box-ticking exercise? Campaigner and writer Marc Lopatin questions whether developed nations are ready to pay more to improve standards -...Companies that outsource production are not exactly benevolent agents of sustainable development brimming with enthusiasm for respecting labour rights and environmental protection...Is it surprising then that some Southern-based NGOs regard CSR as a hollow project to deflect attention from unfair trade rules and bullying on the part of inward investors? (Marc Lopatin, Observer [UK], 2 Feb. 2003)

Letter To The Editor (and Responses) featuring Paul Hawken and Amy Domini [debate on socially-responsible investment; refers to labour, environmental, health & other social issues; refers to Chiquita, McDonald's, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Horizon Organic, Coca-Cola]  (GreenMoneyJournal.com, Feb./Mar. 2003)

Gildan on the hot seat (again) for sweatshop abuses in Honduras - The Montreal-based T-shirt manufacturer Gildan Activewear was recently in the news for allegations of worker rights violations at a Gildan-owned factory in Honduras. (Maquila Solidarity Network,  Feb. 2003)

• Gildan confronted with allegations of union-busting: Solidarity Fund requests probe to determine whether Hondurans were fired for organizing (Jan Ravensbergen, Montreal Gazette, 7 Feb. 2003)

• {···français} Le Fonds de la FTQ enquête sur Gildan - Le Fonds de solidarité de la FTQ demande qu'un tiers indépendant enquête sur les allégations portées contre Gildan selon lesquelles l'entreprise aurait licencié des employés au Honduras parce qu'ils tentaient de se syndiquer. (Francis Vailles, La Presse [Montréal], 7 février 2003) 

• {···français} Les «pratiques» de Gildan au Honduras créent des remous... (Maude Goyer, Journal de Montréal, 7 février 2003)

Reebok and the Global Footwear Sweatshop [India] -...there were violations of Reebok’s “Human Rights Production Standards” across the board at their key subcontractor’s plant [in India]. And the evidence suggests that Reebok was aware of these violations but persisted for quite some time with the manufacture of its athletic shoes at this plant. (Bernard D’Mello, Monthly Review, Feb. 2003)

• company website: Reebok: Our Business Practices

Belarus – ICFTU calls for EU GSP trade preference enquiry over trade union rights violations (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 31 Jan. 2003)

• {···español} Bielorrusia: La CIOSL pide que se investiguen las violaciones de derechos sindicales en el marco del SPG europeo (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 31 enero 2003)

• {···français} Biélorussie : la CISL demande une enquête sur les violations des droits syndicaux dans le cadre du SPG européen (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 31 janvier 2003) 

• Briefing on Belarus - In an 8-page briefing paper published today, the ICFTU exposes in detail the policy of repression of free trade unionism, as well as the efforts of the international trade union movement to protect the rights of Belarussian workers (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 31 Jan. 2003)

• {···español} Dossier Bielorrusia (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 31 enero 2003)

• {···français} Dossier: Biélorussie (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 31 janvier 2003) 

• Request for Investigation into Violation of Freedom of Association in Belarus under the procedures of the European Union GSP (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 27 Jan. 2003)

Labour inspection blitz unearths rot [South Africa] - Employers would no longer get away with flouting the law, labour minister Membathisi Mdladlana said yesterday. "It is unacceptable in a human rights-based democracy for workers to be killed or injured while at work because of their employers' refusal to ensure their safety as prescribed by the law," he said during an inspection blitz in Gauteng...At one of the sites, Nigel Textile Works on the East Rand, inspectors found working conditions to be appalling, and recommended the prosecution of the employers. (SAPA, 28 Jan. 2003)

Serious violations of basic trade union rights in the Turkish glass industry - All union activities in the Turkish glass industry were stopped by employers, leading Turkish Glassmaker Sisecam Group. (Turkey, Glass, Cement, Ceramic and Soil Industries Workers' Union, 28 Jan. 2003)

• company website: Sisecam Group

Government plantations in violation of national labor laws [Indonesia] - Several state-owned palm oil plantations in North Sumatra have employed tens of thousands of workers for years below the minimum wage and without the social security programs. (Apriadi Gunawan and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta Post, 28 Jan. 2003)

AFT [American Federation of Teachers] resolution on democracy and trade union rights in China and Hong Kong -...RESOLVED, the AFT reiterates its July 2000 convention resolution on human rights in China that commits our union to continue "to monitor and protest violations of human and workers' rights in China" and "to continue to work with the Hong Kong Democratic Teachers Union and other organizations that are committed to the principles of free and democratic trade unions." (American Federation of Teachers, 27 Jan. 2003)

Unions push their case in first book of worker rights [China] - China's labour federation says tripartite system set up nationwide aims to protect the weak, especially the migrant workforce - China's labour federation has released the country's first handbook on workers' rights that is long on achievement but silent on issues such as the right to strike and to form free unions that have been the focus of international scrutiny. (David Hsieh, Straits Times [Singapore], 27 Jan. 2003)

Labor rights group urges China to release detained worker - A U.S.-based labor monitoring group has urged China to release a man it says has been detained since June for trying to set up a workers' union.  China Labor Watch, based in New York, said in a statement Saturday that it fears retired worker Di Tiangui is near death because of inadequate medical treatment while in prison. (Associated Press, 26 Jan. 2003)

Chinese dissident expelled to US -...A businessman and former government official, he [Fang Jue] is best known for a statement issued five years ago that called for direct elections at all levels of Chinese government, freedom of the press and independent trade unions. (BBC News, 25 Jan. 2003)

A global right to know - A new report by a coalition of environmental, labor and human rights groups...argues for an international right to know...they want large companies that are traded on U.S. stock exchanges and have significant international operations to be required to disclose information that could affect the communities in which they operate...The idea of an international right to know is a creative new approach, and for the companies a not particularly burdensome one. (New York Times, in International Herald Tribune, 24 Jan. 2003)

press release: Coalition Tells World Economic Forum: Building Trust Requires Disclosure - New Report Highlights U.S. Multinationals' Shameful Human Rights, Environmental and Labor Records - a coalition of environmental, development, labor and human rights groups today released a joint report entitled "International Right to Know: Empowering Communities Through Corporate Transparency."  The report documents the irresponsible environmental, labor and human rights practices committed by ExxonMobil, Nike, McDonald's, Unocal, Doe Run, Freeport McMoRan and Newmont Mining. (AFL-CIO, Amnesty International USA, EarthRights International, Friends of the Earth-US, Global Exchange, Oxfam America, Sierra Club, Working Group on Community Right to Know, 22 Jan. 2003)

• full report: International Right to Know: Empowering Communities Through Corporate Transparency (AFL-CIO, Amnesty International USA, EarthRights International, Friends of the Earth-US, Global Exchange, Oxfam America, Sierra Club, Working Group on Community Right to Know, Jan. 2003)

• company websites:
  • ExxonMobil
  • Freeport McMoRan
  • McDonald's
  • Newmont Mining
  • Nike
  • Unocal

RIGHTS-JAMAICA: Conference to Continue Fight for Reparations for Slavery -...Meanwhile the reparations movement has been building steam in Jamaica and throughout the world.  Last October, more than 500 delegates meeting in Barbados created the Pan African Movement, which voted to launch lawsuits this year against former slave-trading nations, including Britain, Germany, Belgium and France. (Dionne Jackson Miller, Inter Press Service, 21 Jan. 2003)

High court [state of Washington Supreme Court] upholds prison work program [USA] -...The case involves a company called MicroJet, which employs prisoners at the Washington State Reformatory in Monroe. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 17 Jan. 2003)

Subversion trial opens for labor activists in northeast China (AFP, 15 Jan. 2003)

ICFTU says the Maldives is paradise for tourists, not workers -...the ICFTU has condemned "a glaring lack of protection for workers' rights" as well as the situation of child labour in the country (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 15 Jan. 2003)

• Internationally recognised core labour standards in the Maldives - The Maldives is not a member of the ILO, and thus has not ratified any of the ILO’s core labour conventions...There are no trade unions in the Maldives...Discrimination against women persists in both law and practice...Child labour is widely reported, particularly in agriculture, fishing and small-scale commercial activities (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 15 Jan. 2003)

Court rejects forced labor suits by Chinese [Japan] - The Kyoto District Court on Wednesday rejected a suit filed by former Chinese laborers and bereaved family members seeking compensation from a major stainless steel producer and the central government for forcibly bringing them to Japan and making them work in nickel mines in Kyoto Prefecture during World War II. (Kyodo News, 15 Jan. 2003)

TotalFinaElf weathers the storms [refers to complaint in a French court alleging the company used forced labor during pipeline construction in Burma] (Kim Housego, Associated Press, 14 Jan. 2003)

Website will give a global voice to Brazil's landless workers - Brazil's landless rural workers will find a new global voice with the launch of a website dedicated to the expression of their culture, plight and projects. (University of Nottingham [UK], 13 Jan. 2003)

CHINA: ICFTU deeply concerned at subversion charges against worker rights activists (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 13 Jan. 2003)

• {···español} CHINA: La CIOSL está profundamente preocupada por la acusación de subversión que pesa sobre militantes de derechos laborales (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 14 enero 2003)

• {···français} CHINE: la CISL très préoccupée par les accusations de subversion retenues à l’encontre de militants des droits des travailleurs (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 14 janvier 2003) 

Supreme Court to take up Nike and free speech [USA] - S.F. activist sued, saying firm lied about working conditions (Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Jan. 2003)

• Supreme Court takes free speech vs. advertising case [USA] - The court will use the case brought against sporting apparel giant Nike to define the differences between corporate free speech and product advertising for companies accused of transgressions such as poor labor and environmental practices. (Josh Richman, Tri-Valley Herald, 11 Jan. 2003)

Sweatshop Retailer of the Year announced -...the Hudson's Bay Company and Wal-Mart were declared joint winners of the award by the Toronto-based Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN). This is the third year MSN has presented awards to companies failing to address sweatshop abuses in their supply factories (Maquila Solidarity Network, 10 Jan. 2003)

Wal-Mart's War on Workers: Frontline Report from Colorado, Texas and Florida - America's Biggest Corporation Turns Into Its Biggest Workplace Bully - Illegal Surveillance, Threats and Intimidation Marks Wal-Mart's Campaign to Suppress Worker Voices - Wal-Mart's claim that its "associates" don't want union representation rings hollow as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issues three new complaints against the retail giant. (UFCW - United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 8 Jan. 2003)

Forced labour in the Punjab agri sector [Pakistan] (A. Ercelawn and Sohnia Ali, Dawn [Pakistan], 6 Jan. 2003)

Minimum wage rise [in Guangzhou, China] will benefit migrant workers (South China Morning Post, on website of Human Rights in China, 2 Jan. 2003)

Garment dispute settled - Labor Dept. to give S.F. workers arrears [USA] (George Raine, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Jan. 2003)

China labour leaders 'face death penalty' - Two labour leaders in China who took part in a big demonstration last year could face the death penalty, reports say. (BBC News, 1 Jan. 2003)

Defending Labor Rights: On the Barricades and In the Boardroom -...At the same time that national governments have failed to regulate the global labor practices of MNCs, international institutions have yet to acquire sufficient power and global support to do so.  Legislators from time to time have considered imposing national and international legal obligations on MNCs operating in foreign countries.  To date, however, these efforts have not yet proved to be fruitful.  NGOs, along with labor unions, have stepped into the power vacuum to become the most conspicuous and vociferous critics of multinational corporations on labor and human rights. (Michael A. Santoro, Assistant Professor, Rutgers Business School, in Brown Journal of World Affairs, winter/spring 2003)

2002:

Tactics of Chinese Government Frustrate Labor Organizers (Philip P. Pan, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2002)

“Our problems can be solved if we workers can exercise our rights” [China] - Released on bail on December 20, Liaoyang labour activist Wang Zhaoming talked about his convictions and his expectations of the international trade union community in his first-ever media interview with China Labour Bulletin on December 27. (China Labour Bulletin, 27 Dec. 2002)

Two of the Liaoyang Four Released on Bail [China] - Having been detained for nine months with no formal charges, Pang Qingxiang and Wang Zhaoming, two of the four arrested Liaoyang workers’ representatives, were released on bail pending trial on December 20, 2002. (China Labour Bulletin, 24 Dec. 2002)

Court Orders Bush Administration Must Give Trade Documents to the Public - A U.S. District Court today ordered the Bush administration to make public documents by revealing U.S. and foreign government positions in trade negotiations with potential impacts on domestic public health, labor, and environmental laws. (Earthjustice, Public Citizen, FOE and CIEL, 19 Dec. 2002)

Implementation Of A Worldwide Initiative For An Independent, Ethical Manufacturing Auditing Process - The International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) announces today the start of the implementation of a worldwide initiative for an independent, ethical manufacturing auditing process that will be implemented by toy manufacturers representing more than 95% of toys sold worldwide. (International Council of Toy Industries, 18 Dec. 2002)

press release: ASrIA releases first comprehensive report on labour standards in China -...The report presents the key issues and raises the fundamental dilemmas that fund managers who consider social and environmental factors as well as financial and operational factors in investment decisions may need to address when determining whether to invest in a company. (ASrIA - Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia, 17 Dec. 2002)

• report: Labour Standards in China, The Business and Investment Challenge [refers to loopholes in local labour laws, difficulties in enforcing third party verification, influence of the All-China Confederation of Free Trade Unions] [summary can be downloaded from webpage] (Dr. Stephen Frost, ASrIA - Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia, Dec. 2002)

HIV/AIDS: Challenges to trade unions [Nigeria] -...the General Secretary of the NLC [Nigeria Labour Congress], Comrade John Odah, in his paper titled, "A module on AIDS and the Workplace," on how unionists should tackle the issue of HIV/AIDS, regretted that Trade Unions in Nigeria have done little or nothing to assist in the campaign against HIV/AIDS. (Chioma Obinna, Vanguard [Nigeria], 17 Dec. 2002)

No Sweat on Campus - Growing number of Canadian Universities reject sweatshop gear (Canadian Labour Congress, 13 Dec. 2002)

Press release - Pilot project of the Clean Clothes Campaign (Switzerland): Findings of the follow up visits to the Indian suppliers - The Pilot project on independent monitoring set up in 2000 by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and by Migros, Switcher and Veillon to monitor compliance with the Code of Conduct has issued its first report. (Clean Clothes Campaign Switzerland, 12 Dec. 2002)

• {···français} Communiqué de presse - Conditions de travail: Resultats des contrôles de fabriques textiles in Inde - Le projet-pilote de contrôle indépendant créé en 2000 par la campagne Clean Clothes (CCC) et par Migros, Switcher et Veillon pour vérifier le respect du Code de Conduite publie son premier rapport. (campagne Clean Clothes [Suisse], 12 décembre 2002)

• Pilot project on independent monitoring: Summary report on the follow-up visit to Avpani (supplier to Migros) (Clean Clothes Campaign Switzerland, Dec. 2002)

• {···français} Résumé du rapport de contrôle indépendant du fournisseur indien de Migros (campagne Clean Clothes [Suisse], décembre 2002)

• Pilot project on independent monitoring: Summary report on the follow-up visit to Patiala (supplier to Switcher) (Clean Clothes Campaign Switzerland, Dec. 2002)

• {···français} Résumé du rapport de contrôle indépendant du fournisseur indien de Switcher (campagne Clean Clothes [Suisse], décembre 2002)

• Pilot project on independent monitoring: Summary report on the follow-up visit to Bijapur (supplier to Veillon) (Clean Clothes Campaign Switzerland, Dec. 2002)

• {···français} Résumé du rapport de contrôle indépendant du fournisseur indien de Veillon (campagne Clean Clothes [Suisse], décembre 2002)

10 December- International Human Rights Day: 151 trade unionists murdered in Colombia this year (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 10 Dec. 2002)

• {···español} En Colombia fueron asesinados este año 151 sindicalistas (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 10 diciembre 2002)

• {···français} 151 syndicalistes ont été assassinés cette année en Colombie (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 10 décembre 2002)

Morgan Stanley and the New Class War - Morgan Stanley, the US-based investment banking giant, has issued a declaration of war on organized labour. In a recent "research note" to investors, Morgan Stanley US equity strategist Steve Galbraith advised them to "look for the union label…and run the other way." (IUF - International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations, 6 Dec. 2002)

Lingering relics of the apartheid era will be shafted [South Africa] - South Africa's migrant labour system and single-sex hostels are among the few remaining relics of the apartheid era...The socioeconomic focus of the mining charter forces mining companies to tackle employee living conditions head on by making it a condition of awarding or renewing licences under the new regime. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 6 Dec. 2002)

Farmers complying with inspections [South Africa] - Only a few South African farmers are preventing labour department inspectors from accessing their farms...He [Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana] emphasised that the government would ensure that all farmers implemented and were compliant with the relevant labour legislation. (Business Day [South Africa], 6 Dec. 2002)

• Labour officials denied access to farms - Cosatu [South Africa] - Labour inspections on most farms were often difficult to carry out as farmers denied government officials access to their properties, the inquiry into human rights violations on farming communities heard on Wednesday. (Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 4 Dec. 2002)

Activists to petition UM [University of Montana] to end Coca-Cola contract [USA] - University of Montana students and community members will ask UM officials Thursday to end the school’s exclusive contract with Coca-Cola. The request is the result of Coca-Cola workers and union leaders being killed in Colombia, according to a release from three human rights organizations. (Donna Syvertson, The Missoulian [USA], 5 Dec. 2002)

Mexico Exporting Prison-Made Products - Prison officials in northern Mexico say their inmates are manufacturing furniture bound for Texas — despite U.S. laws that ban the importation of goods made with prison labor...Del Riego [prison director for Tamaulipas state, Manuel del Riego] said 150 foreign companies, including many in the United States, had expressed interest in setting up production lines at the 11 prisons in Tamaulipas. (Julie Watson, Associated Press, 3 Dec. 2002)

Declaration by unions challenges state, business [South Africa] - Three of South Africa’s largest union federations have drafted a declaration to challenge government and private employers to do more to fight HIV/Aids, and to refrain from discriminating against HIV-positive employees. (Herald [South Africa], 2 Dec. 2002)

• Labour unions demand access to HIV/AIDS treatment [South Africa] (SAPA, 1 Dec. 2002)

South Africa to introduce minimum wages for farm workers - The government announced Monday that it would set minimum wages for farm laborers as from next year, saying the measure was necessary to protect one of the country's most exploited groups of workers...A recent study into working conditions on farms found that laborers had the lowest literacy rates in the country and that women were usually paid less and enjoyed fewer benefits than men. (Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2002)

Report: Gender & Codes - If You Want to Help Us Then Start Listening to Us! From Factories and Plantations in Central America, Women Speak out about Corporate Responsibility -...for this study we focus on women workers in Nicaragua, in two sectors - clothing factories and banana plantations...Across Central America women workers have organised, calling on companies to address their concerns, including health and safety, discrimination, sexual harassment, low salaries, long working hours, freedom of association and right to collective bargaining, especially given weak enforcement of national and international labour legislation. (Marina Prieto and Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, Dec. 2002)

Rights Group Hails Boycott of Burmese Goods by U.S. Firm - Pro-democracy campaigners in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, have hailed a ban on Burmese clothing by one of the United States largest coat factories [Burlington coat factory]. (Kalyani, OneWorld South Asia, 29 Nov. 2002) 

Striking Vietnamese 'hit with bars' - At least four Vietnamese men have been taken to hospital after a group of factory managers allegedly attacked striking workers with metal bars...The general manager of the Taiwanese-owned furniture factory, Chen Chung Hoan, has apologised and promised to rectify the breaches of labour law within a fortnight. (Clare Arthurs, BBC News, 29 Nov. 2002)

ICFTU harshly criticises Venezuela for trade union rights abuses and 'widespread' child labour [including child labour in agriculture] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 29 Nov. 2002)

• {···español} La CIOSL critica duramente a Venezuela por los abusos de derechos sindicales y el trabajo infantil “generalizado” (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 29 noviembre 2002)

• {···français} La CISL critique sévèrement le Venezuela pour avoir bafoué les droits syndicaux et généralisé le travail des enfants (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 29 novembre 2002)

ICFTU denounces new anti-human rights draft law in Hong Kong [that could threaten independent trade unions in Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 29 Nov. 2002)

• {···español} La CIOSL denuncia nuevo proyecto de ley de Hong Kong contraria a los derechos humanos (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 29 noviembre 2002)

• {···français} La CISL dénonce un nouveau projet de loi hostile aux droits de l'homme à Hong Kong (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 29 novembre 2002)

Women activists seek rights' protection [Indonesia] [includes reference to sexual harassment and violence in the workplace, exploitation of female laborers] (Debbie A. Lubis, Jakarta Post, 26 Nov. 2002)

Janitors here custodians of civil rights movement [Pittsburgh, USA] -...Topping Burgess' list of Quality Service's sins were instances of racial discrimination (Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 26 Nov. 2002)

Bosses trying to axe unions, seminar told [Thailand] - Employers are trying to abolish labour unions at their companies, a seminar was told yesterday. (Penchan Charoensutthipan, Bangkok Post, 25 Nov. 2002)

ILO standards: a dilemma for labour laws [Pakistan] (M.S. Jamal, Dawn [Pakistan], 25 Nov. 2002)

Labour hire outfit denies MPs' claims [Namibia] - A labour hire company [APS - Africa Personnel Services] has denied allegations by Members of Parliament that it is promoting "slave labour" (Max Hamata, The Namibian, 25 Nov. 2002)

Cheap products' human cost - China's success in the PC revolution lies in its mostly young and low-wage workers, who put in stunning amounts of overtime -...With its estimated 100 million migrant workers and its notoriety for low wages and lax enforcement of labor and environmental laws, China is fast becoming the world's premier electronic workshop...Pilla [a Microsoft spokesman] said Microsoft plans to monitor compliance with labor standards as part of routine quality audits of its contractor factories. [also refers to Dell, Flextronics, Seagate] (Karl Schoenberger, San Jose Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2002)

Congress assails use of prison labor [USA] - Congressmen on Thursday criticized a government-run corporation that uses prisoners to make products, saying it puts other Americans out of work. Federal Prison Industries Inc. makes 150 products, including office furniture, electronics and textiles, and its entire product line is sold exclusively to federal agencies. (Nedra Pickler, Associated Press, 22 Nov. 2002)

Sweatshop campaigners demand Gap boycott - Union appeals to shoppers as evidence from factory workers alleges exploitative conditions...They [activists] presented a New York conference yesterday with documented evidence of "abusive working conditions" collected from interviews with 200 people in more than 40 factories making Gap garments in Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Lesotho, El Salvador and Mexico (Felicity Lawrence, Guardian [UK], 22 Nov. 2002)

ILO: Report On Trade Unions Cites Concerns In Belarus, Latin America The International Labor Organization's Committee on Freedom of Association issued a report yesterday citing concern about the violation of trade union rights in Belarus, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and other nations. (UN Wire, 22 Nov. 2002)

"They will not kill our spirit" - Despite violence and intimidation, banana workers in Ecuador have just completed a six month-long strike on the Noboa plantations. (War on Want, 22 Nov. 2002)

Gap hit by 'sweatshop' protests - Gap is being targeted by activists who are telling Christmas shoppers that the struggling multi-national clothes retailer is encouraging the exploitation of workers. Gap workers from Indonesia, Lesotho and El Salvador were presented at a press conference in Manhattan to describe how they were paid very little to work long hours making Gap clothes in factories full of health hazards and brutal working conditions. (BBC News, 21 Nov. 2002)

• Gap under fire over labour rights - A US labour rights group unveiled a report, accusing retail clothing giant Gap Inc. of severely exploiting factory workers in developing countries. (AFP, 21 Nov. 2002)

US bank in hot water after telling clients to pull out of unionised firms - One of America's leading investment banks, Morgan Stanley, has outraged US unions by telling clients to pull their money out of heavily unionised industries. (Charlotte Denny, Guardian [UK], 21 Nov. 2002)

Court rejects S Koreans' claim over forced labor [Japan] - The Osaka High Court on Tuesday upheld a district court ruling rejecting a compensation claim filed by two South Korean men [against Nippon Steel] over their forced labor in Osaka during World War II. (Kyodo News, 20 Nov. 2002)

Demonstrators to target Wal-Mart [USA] -...When placard-toting demonstrators converge Thursday at Wal-Mart stores in Wisconsin and other states, they'll demand that the world's largest retailer raise wages, improve health care benefits and stop alleged bullying of workers who want to join unions. (Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2002)

Before Central American Free Trade Agreement Can Move Forward Country by Country Assessment of Workers Rights Needed - LCHR “Particularly Concerned” About Serious Abuses in Guatemala - The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights urged U.S. officials to ensure that basic workers rights protection were included in a soon-to-be-negotiated Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) at a hearing today in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. (Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 19 Nov. 2002)

ICFTU condemns incarceration of trade unionists in South Korea - Following the arrest of 241 striking hospital workers and the subsequent imprisonment of a further 7 union leaders in South Korea, on Friday 15 November, the ICFTU lodged a formal complaint against the country at the International Labour Organisation (ILO). (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 18 Nov. 2002)

• {···español} La CIOSL condena el encarcelamiento de sindicalistas en Corea del Sur (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 19 noviembre 2002)

• {···français} La CISL condamne l'incarcération de syndicalistes en Corée du Sud (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 18 novembre 2002)

Wal-Mart Stores faces 'unprecedented' union drive [USA] - AFL-CIO - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the top US retailer, faces an unprecedented pressure campaign to allow its workers to join unions and end alleged labor abuses and unfair business practices, the AFL-CIO said Monday. (AFX News, 18 Nov. 2002)

• Labor, rights groups plan Wal-Mart protests - Labor unions and women's rights groups plan to press retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for better treatment of its employees at events on Thursday in 40 U.S. cities (Reuters, 18 Nov. 2002)

Union bails out exploited sailors - An international union investigation of sub-standard pay and conditions affecting seamen on foreign ships trading in Australian waters has netted close to 20 offenders. (AAP, in Herald Sun [Australia], 18 Nov. 2002)

Slave Labor: Trafficking in women and children -...Q: How did you estimate that 50,000 women and children are sold annually in the US?  A:...Many women and children are trafficked into the sex industry, but not all. Other trafficking involves things like sweatshop labor (Kristen Lombardi, The Phoenix [USA], 14-21 Nov. 2002)

Nike in free speech battle [Kasky v. Nike: U.S. court case relating to Nike’s treatment of workers in a Vietnam factory] (Rebecca Spencer, Corporate Watch [UK], 13 Nov. 2002)

WTO Talks Must Consider Labor Rights - The NSW [New South Wales, Australia] Labor Council has called on the participants in the Informal World Trade Organisation Meeting being held in Sydney to commit to complying with minimum labour standards. (Labor Council of New South Wales, 13 Nov. 2002)

Short-sighted victories in free speech - The case against Nike in the US [Kasky v. Nike, case alleging false advertising regarding labour conditions]...could have devastating consequences for companies and campaigners alike, says Mallen Baker -...The risks involved in disclosure have just gone through the roof. (Mallen Baker, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 13 Nov. 2002)

CLB [China Labour Bulletin] Statement on ACFTU Deputy Chairman's Recent Remarks on Yao Fuxin - At a press conference during the recent 16th Party Congress, All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) Deputy Chairman Zhang Junjiu stated that Liaoyang workers representative Yao Fuxin had been detained because he had broken Chinese law by carrying out car-bombings and not because he had organised a workers campaign.  CLB expresses outrage that no sooner has the ACFTU won a seat on the ILO Governing Body in Geneva as a deputy worker member than it began to unscrupulously slander Chinese workers engaged in peaceful organising to struggle for their legal rights. (China Labour Bulletin, 12 Nov. 2002)

CLC [Canadian Labour Congress] launches workers rights site (Darren Yourk, Globe and Mail [Canada], 12 Nov. 2002)

Trade unions in China play important role: official -...Zhang [Zhang Junjiu, vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions] said that the trade unions have played an important role in promoting democratic management inside enterprises and helping safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of employees. (Xinhua News Agency, 11 Nov. 2002)

ILO: Governing Body Discusses Labor Rights, Development - The International Labor Organization's governing body opened its 285th session yesterday in Geneva, focusing on reports of forced labor in Myanmar...delegates will address developments in Colombia, where 100 unionists have reportedly been killed this year. They will consider proposals to extend funding for a special technical program to secure the rights of Colombian unionists, promote freedom of association and the right to organize, and promote social dialogue to stop violence. (UN Wire, 8 Nov. 2002)

Trico USA Accepts the Right to Organize -...In the agreement, Trico has obligated themselves to send a letter to every one of the employees ensuring that the company accepts the right to organize and the company declares that there shall be no discrimination or harassment of pro-union workers. (NOPEF, 8 Nov. 2002)

Liaoyang Workers Still Fighting [China] -...thousands of people from state-owned enterprises in the town demonstrated in front of the city government offices demanding the release of their arrested representatives (China Labour Bulletin, 7 Nov. 2002)

ICFTU criticises discrimination and trade union rights violations in Japan -...while the proportion of women in the labour force has remained at approximately 40 per cent in recent years, women continue to be under-represented in senior and management posts, only 9 per cent of which are held by women. Recent surveys also suggest that nearly 70 per cent of working women have experienced sexual harassment (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 5 Nov. 2002)

• {···español} La CIOSL critica la discriminación [contra la mujer] y las violaciones de derechos sindicales que se cometen en Japón (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 5 noviembre 2002)

• {···français} La CISL critique la discrimination [contre les femmes] et les infractions aux droits syndicaux au Japon (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 5 novembre 2002)

Labour inspectors shut down factory [South Africa] - Labour inspectors stopped operations at a plastics manufacturer in Ga-Rankhuwa, north-west of Pretoria, on Tuesday because of unsafe working conditions. (South African Press Association, 5 Nov. 2002)

NI-Lithuanian labour trafficking exposed  [UK/Lithuania] - Hundreds of workers are being brought in from Eastern Europe to work on Northern Ireland farms in harsh conditions on false promises of high pay (BBC News, 5 Nov. 2002)

Dairy firm workers threaten to strike [Kenya] - The employees have also accused the firm’s [Premier Dairy Company's] management of denying them their basic rights by barring them from joining any trade union. (Daniel Korir, Kenya Broadcasting Corp., 2 Nov. 2002)

Defining Global Business Principles: Towards a new role for investors in promoting international corporate responsibility [refers to human rights, labour issues, environmental issues; includes sections entitled "Globalisation and coporate responsibility", "Global ethical principles", "The Global Business Principles Project"]  (Dr. Craig Mackenzie, Head of Investor Responsibility, Insight Investment, Nov. 2002)

Unity Platform on Corporate Accountability - After Enron, WorldCom, and Other Scandals 200 Global Justice Groups Call for Corporate Accountability - The statement outlines an agenda for public funding of elections, an overhaul of corporate governance, controls on speculative investment, stronger labor and environmental obligations, an end to international corporate welfare, and a redefinition of financial accountability, among other proposals. (US-based global justice groups, 29 Oct. 2002) 

Car firm probes union 'betrayal' claim - The car firm DaimlerChrysler has announced an external inquiry into claims that one of its subsidiaries handed over 14 union activists to Argentina's military dictatorship in the 1970s. (BBC News, 28 Oct. 2002)

• Argentina: DaimlerChrysler opens human rights inquiry...The Commission is expected to investigate the "disappearance" of some 14 trade union members working in the Mercedes-Benz factory -- now owned by DaimlerChrysler -- at González Catán, Buenos Aires Province, in 1976 and 1977. (Amnesty International, 28 Oct. 2002)

Burma boycott campaign stepped up -...The group [ICFTU] believes that any foreign company doing business in Burma is providing support to "one of the world's most savage dictatorships". It says the military junta approves foreign investments individually, and is directly responsible for the widespread and growing use of forced labour, often on infrastructure projects connected to the needs of foreign firms. (BBC News, 28 Oct. 2002)

'Labour code to be formulated to protect workers' right' [Banglaesh] (Daily Star [Bangladesh], 28 Oct. 2002)

ICFTU releases Global Unions list of over 325 multinational companies which have business links with Burmese dictatorship (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 28 Oct. 2002)

• {···español} La CIOSL publica una lista de más de 325 compañías multinacionales que tienen vínculos comerciales con la dictadura birmana (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 28 octubre 2002) (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 28 octubre 2002)

• {···français} 325 entreprises multinationales sur la sellette pour leurs liens commerciaux avec la dictature birmane (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 28 octobre 2002) 

Nike, Adidas, Reebok and New Balance Made in China [working conditions and labour rights abuses] (Li Qiang, China Labor Watch, 25 Oct. 2002)

ICFTU Report Denounces Massive Child Labour and Deteriorating Workers’ Rights in Zambia -...children are still toiling in even the worst forms of child labour such as small scale mining operations, agriculture and stone crushing...a deteriorating situation as regards violation of basic workers’ rights in the private sector, including by multinationals...Women are severely disadvantaged....Zambians...infected [with HIV-AIDS] face discrimination in employment as a result of their condition. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 25 Oct. 2002)

• {···español} La CIOSL denuncia en un informe la masiva utilización de trabajo infantil y la deterioración de los derechos laborales en Zambia (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 25 octubre 2002)

• {···français} Zambie: la CISL dénonce le recours en masse au travail des enfants et les violations croissantes des droits des travailleurs (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 25 octobre 2002)  (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 25 octobre 2002) 

US crafts labor, green sanctions on trade pacts - The United States and some of its closest trading partners would face millions of dollars in fines if they fail to enforce their own labor and environmental laws as a way of gaining a trade advantage, under a plan being drafted by the Bush administration...Seligman [trade specialist with the Sierra Club] said the new trade law sets "a very low bar" of guidelines for labor and environmental enforcement standards. (Reuters, 25 Oct. 2002)

Oil Giant Refutes Workers' Claim of Forced Labor in Myanmar - French oil giant TotalFina-Elf flatly rejected accusations by a global trade union body Monday that its investments in Myanmar (formerly Burma) were directly linked to forced labor used for road-building and other heavy work around the Yadana oil pipeline (Kalyani, OneWorld South Asia, 22 Oct. 2002)

• Trade Union Group Charges Burma with Using Forced Labor - The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions says Burma is using more forced labor, often in projects involving foreign companies. (Ron Corben, Voice of America, 21 Oct. 2002)

U.S.-China Summit Must Focus on Rights -...Bush should use U.S. trade links with China to push for respect for Chinese workers' rights to free expression, association and assembly; lifting of restrictions on independent unions; and acceptance of a mission from the International Labor Organization on freedom of association. The United States should also urge the immediate release of detained labor activists. (Human Rights Watch, 22 Oct. 2002)

CHILD LABOR: Activists Seek Preventive Action In Nicaragua, Ecuador - Human Rights Watch Investigates Child Labor Issues In Ecuador (UN Wire, 22 Oct. 2002)

• {···español} La entidad Human Rights espera informe laboral [Ecuador] - El informe: “La cosecha mal habida”, de la organización internacional de derechos humanos Human Rights Watch (HRW), ha causado diferentes reacciones en el país. En el documento, publicado en Washington, en abril de este año, se abordan tres problemas. El trabajo infantil, el trabajo infantil en condiciones peligrosas y los limitantes impuestos por las empresas bananeras a la formación de sindicatos de obreros. (El Comercio [Ecuador], 21 octubre 2002)

New ICFTU evidence of increasing forced labour in Burma and multinational enterprise involvement -...Evidence submitted by the ICFTU to the United Nations’ ILO in a 350-page report includes allegations of connections between oil giant, TOTALFINA-ELF, the Burmese military and the use of forced labour. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 21 Oct. 2002)

• {···español} La CIOSL esgrime nuevas pruebas de un incremento del trabajo forzoso en Birmania y la participación de multinacionales -...La evidencia proporcionada a la OIT, agencia especializada de Naciones Unidas por la CIOSL en un informe de 350 páginas, incluye alegaciones de vinculación entre uno de los gigantes del petróleo, TOTALFINA-ELF, el gobierno militar birmano y el empleo de trabajo forzoso. (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 21 octubre 2002)

• {···français} La CISL apporte de nouvelles preuves d’un accroissement du travail forcé et de l’implication des entreprises multinationales [Birmanie] -...Le rôle du géant pétrolier français TOTALFINA-ELF, depuis longtemps présent en Birmanie, est particulièrement mis en lumière dans ces nouveaux témoignages. (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 21 octobre 2002)

ILO & Russian Business Focus on Labour Rights - Ten leading representatives of the Russian business community together with the representatives of UN agencies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labour and Social Development attended a meeting on 24 September organized by the ILO on the important issue of Discrimination. (U.N. Global Compact, 17 Oct. 2002)

California supreme court decision potentially devastating for corporate responsibility reporting and SRI funds worldwide - The decision by the California courts against Nike [in the case of Kasky v Nike, relating to Nike's public defense of allegations of “sweatshop” labour in its Asian factories] has created a great deal of uncertainty among US corporations, reports Peter Clarke (Peter Clarke, Director of SRIMedia, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 17 Oct. 2002)

Elements of Style: Raging Bulls - High Fashion and Exploitation -...Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR), a $27 billion conglomerate which owns, along with glittery businesses like Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and Gucci, the decidedly unglamorous Brylane, a catalog warehouse in Indianapolis that is facing fierce management opposition in its struggle to unionize. UNITE also wants to put pressure on PPR to stop using sweatshop labor in the thousands of factories it has contracts with around the world. (Lynn Yaeger, Village Voice, 16-22 Oct. 2002)

Union activists denounce McDonald's Union busting (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 16 Oct. 2002)

• {···español} Militantes sindicales denuncian prácticas antisindicales de McDonald's (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 17 octubre 2002)

Increasing standards in the supply chain - Michael Allen suggests that sustainable “supply chainge” requires an inside-out approach to transforming workplace culture -...Codes remain vital for setting a basic floor of rights and standards covering such issues as health and safety, working time and fair treatment of workers. But a growing number of global firms recognise the need to move the agenda beyond compliance and develop sustainable approaches to supply chain labor issues (Michael Allen, Director of External Affairs with the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 15 Oct. 2002)

NGWF demands fair wage and trade for garment sector [Bangladesh] - The National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) formed a human chain in the city yesterday demanding fair wage and trade for garment sector. (Daily Star [Bangladesh], 15 Oct. 2002)

When Workers Organize, China's Party-Run Unions Resist -...One reason workers wield so little leverage against employers is China's strict ban on independent unions. (Philip P. Pan, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2002)

Outcome in Saipan labor case welcomed - The Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association issued a press release yesterday to say that it is pleased with the outcome of a lawsuit that alleged sweatshop conditions in the Saipan garment industry. (Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno, Pacific Daily News, 15 Oct. 2002)

Our hidden shame: textile sweatshops [Australia] - About 4000 underpaid textile workers are slaving in Third World conditions in illegal Brisbane sweatshops, according to a clothing industry union...Children as young as 10 were also forced to work long hours in appalling conditions. (Nikki Voss, Sunday Mail [Australia], 13 Oct. 2002)

ILO, ADB join forces to improve labour standards, promote development - The International Labour Office (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have joined forces to improve labour standards as a means of promoting development and reducing poverty in the Asia-Pacific region...The meeting recommended that Governments, the ADB and the ILO highlight labour standards in policy dialogue with governments; promote improved labour standards by designing projects, e.g., to address child labour, improve occupational safety, reduce discrimination at the workplace or eliminate bonded labour; strengthen monitoring of working conditions in the region... (International Labour Organization, 11 Oct. 2002)

• {···español} La OIT y el BAD aúnan fuerzas para mejorar las normas del trabajo y promover el desarrollo (Organización Internacional del Trabajo, 11 octubre 2002)

• {···français} Le BIT et la BAsD s'unissent pour améliorer les normes du travail et promouvoir le développement (Organisation internationale du Travail, 11 octobre 2002)

Call to end 'discriminatory' pensions [UK] - Hundreds of thousands of people are missing out on adequate pensions due to legal anomalies, a leading union has warned...Under existing rules, women, younger people and people in same-sex relationships miss out, the Transport & General Workers' Union (T&G) said. (BBC News, 11 Oct. 2002)

ICFTU Submission in October 2002 for the World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalisation (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 10 Oct. 2002)

Activists bring their complaints home to Taiwan - DISPUTE: US workers for plants owned by Taiwan's Koo's Group are angry and they have brought their grievances across the Pacific to Koo's doorstep - Hundreds of labor and environmental activists from 16 countries yesterday protested in front of the Taiwan Cement Corp building in Taipei to urge the Koo's Group to solve disputes involving one of its subsidiaries in the US. The protesters claim that Koo's Group's Continental Carbon Co violated environmental protection and labor rights laws [in USA] (Chiu Yu-Tzu, Taipei Times, 10 Oct. 2002)

Korean firms [operating in Indonesia] warned over labor issue - About 20 out of 40 South Korean companies operating in Bogor regency have been placed on a watchlist by the local council for their reportedly poor treatment of workers...Among the companies placed on the watchlist are PT Jinin, PT Dae Wong, PT Dae Han Texindo, PT Dasan Dunia, PT Aurora, PT Simone and PT Aigi Samijaya. (Jakarta Post, 10 Oct. 2002)

McDonald’s Trade Union activists in Brussels - Today, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will meet with McDonalds' union activists from around the world to discuss the company’s anti-union activities (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 9 Oct. 2002)

• {···français} Des militants syndicaux de McDonald’s à Bruxelles - Aujourd’hui, des membres du Parlement européen rencontreront des militants syndicaux de McDonald’s venus de toutes les régions du globe pour discuter des activités antisyndicales de l’entreprise (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 10 octobre 2002)

Bertelsmann offers regret for its Nazi-era conduct - The German media conglomerate Bertelsmann expressed regret today for its conduct under the Nazis, and for later efforts to cover it up, as a group of scholars issued an extensive report documenting the company's collaboration. (Mark Landler, New York Times, in Financial Times, 9 Oct. 2002)

• Channel 5 owner [Bertelsmann] admits profiting from Nazi era -...an investigation by the company has found that it worked hand-in-glove with the Third Reich, made profits from publishing anti-Semitic works and used Jewish slave labourers. (John Hooper, Guardian [UK], 9 Oct. 2002)

• Bertelsmann admits Nazi past (BBC News, 8 Oct. 2002)

South Africa: ICFTU condemns killings of two mineworkers - In a letter to South African President Thabo Mbeki, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has vigorously condemned the killing last Monday of two mineworkers at a prominent goldmine following shots fired by the Security guards of the East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM). (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 9 Oct. 2002)

• Letter of Protest [from ICFTU to South African President Thabo Mbeki]: South Africa: Killing of striking miners (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 9 Oct. 2002)

• Mine guards in court on murder charges [South Africa] - Two East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM) security guards are expected to appear in court on Tuesday on murder and attempted murder charges. (SAPA, 8 Oct. 2002)

• Labour Minister Orders Probe After ERPM Strikers Shot Dead [South Africa] - Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana has ordered an investigation into the causes of the strike at East Rand Proprietary Mines' (ERPM) after two striking workers were shot dead by security guards at the Boksburg mine on Monday. (South African Press Association, 7 Oct. 2002)

• Violence rocks mine: two men killed [South Africa] - Two gold miners were killed and at least seven were injured on Monday when shots were fired on striking miners at a South African gold mine, a union official said. (SAPA, Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 7 Oct. 2002)

• Things Fall Apart At Erpm [South Africa] (Stewart Bailey, Miningweb, 7 Oct. 2002)

GPIC forms trade union - Bahrain's first company trade union became a reality last night, following an election at the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC). (Gulf Daily News [Bahrain], 9 Oct. 2002)

Disney Pressed on Factory in Bangladesh -...The Campaign for the Abolition of Sweatshops and Child Labor...accused Disney of ending an eight-year relationship with Shah Makhdum garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh earlier this year. Coalition members claim Disney pulled out after workers publicly complained about poor working conditions. The company denies the allegations. Rahman described 14-hour days, seven-day work weeks and beatings if workers did not meet quotas..."  The women's demand is that Disney return to the factory immediately, but this time do it correctly (Associated Press, 8 Oct. 2002)

McDonald's targeted for Oct 16 worldwide boycott over labour rights - Two international trade union groups have called for a worldwide consumer boycott of McDonald's Corp on Oct 16 because of what they describe as the fast food chain's blatant disregard of labour laws (AFX, 8 Oct. 2002)

UAW presses for action on human rights violations in China - Below, the text of a letter from UAW President Ron Gettelfinger to President Bush urging him to advocate for the freedom of imprisoned trade unionists in China. (UAW - United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, 8 Oct. 2002)

Full-time labor attorney fights for migrant workers' rights [South Korea] - A Korean certified labor lawyer has recently become the first full-time attorney working to improve the rights of foreign workers, according to the Center for Foreign Workers in Seoul yesterday. (Park Eun-myo, Korea Herald, 8 Oct. 2002)

{···español} Carta de Protesta: Colombia: Asesinatos, amenazas, atropellos en fines de agosto-septiembre (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 7 octubre 2002)

{···español} Carta de protesta: Colombia: Atentado contra SINTRAEMCALI (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 7 octubre 2002)

Wal-Mart ponders appeal in LV [Las Vegas] case: Retail giant says it obeys labor laws [USA] - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., arguing it obeys federal labor laws, said its lawyers are considering whether to appeal a ruling by a federal officer that found the giant retailer violated labor laws in its fight against a national union organizing drive originating at 14 Las Vegas stores. (Grace Leong, Las Vegas Sun, 7 Oct. 2002)

Dominican Republic: high-risk work in free trade zones and sugar cane plantations - In a new report produced for the WTO's review of trade policies of the Dominican Republic (7 to 9 October), the ICFTU denounces the serious infringements of workers’ human and trade union rights, particularly in the country’s free trade zones and sugar plantations. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 7 Oct. 2002)

• {···español} República Dominicana: trabajo de alto riesgo en las zonas francas y en las plantaciones de caña de azúcar (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 7 octubre 2002)

• {···français} République Dominicaine : travail à haut risque dans les zones franches et les plantations de cannes à sucre (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 7 octobre 2002)

• Dominican Republic Assailed on Labor Rights (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 8 Oct. 2002)

A War Waiting to Be Fought -...Recently, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, launched an attack on casualisation of the workforce in the country when it went about picketing companies, which thrived in casual labour in addition to operating a regime of poor working conditions....the NLC...has visited a number of companies and told their operators to convert their casual workforce to regular staff.  In Lagos , the NLC officials visited Eleganza Industries Limited, Dunlop Nigeria Limited, Afribank Nigeria plc and West African Household and Utensils Manufacturing Company Limited, WAHUM with its picketing hammer.  Chevron Nigeria Limited and Statoil Company were also picketed in the oil sector. The NLC also picketed factories of Unilever plc in Agbara, Ogun State as well as the factories of Michelin Nigeria Limited in Port Harcourt . (Obong Akpaekong, Newswatch [Nigeria], 6 Oct. 2002)

GARMENT INDUSTRY: Bangladesh, ILO Seek Better Work Conditions - The International Labor Organization and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association have launched a $2.1 million program to improve working conditions in Bangladeshi garment factories...The program...will seek to promote occupational health and safety, improve human resource management and monitor the elimination of child labor. (UN Wire, 3 Oct. 2002)

ILO gives Cambodian garment factories thumbs up - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) gave working conditions in Cambodia's garment factories a relatively clean bill of health on Wednesday, saying there was scant evidence of forced or child labour. (Reuters, 2 Oct. 2002)

Labor Department lobbies California to pay garment workers -...According to the Oakland office of Sweatshop Watch, an industry watchdog group, more than 200 garment workers -- mostly Chinese immigrant women -- worked for months without pay at Wins of California, Win Fashion and Win Industries of America....Wins made clothing for customers such as the U.S. Army and Air Force, Sears, Wal-Mart and Kmart. (Ian Stewart, Associated Press, 2 Oct. 2002)

Woes of women in work [Bangladesh] - Some 51 women workers of different factories and institutions were sexually abused, five of them were brutally killed after rape in the first six months of this year in the country. Disclosing a recent report prepared by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) on the basis of reports published in 12 national dailies, executives of the BILS told a press conference yesterday that of the total rape victims, 31 were garment workers, 10 housemaids, three were workers of fish processing units, two NGO workers and five of other sectors. (Independent [Bangladesh], 1 Oct. 2002)

Wal-Mart faulted for LV [Las Vegas] anti-union tactics [USA] - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. violated labor laws in its fight against a national union organizing drive originating at 14 Las Vegas stores, a federal official has ruled. (Grace Leong, Las Vegas Sun, 30 Sep. 2002)

Activist 'was unfairly demoted' [UK] - A leading union activist sacked from his job as train driver [by South West Trains] for speeding offences was unfairly demoted, an industrial tribunal ruled today...The tribunal decided Mr Tucker had been "singled out for his trade union activities..." (Dick Murray, Evening Standard [UK], 30 Sep. 2002)

Trailblazers pay 'in blood' for legal action on rights [Australia] - Employers must be flexible enough to accommodate their workers' family responsibilities or risk legal action, lawyers are warning after women successfully took their bosses to court. The law protecting working women's rights has become considerably clearer over the past year following a series of legal victories by trailblazers who took on their companies. (Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Sep. 2002)

Five years off for parents: new test case [Australia] - Employers would have to hold open the jobs of working parents for up to five years after the birth of a child under a union test case to extend unpaid maternity leave. In a far-reaching bid to entrench working parents' rights in the industrial system, the case will also claim parents are entitled to part-time work, flexible hours and extra holidays. (Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Sep. 2002)

Guards want to join labor union [Indonesia] - The Federation of Independent Workers Union (FSPM) protested on Friday a police circular which prohibits a security guard to join the workers union for fears of a conflict of interest (Jakarta Post, 30 Sep. 2002)

Davis Signs WWII Guest Workers' Bill [USA] - Gov. Gray Davis [of California] signed legislation Sunday to give Mexican workers more time to recover wages they say were denied them when they came to the United States to work during World War II...The law is intended to help "braceros," the more than 300,000 Mexican farm workers who were contracted by the U.S. government to relieve the labor shortage during World War II...The guest workers and their heirs in 2001 sued the U.S. and Mexican governments and Wells Fargo Bank to recover the money. A U.S. District Court judge dismissed much of the suit in August, but workers' attorneys say they will continue to try to pursue the case. (Louise Chu, AP, 29 Sep. 2002)

For anti-sweatshop activists, recent settlement [by apparel companies in lawsuit over labour rights in Saipan] is only tip of iceberg - "While we have some significant victories like the Saipan one, companies at the same time are moving in the opposite direction, continuing to gravitate toward countries with as few safeguards for workers' rights as possible,"...in 2005...Retailers are expected to switch their manufacturing outsourcing from Saipan and other relatively high-cost locales to China, where wages are rock-bottom, labor abuses are ignored and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is a compliant tool of the government. (Robert Collier, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Sep. 2002)

Clothiers fold on sweatshop lawsuit Saipan workers to get millions; Levi holds out (Robert Collier & Jenny Strasburg, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2002)

Staff accuse communications Fiji Radio Group of harassment over union - The Fiji Public Service Association has lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Labor after workers of Communications (Fiji) Ltd. claimed they were being harassed after signing up to join the union (Daily Post/Fijilive/Pacific Media Watch, 27 Sep. 2002)

Peru jungle farmers raise cups to fair trade coffee -...Farmers in Alto Incariado have joined up with the local La Florida Cooperative selling coffee carrying the "fair trade" label - a seal guaranteeing consumers that producers comply with conditions like a "decent wage" for farmers, the right to unionize, environmental standards and shunning child labor. [refers to fair trade coffee generally, and to Starbucks, Costa/Whitbread PLC, Cafe Direct, Max Havelaar] (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 27 Sep. 2002)

Code of conduct signed at DaimlerChrysler - IMF [International Metalworkers' Federation] welcomes the second global labour agreement for a worldwide player in the automotive industry (International Metalworkers' Federation, 26 Sep. 2002)

Recent court decision could further isolate Burma -...On September 18, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the California-based oil giant UNOCAL could be sued for egregious abuses of Burmese villagers committed by government soldiers in charge of security for a pipeline construction project. (Robert Lebowitz, Digital Freedom Network, 26 Sep. 2002)

Seven More Retailers Settle Lawsuits Involving Workers in Saipan - Seven U.S. retailers [Gap, Target, Abercrombie & Fitch, Talbot's, J.C. Penney, Limited and Charming Shoppes Inc.'s Lane Bryant] settled a federal and California state class-action lawsuit alleging violations of workers' rights in Saipan garment factories in the U.S.'s Northern Mariana Islands. (Dow Jones Business News, 26 Sep. 2002)

• U.S. Clothing Retailers on Saipan Settle Landmark Workers' Rights Lawsuit - Retailers and Manufacturers to Fund Groundbreaking Independent Monitoring Program To Improve Labor Conditions on U.S. Territory -...The seven U.S. retailers - Abercrombie & Fitch, Target, Gap, Inc., J.C. Penney Company, Inc., Lane Bryant, Inc., The Limited, Inc., and Talbots, Inc. - join 19 other retailers that had previously settled. (Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, 26 Sep. 2002)

• Gap Settles Garment Workers Lawsuit - Retailer Gap Inc. on Thursday said it is settling all claims it is facing in a suit alleging violations of wage and hour laws and other workers' rights in Saipan garment factories in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. Gap, the largest U.S. specialty apparel retailer, said it joined six other U.S. clothing retailers and 23 Saipan garment manufacturers in reaching a global settlement in the federal class-action lawsuit. (Reuters, 26 Sep. 2002)

• Statement From Lead Attorney for Workers in Saipan Human Rights Case in Response to Target's Dispute of Lawsuit Allegations - While Target claims that the lawsuit alleging violations of wage and hour laws and other workers' rights is baseless, we will let the facts stand for themselves. (Al Meyerhoff, Partner at Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes and Lerach, 26 Sep. 2002)

• Target Dismissed from Garment Factory Lawsuits; Company Asserts Class Action Abuse (Target Corp., 26 Sep. 2002) 

Bahraini workers hail new law -...According to the law, issued by a royal decree, workers will have the right to form their unions without having to ask for government permission. (Mohammed Almezel, Gulf News, 26 Sep. 2002)

Protests target retail chains [USA] - The National Organization for Women is calling for a day of protest against Wal-Mart on Saturday, charging the retail chain with such offenses as failing to promote women to managerial and supervisory jobs, failing to pay women wages equal to their male counterparts, violating child labor laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and trying to force out pro-union workers. (Christine Gillette, Portsmouth Herald [USA], 25 Sep. 2002)

Unions legal! Trade unions were declared legal in Bahrain yesterday by His Majesty the King. (Gulf Daily News, 25 Sep. 2002)

Clothing firms in court over workers' rights [Australia] - Thirty leading fashion companies, including Rip Curl and Laura Ashley, have been taken to court as part of a crackdown on the alleged exploitation of clothing outworkers. (AAP, in Sydney Morning Herald, 25 Sep. 2002)

• Sweatshop labour [Australia] - The long-running trade union campaign to highlight claims of widespread sweatshop labour at home hit the news again today with 30 clothing manufacturers finding themselves in the Federal Court facing allegations of breached awards...a new independent study suggests a wider world of worker intimidation, rates of pay as low as a dollar an hour and even child labour. (Kerry O'Brien, The 7:30 Report, ABC, 24 Sep. 2002)

Cut back sweatshop imports, US told - US human rights and trade union groups are launching a campaign aimed at restricting US imports of goods made under alleged sweatshop conditions...They now want to pressure Washington into introducing new laws that could punish firms if they fail to uphold their own declared standards...One of the focuses of the campaign is Bangladesh where the garment industry is the largest employer - but one which has virtually no regulation. (BBC News, 24 Sep. 2002)

US groups to push for sweatshop reforms - US human rights and trade union groups will launch a campaign on Tuesday aimed at restricting US imports of goods made under sweatshop conditions. The effort aims to put political muscle behind what the groups say is the failure of many large US companies to abide by voluntary corporate codes of conduct that were supposed to improve working conditions in factories abroad that produce clothing, shoes and other goods for the US market. (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 23 Sep. 2002)

Adidas Sweats Over Third World Subcontractors Sweatshops -...In the past few years, however, the issue has crossed the Atlantic. Human rights leaders, trade unions, and religious groups have formed a loose alliance called the Clean Clothes Campaign and have begun attacking Adidas, Hennes & Mauritz AB, Benetton Group (Victoria Knight, Dow Jones, 23 Sep. 2002)

Discrimination and limited trade union rights on the menu for Australia’s workers - In a new report on Australia, produced to coincide with the 23-25 September WTO review of that countries’ trade policy, the ICFTU has condemned serious violations of workers’ trade union rights, even including incidents of violence against trade union activists. The report also highlights the seemingly intractable problem of discrimination against women and indigenous people in the country. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 23 Sep. 2002)

•  {···español} Discriminación y limitación de los derechos sindicales para los trabajadores de Australia (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 24 septiembre 2002)

• {···français} Discrimination et limitation des droits syndicaux pour les travailleurs australiens (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 24 septembre 2002)

Harmony, labour sign Aids pact - Harmony, the South African gold miner, yesterday signed an agreement with its labour organisations on measures to reduce the number of HIV/Aids infections among employees, their families and communities. (Justin Brown, Business Day [South Africa], 20 Sep. 2002)

Pension funds push Big Business to go green -...As institutions like the pension funds that control vast swaths of assets across the globe become more concerned about corporate labour policies, the environment and human rights issues companies are being forced to take notice. (Simon Johnson, Reuters, 20 Sep. 2002)

PPP: Plan Puebla Panama, or Private Plans for Profit? A Primer on the Development Plan that Would Turn the Region from Southern Mexico to Panama into a Giant Export Zone - There is currently a multi-billion development scheme underway that would turn southern Mexico and all of Central America into a massive free trade zone, competing in the world wide race to the bottom of wages, working conditions, lax environmental regulation and disregard for human rights...The PPP has drawn fire from environmentalists, labor leaders and human rights advocates throughout the region. (Miguel Pickard, investigator for CIEPAC, A.C. [Centro de Investigaciones Económicas y Políticas de Acción Comunitaria], special to CorpWatch, 19 Sep. 2002)

U.S. and Chilean Labor Movements Release Joint Statement Calling for Core Workers' Rights in Future Trade Agreements (AFL-CIO, 19 Sep. 2002)

Study published on labour rights at Nokia Brazil - Finnish metal unions sponsor evaluation of Finnish transnational's social-labour performance at its Manaus plant - The detailed report...evaluates the degree to which Nokia is complying with fundamental labour rights... and examines issues related to workplace health and safety and the environment. (IMF - International Metalworkers' Federation, 19 Sep. 2002)

LABOR: ILO, ADB Meet On Standards, Development - The International Labor Organization and Asian Development Bank yesterday opened a two-day workshop on labor standards and social and economic development...The bank said Asia's "progress ... has been uneven" on compliance with labor standards, citing in particular the prevalence of child labor and reports of bonded labor and discrimination, as well as repression of unions and workers' meetings, exposure to health hazards and frequent avoidable accidents. (UN Wire, 19 Sep. 2002) 

• ADB Hosts Labor Standards Workshop (Asian Development Bank, 19 Sep. 2002)

Settlement of labour rights dispute between Light House Industry [producing for Samsonite] and union [Thailand]:

• Letter from Light House Union to Samsonite [Thailand] (letter from Light House Workers Union to Samsonite, 18 Sep. 2002)

• Memorandum of Agreement (agreement between Light House Union and Light House Industry [Bangkok], 13 Sep. 2002)

Plaintiffs Win Ninth Circuit Victory over Unocal - On September 18, 2002, the [U.S.] Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rendered a landmark decision against Unocal Corp, allowing plaintiffs to proceed to trial in federal court on their claims that they were forced to labor on Unocal’s pipeline project in Burma. (International Labor Rights Fund, 18 Sep. 2002)

• full text of U.S. court decision ordering Unocal to stand trial for human rights abuses in Burma (decision by U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, 18 Sep. 2002)

Internationally-recognised Core Labour Standards in Australia -...There are restrictions on trade union rights, including the right to collective bargaining and protection from anti union discrimination. There is blatant anti-union discrimination, supported and encouraged by the government...discrimination against women is a problem, especially as concerns the representation of women in senior positions...There remain problems with legislation regarding prison labour (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 18 Sep. 2002)

Retrenched Oil Workers in Sichuan Get Organised For Legal Action [China] (China Labour Bulletin, 17 Sep. 2002)

120 roast to death in Ikorodu factory fire [Nigeria] - About 120 factory workers were feared dead after a massive fire swept through a rubber slippers/aluminium spoon/bottled water factory [Taiwanese-owned] in the early hours of yesterday, at Odogunyan, in Ikorodu, Lagos State...It was gathered that the casualty figure would probably have not been that high if the exit points had not been locked. (Victor Ahiuma-Young, Olasunkanmi Akoni & Kenneth Ehigiator, Vanguard [Nigeria], 17 Sep. 2002)

A victory for trade union solidarity in Thailand - Following a sustained global trade union campaign, the final 29 workers sacked illegally from a ‘Light House Industry’ factory in Thailand have been reinstated...the Light-House Industry (a sub-contractor of US luggage giant Samsonite) also gave assurances that it will not “interfere with trade union activities” (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 16 Sep. 2002)

City of London is not a 'no-go area' for trade unions [UK] - Unions in London today began an ‘Organise the City’ campaign to raise awareness of employment rights and increase the profile of trade unions in the City of London...Bullying and harassment, discrimination, stress, excessive working hours, wrongly handled redundancies, unequal pay and wrongful deductions from pay are just some of the problems workers endure. (Trades Union Congress, 16 Sep. 2002)

Indentured in America: Ruthless trade of the 'body brokers' -  Recruiters: Shrewd operators match out-of-work islanders and hard-to-fill jobs - and profit handsomely in the bargain. [USA] (Walter F. Roche Jr. & Willoughby Mariano, Baltimore Sun, 16 Sep. 2002) 

• Indentured in America: Trapped in servitude far from their homes - Lured by promises, Pacific Islanders come in search of education and employment, but instead find poverty, misery and threats. [USA] (Walter F. Roche Jr. & Willoughby Mariano, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2002)

AngloGold signs Global Labour Agreement - In a historic first for the global mining industry, the world's leading gold producer, Anglogold and the 20-million strong international trade union federation, ICEM signed an agreement on the promotion and implementation of good human and industrial relations...The promotion and respect for human and trade union rights, health and safety, environmental protection and the promotion of good relationships with local mine communities are pivotal to the agreement. (ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 13 Sep. 2002)

• AngloGold, Unions Sign Global Agreement - AngloGold and an international federation of trade unions signed an agreement on Friday on human and industrial relations in AngloGold's operations worldwide. (South African Press Association, 13 Sep. 2002)

Current List of Annual Company Meeting Statements Made by Socially Responsible Shareholders [includes Alltel - Sexual Orientation Discrimination; Eastman Chemical Company - Health Risks of Cigarette Filters; Gannett - American Indians / Diversity Reporting; Hasbro - Sweatshops] (Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, 10 Sep. 2002)

ICFTU report: slavery slow to fade away in Mauritania - In a scathing new report on Mauritania, produced to coincide with the WTO trade policy review taking place from 11-13 September, the ICFTU has condemned the continued use of child labour and even forced labour reminiscent of slavery in the country. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 10 Sep. 2002)

• {···français} Rapport de la CISL: l’esclavage, une pratique difficile à éradiquer en Mauritanie - Dans un rapport très critique sur la Mauritanie, publié pour coïncider avec l'examen de la politique commerciale du pays que l'OMC réalisera du 11 au 13 septembre, la CISL constate avec inquiétude que le travail des enfants et certaines réminiscences du travail forcé (héritage du passé esclavagiste) persistent dans le pays. (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 10 septembre 2002)

• report: Internationally-recognized Core Labour Standards for Mauritania (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) 

• {···français} Normes fondamentales du travail internationalement reconnues en Mauritanie (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres)

Wal-Mart's war on workers: Frontline report from South Carolina and Texas - Wal-Mart Corporate Union Buster Named for Violating Worker Rights - Giant Retailer Faces New Labor Board Complaints for Illegally Sabotaging Union Election - Wal-Mart Charged for Refusing to Bargain in Jacksonville, Texas (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 10 Sep. 2002)

• company website: Wal-Mart

Liaoyang Four Still Under Detention with No Formal Charges [China] (China Labour Bulletin, 10 Sep. 2002)

New report highlights 'sweatship' conditions for many employed on cruise ships - Excessively long hours, very low pay, and management as abusive as anything you might find in 'sweatshop' factories are common on many cruise ships, says a report jointly published today by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and the British campaigning organisation War on Want. (International Transport Workers' Federation and War on Want, 9 Sep. 2002)

Colombia's War on Unions: The Coca-Cola Killings - The Coca-Cola killings in Colombia continue. Last week union activist Adolfo de Jesus Munera was murdered shortly after he received notice that a law suit filed by him against Coca-Cola was accepted by Colombia's Constitutional Court. (Maria Engqvist, CounterPunch, 6 Sep. 2002)

Wal-Mart's War On Workers: Managers Speak Out For The First Time To Expose Wal-Mart's Dirty Campaign To Suppress Worker Rights [USA] - Newly Released Video Featuring Wal-Mart Managers And Workers Available At UFCW.org (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 6 Sep. 2002)

• company website: Wal-Mart

United Steelworkers president takes aim at Colombia - United Steelworkers of America President Leo W. Gerard has written the chief executive of Coca-Cola and the president of Colombia calling for investigations into the murder on Aug. 31 of Colombian trade union and human rights activist Adolfo de Jesus Munera Lopez. (Pittsburgh Business Times, 6 Sep. 2002)

Farm workers' employment charter to be unveiled soon [South Africa] (Mokgadi Pela, Business Report [South Africa], 6 Sep. 2002)

Fourth Synthesis Report on the Working Conditions Situation in Cambodia's Garment Sector (International Labour Organization, Sep. 2002)

Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions Declared Migrant Workers' Organisation in Zhejiang Illegal [China] - On July 10, 2002, Nanfang Dushibao in Guangdong ran a commentary, applauding the setting up of an autonomous migrant workers’ organisation in the coastal province of Zhejiang...the article pointed out that Guangdong Province hosts the largest number of migrant workers and yet their rights were widely violated...However, the positive commentary from Nanfang Dushibao met with stern rejection from the Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), which obviously took the RMMA as a full-fledged workers’ organisation. (China Labour Bulletin, 31 Aug. 2002)

Big business and labour sign deal at the World Summit for Sustainable Development [South Africa] - The union-inspired South African declaration for achieving sustainable environmental conservation targets within realistic economic and production strategies is now set to go international. South African signatories include Sasol (synfuels and chemicals), Iscor (steel production), Columbus Stainless, Eskom (power generation), Telkom (telecommunications) mineral resources companies Assmang Chrome, De Beers, Goldfields, Impala Platinum (Implats) and Ingwe Coal and industrial groups, Barloworld, Dorbyl Engineering and Rotek Engineering, and unions MWU-Solidarity and the National Union of Mine Workers. Among the companies locally who have firmly said they will not sign for the present are Highveld Steel, the country second largest producer, and multinational operators Dow Chemicals and Sappi (pulp and paper). (Lawrence Bedford, EyeforChem, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 28 Aug. 2002)

Kentucky Bourbon King Faces Government Hearing On Denial Of Bathroom Access [USA] - Mothers, Menstruating Women and Older Workers Bear the Brunt of Jim Beams Bathroom Ban - Rally to Support Jim Beam Workers Noon, August 28 Shepherdsville, Kentucky - Almost half the workers, mostly women, on the Jim Beam bottling line in Clermont, Kentucky have been disciplined for using the bathroom, and some long time workers are even facing firing. According to worker reports, they were told to "train their bladders" to correspond to scheduled break periods and one unscheduled bathroom time; or face discipline, including dismissal. (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 27 Aug. 2002)

CSR Trainings - Human Rights Trainings - Shenzhen, China - Two-Day Workshop on Labor Practices and CSR - Shenzhen, China, October 24-25, 2002: This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn effective ways to: build better factory management systems, and strengthen compliance with codes of conduct and legal requirements on issues including: wages, and working hours; health and safety; child labor; forced labor; and other labor issues. (Business for Social Responsibility) [posted on this site 23 Aug. 2002]

CSR Trainings - Human Rights Trainings - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Two-Day Workshop on Labor Practices and CSR - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 24-25, 2002: This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn effective ways to: build better factory management systems, and strengthen compliance with codes of conduct and legal requirements on issues including: wages, and working hours; health and safety; child labor; forced labor; and other labor issues. (Business for Social Responsibility) [posted on this site 23 Aug. 2002]

ANZ Fined Over Free Speech [Australia] - The Finance Sector Union today called on the ANZ to review its relationship with its workers after the Federal Court fined it $10,000 for breaches of the Workplace Relations Act. Justice Wilcox imposed the fine after fined the ANZ had breached the law on four counts for threatening to sack suburban branch manager Joy Buckland for talking to the media about work issues. (LaborNET, Labor Council of New South Wales [Australia], 23 Aug. 2002)

Protest - On behalf of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO-Norway) and its 800.000 members, we would like to ask you kindly to convey to the President of the Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, our profound shock and utmost concern over the death sentence of Amina Lawal - by stoning - when she stop breast feeding her 8 month old child. (Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, 22 Aug. 2002)

India's child labour laws failing - India is coming under increasing pressure to take action over massive human rights abuses against child workers and indentured labourers [includes reference to lack of safety measures in quarries] (Humphrey Hawskley, BBC News, 20 Aug. 2002)

Staff step nearer to forming union [Bahrain] - Workers at the Gulf Industrial Investment Company (GIIC) have formed a steering committee, which will prepare the groundwork for a trade union in the firm. This is the eighth such committee to be formed in Bahrain companies, while moves to establish steering committees are under way in two other companies. (Gulf Daily News [Bahrain], 20 Aug. 2002)

U.N.'s Robinson expresses deep concerns about China rights - U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson...said China had made progress on legal reform but the human rights picture -- from treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims to detention of labour activists -- remained worrying. (Tamora Vidaillet, Reuters, 19 Aug. 2002)

Companies feel the pressures of Corporate Social Responsibility -...a growing number of large, quoted companies in Britain are looking at their suppliers’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies as closely as their own...His remarks, though in the context of the UK, have considerable significance for the world scenario and India as well, where labour and environmental standards are going to be an important factor in doing business...“It’s early days for this kind of screening, but even now, companies like Sainsbury and British Airways are asking their suppliers for information on environmental policies and employment.” (Business Standard [India], 15 Aug. 2002)

Growers donate, workers march [USA] - Both sides try to sway Davis [California Governor Gray Davis] on bill to expand farm laborers' rights (Mark Martin, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Aug. 2002)

China's Workers -...[China] continues to deny its workers the most basic rights of association, petition and expression -- including rights that China, by accepting other international accords, long ago promised to respect. (editorial, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2002)

Clampdown on exploitative employers [South Africa]: There is concern that the labour department cannot sustain blitz campaign Labour Correspondent - Three months after signing an occupational safety and health accord with business and labour, government has undertaken an aggressive drive to clamp down on businesses and factories that do not comply with the legislation (Business Day [South Africa], 15 Aug. 2002)

• Labour DG leads factory raids [South Africa] - The Department of Labour has closed down two factories and issued eight prohibition notices in a series of blitz inspections led by Labour Department Director Rams Ramashia in Johannesburg...The two companies that were closed were Arro Trading (for non compliance with fire regulations, electrical installations and inadequate entrance/exits) and Medal Paints (for hazardous and toxic chemicals not stored according to the requirements of the legislation). Protective clothing for workers was also not provided to workers as required by law...in some cases, workers had been working for 16 hours a day for 20 rand (Thabang Mokopanele, Business Day [South Africa], 15 Aug. 2002)

Will McMaster University make Nike Canada sweat? Company will be tested for first time by a Canadian institution -...For the past two years, students, staff and faculty at McMaster have worked to develop a "Code of Labour Practices for University Suppliers and Licensees."...The first test for McMaster's disclosure provisions will be the university's "preferred supplier" contract, signed earlier this year with Nike Canada. (NUPGE, National Union of Public and General Employees [Canada], 14 Aug. 2002)

Worker compensated for illegal overtime [UK] - A 51-year-old woman has been awarded compensation for working an average of 71 hours a week in a newsagent's shop...It is believed to be the first time a UK company has been prosecuted for breaking the European Union's 48-hour working week rule. (BBC News, 14 Aug. 2002)

State panel calls for phase-out of 'industrial trainee system' [South Korea] - A state human rights panel recommended yesterday that the government phase out a disputed system for bringing in cheap labor from developing countries, mostly from Asian nations. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea also called on the government to grant temporary amnesty to illegal foreign workers after the deportation deadline of March next year to prevent possible human-rights violations. (Korea Herald, 14 Aug. 2002)

Gay Labor Goes Global in Australia - Some 300 gay labor activists from 25 countries are expected to attend the Workers Out! World Conference of Lesbian and Gay Trade Unionists in Sydney, Australia...We'll be discussing ways to integrate defense of lgbt rights into the human rights programs of national and international trade union structures — the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions adopted a resolution opposing discrimination on grounds of sexuality in 2000...Another priority is implementing workplace policies on HIV and other chronic diseases, along with enabling access to anti-retroviral medicines. In particular, we're pressuring leading transnational employers to buy generic anti-HIV drugs for their employees in the Pacific, Latin America, Africa and Asia. (The Gully, 13 Aug. 2002)

China: End Political Abuse of Psychiatry -...official psychiatric theory in China continues to condone the involuntary treatment in custodial mental asylums of dissidents and nonconformists including Falun Gong members, independent labor organizers, whistle blowers and individuals who complain about political persecution or official misconduct. (Human Rights Watch, 13 Aug. 2002)

• China holds rebels in Soviet-style asylums (Oliver August, Times [UK], 13 Aug. 2002)

• China's use of 'political' psychiatry grows - The use of psychiatry by China to detain and institutionalise dissidents at least equals and probably surpasses similar practices in the former Soviet Union, according a report by the New York-based Human Rights Watch. (Richard McGregor, Financial Times, 12 Aug. 2002)

• full report: Dangerous minds: Political Psychiatry in China Today and its Origins in the Mao Era (Human Rights Watch and Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry, Aug. 2002)

Employers 'lack confidence' on rights of workers [UK] - Only one in five small business employers is confident they know about workers' rights, according to a survey carried out for the Department of Trade and Industry. (David Turner, Financial Times, 13 Aug. 2002)

Workers, Farmers Criticise SAHRC [South African Human Rights Commission] Hearings - Mpumalanga farmers will boycott human rights hearings into the regional crisis on farms this week...Even rural and land rights activists, who represent farm workers, are critical of the hearings. (Sizwe Samayende, African Eye News Service, 13 Aug. 2002)

Tests on trial: Jobs and reputations ride on unproven drug screens -...For employers who test to deter drug use, which they say leads to a safer, more productive workplace, so-so accuracy might be enough. But it comes at a high cost in reputations and livelihoods for those falsely accused...the fastest-growing segment of the drug-testing industry consists of newer and often more error-prone tests. (Dana Hawkins, U.S. News & World Report, 12 Aug. 2002)

Sweatshop Girls: This boss pays pupils like Kirsty £1.90 an hour to make school uniforms [UK] - A sweatshop boss who supplies school uniforms is paying teenage workers £1.90 an hour, the Sunday Mail can reveal. Hafeez Ahmed recruits workers from the same schools for which he makes uniforms. Ahmed, 44, owns clothing firm Baru Ltd, which has shops in Paisley and Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow. (Caroline Waterston & John Clark, Sunday Mail [Glasgow], 10 Aug. 2002)

Unocal wants government to quash labour lawsuit - Unocal, the US oil company, told a California court yesterday that American foreign policy interests could be harmed by a lawsuit that alleges the company used forced labour in Burma. The move comes just days after the US government warned a Washington DC court that a pending lawsuit against Exxon Mobil over alleged abuses in Indonesia would hinder the war on terrorism and jeopardise foreign investment in a key ally. (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 9 Aug. 2002)

• Judge Lets Unocal Ask State Dept. to Intervene in Myanmar Lawsuit - A Los Angeles judge Thursday granted a request by Unocal to ask the State Department to intervene in a lawsuit by Myanmar villagers who allege that the Myanmar military protecting a Unocal pipeline project dragooned villagers into slave labor, attorneys said. (Sonni Efron, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2002)

ICFTU pushing for reinstatement of all protesting Light House workers in Thailand - Seventy five workers from the Light House production plant in Thailand (Light House is a sub-contractor of the American luggage multinational, Samsonite Corporation) have not been reinstated, in breach of an agreement brokered by the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand to re-employ all the workers concerned. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 8 Aug. 2002) 

• {···français} La CISL fait pression en faveur de la réintégration des travailleurs de Light House workers en Thaïlande (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, 9 août 2002)

Resort faces bullying inquiry [Australia] - A top Gold Coast international hotel [Sea World Nara Resort] is under investigation over accusations of workplace bullying. (Greg Stolz, Courier Mail [Australia], 8 Aug. 2002)

Labor Officials Charge Nursing Home [USA] - A nursing home that accused union organizers of using voodoo to frighten its Haitian-American employees into joining has been accused by federal officials of mistreating workers. The National Labor Relations Board said last month it found evidence of spying on workers, threats and unfair dismissals at Mount Sinai-St. Francis Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Miami (Associated Press, 8 Aug. 2002)

Labor unions decry use of surveillance methods [South Korea] - CAPS, a security company, blocked access for labor union members to the union's homepage in April...More and more companies are adopting containment policies against labor unions, blocking homepages and adding surveillance to labor activities. Labor unions say that such diversionary moves suppress unions, but it is hard to judge whether the new policies are illegal or not. [refers also to action taken by Korea East-West Power Co, Hotel Lotte, Jaeneung Education Institute Co.] (Lim Bong-soo, JoongAng Ilbo [South Korea], 8 Aug. 2002)

Cosatu angry at 'slave' shops [South Africa] - The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the SA Communist Party (SACP) expressed outrage on Wednesday at the appalling working conditions some employees are facing at some Fordsburg, Johannesburg, factories. (South African Press Association, 7 Aug. 2002)

UNI's Protest letter to the Brasilian president over the death of a trade unionist [Bartolomeu Morais da Silva, of the Federation of Agricultural Workers of Para] (UNI - Union Network International, 6 Aug. 2002)

KCTU Demands Justice for Workers - Deaths [South Korea] - An umbrella labor group yesterday demanded the government take decisive actions to bring justice for 10 workers [including Park Chang-su, union leader of Hanjin Heavy Industries...found dead outside a hospital on May 6, 1991] who died mysterious deaths during authoritarian regimes (Seo Soo-min, Korea Times, 6 Aug. 2002)

Labor abuse complaints in Palau rising - The number of labor complaints filed by foreign workers is increasing, according to the Division of Labor. From April to June 2002, several complaints were filed due to non-payment of wages and employers refusing to repatriate terminated employees. (Bernadette H. Carreon, Palau Horizon / Marianas Variety, 6 Aug. 2002)

More inspections coming - labour dept [South Africa] - The labour department warned factory owners on Tuesday it would continue to conduct searches of premises to check that conditions were safe for workers. (South African Press Association, 6 Aug. 2002)

Bahrain's workers criticise law -...the body representing Bahrain's workers yesterday declared the recently introduced Trade Unions Law does not meet the basic requirements for the establishment of independent unions..."The draft law is inconsistent with the international conventions on the organisation of unions such as the international agreement number 87 on the freedom of unions, their right to organisation, and the international treaty number 98 on organisations and collective bargaining." (Mohammed Almezel, Gulf News, 6 Aug. 2002)

Labour force under serious threat from HIV/Aids [Trinidad & Tobago] -...Christopher Land’Kazlaukas of the International Labour Organisation...told them that Trinidad still needed to come up to speed with its own laws, which “still did not define a precise offence” for sexual harassment. (Joannah Bharose, Trinidad Express, 6 Aug. 2002)

'Farmworkers paid as little as R216 a month' [South Africa] - Some farm workers in South Africa are being paid as little as R216 per month - and then farmers make deductions for food rations, a chief inspector of the department of labour has told an inquiry into abuse in farming communities. Being hosted by the South African Human Rights Commission, the inquiry...heard that exploitation of farm workers was rife. (Mbongeni Zondi, Mercury [South Africa], 5 Aug. 2002)

Head of Protest-Hit Liaoyang Steel Factory Arrested [China] - After five months’ protests since mid-March, workers in Liaoyang gained some move with the arrest of Fan Yicheng, manager of Ferroalloy Factory. According to South China Morning Post (August 1, 2002), Fan was formally arrested and charged with dereliction of duty. However, the four workers’ representatives, who have been arrested since March, are still under detention. (China Labour Bulletin, 5 Aug. 2002)

• Head of protest-hit plant held [China] (Agence France Presse, 1 Aug. 2002)

Two Jo'burg factories shut down [South Africa] - Labour inspectors shut down two factories in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, on Monday because of unsafe working conditions and temporarily stopped operations at 10 other businesses in the area. The raid followed the screening of an investigative television programme (South African Press Association, 5 Aug. 2002)

Poisoned Back Into Poverty - As China Embraces Capitalism, Hazards to Workers Rise - Unrestrained by labor unions or a strong legal system, businesses seeking to maximize profit have allowed job hazards to proliferate. China has adopted work safety rules, but enforcement is lax because local officials often can be bribed, and they are worried about chasing away factories that pay taxes important to their budgets. (Philip P. Pan, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2002)

Who is to blame if employees kill? [USA] - In aftermath of brutal slaying, Zapp family hopes to highlight the issue of background checks -...As crime victims increasingly try to hold companies accountable for the actions of their employees, they have a tough time proving their cases in court. (Michele Kurtz, Boston Globe, 4 Aug. 2002)

Factory Defies Order to Rehire Worker Fired in Overtime Inquiry [USA] - A garment worker who was fired during a federal investigation that found that she and other workers had been wrongly denied overtime was turned away by her employer [Danmar Finishing Corporation] yesterday in violation of a court order directing the Brooklyn factory to rehire her (Jason Begay, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2002)

Repression in China Worsens Worker Protests - The Chinese government's refusal to allow independent trade unions is fueling worker protests, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The 50-page report, "Paying the Price: Worker Unrest in Northeast China," analyzes in detail the demonstrations that took place from March through May 2002 in three cities in northeastern China, and the government response to them. (Human Rights Watch, 2 Aug. 2002)

• full report: Paying the Price: Worker Unrest in Northeast China (Human Rights Watch, July 2002)

• {···français} Chine : La répression aggrave les manifestations ouvrières - Le refus du gouvernement chinois d'autoriser des syndicats indépendants attise les protestations ouvrières, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un nouveau rapport publié aujourd'hui. Le rapport de 50 pages, intitulé "Payer le prix : L'agitation ouvrière dans le Nord-Est de la Chine", analyse en détail les manifestations qui se sont déroulées de mars à mai 2002 dans trois villes du Nord-Est de la Chine, et la réponse du gouvernement face à ces évènements. (Human Rights Watch, 2 août 2002)

• China Accused of Rights Violations - In a new report, Human Rights Watch accused China of violating workers' basic rights with a recent wave of crackdowns on labor protests. The report, scheduled for release Friday, calls on the communist government to allow independent unions, and asks foreign companies operating in China to resist official pressure to punish workers who form unions or go on strike. (Joe McDonald, Associated Press, 1 Aug. 2002)

• Rights group says Chinese worker protests a turning point (John Ruwitch, Reuters, 2 Aug. 2002)

• LABOR: China Faces Growing Unrest in "Rust Belt" - Report (Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, 2 Aug. 2002) 

American Apparel Senior Partner Dov Charney honored for humanitarian efforts - American Apparel Senior Partner Dov Charney was recently honored by the Fashion Business Incubator, a Los Angeles based non-profit fashion organization, at its annual awards dinner for his work to provide sweatshop-free working conditions for his workers. (Wearables Business, 1 Aug. 2002) 

McMaster University goes No Sweat [Canada] - On July 31, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario unveiled its new No Sweat policy for apparel products and other products bearing the university's name or logo...Apparel suppliers and licensees will now be required to abide by international labour standards and local labour laws, and to report annually on their progress towards compliance with these standards. (Maquila Solidarity Network, 1 Aug. 2002)

• McMaster is first Canadian University to affiliate with Worker Rights Consortium: University develops new policies on labour code practices, fair trade coffee (Kelly Curwin, McMaster University Daily News, 31 July 2002)

Widespread international condemnation of violations in Congo - An international outcry against violations of trade union rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo has followed a call from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) for solidarity for 9 trade unionists [unionists representing workers at the Compagnie sucrière de Kwilu Ngongo] currently appealing a ten month prison sentence for legitimate trade union activities in the country. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 1 Aug. 2002)

• {···español} El mundo condena las violaciones de derechos sindicales que se cometen en el Congo (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, 1 agosto 2002)

• {···français} Une vague internationale de condamnation contre des violations commises au Congo - Un tollé international contre les violations des droits syndicaux commises en République démocratique du Congo a suivi un appel à la solidarité lancé par la Confédération internationale des Syndicats libres (CISL) en faveur de 9 syndicalistes. (Confédération internationale des Syndicats libres, 31 juillet 2002) 

AFL-CIO cancels protest - Fidelity agrees to discuss proxy issue with labor group [USA] - The AFL-CIO canceled a march to Fidelity Investments' headquarters yesterday after Fidelity officials agreed to meet and discuss the labor group's call for the mutual fund firm to start making its proxy votes available to the public. (Louise Story, Boston Globe, 1 Aug. 2002)

Fashioning A New Deal: Workers and Trade Unions at the World Summit for Sustainable Development, South Africa, August/September 2002 (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Aug. 2002)

• {···español} Crear un Nuevo Pacto: Trabajadores/as y Sindicatos en la Cumbre Mundial sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, Sudáfrica, en agosto/septiembre de 2002 (Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres, agosto 2002)

• {···français} Façonner une Nouvelle Donne: Travailleurs et syndicats au Sommet mondial pour le Développement durable, Afrique du Sud, août/septembre 2002 (Confédération internationale des syndicats libres, août 2002)

South Africa's Aids apartheid -...People who are HIV positive are therefore beginning to raise demands far beyond the question of medical treatment: the rebuilding of public services, access to an unconditional basic income of 100 rand (10 euros) a month, workers' rights...Too expensive for the poorest countries, these drugs [antiretrovirals] are at the heart of the debate on globalisation. Can patents take precedence over the right to life? (Philippe Rivière, Le Monde diplomatique, Aug. 2002)

Florida Employers Guilty of Slavery - Citrus Workers Held in Debt Bondage [USA] - ...For the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the June 26 federal criminal conviction of three Florida-based employers for conspiracy to hold workers in involuntary servitude is a major victory. (Micah Maidenberg, Labor Notes, Aug. 2002)

• {···español} Esclavitud Agrícola en Florida - ...La convicción criminal de tres empleadores por mantenimiento de servidumbre involuntaria ha sido una gran victoria para la Coalición de Trabajadores Immokalee (Micah Maidenberg, Labor Notes, agosto 2002)