On Saturday March 8th, York University President Mamdouh Shoukri made a commitment to introduce a No Sweat licensing policy at the university by April. This promise came in response to a 45 hour sit-in by York students, members of the Sustainable Purchasing Coalition (SPC), a student group lobbying to reform York purchasing policy to more sustainable standards. If this pledge goes through as promised, York will bring the number of Canadian Universities with No Sweat policies to 17.

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Update: Mehedi Hasan was released by the Bangladesh security forces on Sunday, February 3, 2008 after being held for ten days in detention. Police have told Hasan’s lawyer that all charges against him have been dropped, although the WRC is awaiting written confirmation.

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For over six months, workers at the Kings Land Garment Company in Cambodia have asked management to address problems with their working conditions. After exhausting every possibility to urge management to meet with them, the workers went on strike to demand recognition of their the union, a discussion of labor violations and the reinstatement of union activists who have been illegally dismissed. Please take action today in support of the striking workers.

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Last year our staff and our network fought on many fronts to hold international apparel brands accountable for the labour rights abuses in their supply chains. Some companies responded positively, and some of them lagged behind - severely. But all of them could use improvement. So we asked for your help in prioritizing three top priorities for the apparel industry in 2008.

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On November 23, workers at the Vaqueros Navarra jean factory in Tehuacan, Mexico stood up to their employer and voted to be represented by an independent union.

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On October 28, a UK newspaper published an exposé on child labour in India, revealing that clothes bearing the GapKids label were being made by children as young as 10 years old. Gap is acting on the matter – but will its actions prevent future violations?

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In response to a request from MSN, six major US apparel brands that buy blue jeans from Mexican jean manufacturer Grupo Navarra are speaking out in favour of the right of workers employed at the Vaqueros Navarra factory in Tehuacan, Mexico to be represented by the union of their free choice.

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In an attempt to silence critics of the India-based manufacturer Fibres and Fabrics International, the Indian court issued arrest warrants against seven staff members of the Clean Clothes Campaign and the India Committee of the Netherlands. The Clean Clothes Campaign is seeking international support on the matter.

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Despite growing pressure on the Philippine government to put a stop to the violence and entra-judicial killings of trade unionists and human rights activists, attacks continue. It is believed that the attacks are sanctioned by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and its police force.

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When Gildan Activewear announced the closure of two of its factories in the State of Coahuila in northern Mexico last March, workers had reason to be worried. But after a series of discussions with MSN and the local labour rights organization SEDEPAC, Gildan has set a precedent for workers who are used to being denied even their legal entitlements.

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