Photo:Four union members murdered in Honduras in June (CGT).

Union leaders murdered in Honduras

On June 24, in the major manufacturing hub of Choloma, Cortés, Honduras, 13 people were murdered, including four union leaders from the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Empresa Gildan San Miguel (SITRAGSAM), and the son of the union president.

MSN joined with Honduran and international trade union and labour rights organizations in condemning the massacre and in calling on the Honduran government to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation of the crime and to bring those responsible to justice.

The attack took place the same week that Canadian apparel manufacturer Gildan Activewear announced the closure of its San Miguel factory, which employed 2,700 workers.

On July 14, following three weeks of negotiation on compensation for workers affected by the closure, the union and Gildan signed an agreement that committed the company to providing over US$2.5 million in additional severance benefits, and to offer priority hiring opportunities to former San Miguel workers at other Gildan facilities.

MSN is working with the union, its confederation, the CGT, and their allies to secure a special fund to provide support for the families of those who died.

Photo: Action following the murder of Shahidul Islam Shahid in Bangladesh (IndustriALL).

MSN condemns murder of Bangladeshi union leader

On June 25, Shahidul Islam Shahid, president of the Gazipur unit of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF), and three other union leaders were attacked after leaving a meeting at the Prince Jacquard Sweater Ltd garment factory. The four union leaders were providing advice and support to factory workers in demanding payment of outstanding wages and the Eid festival bonus.

Shahidul Islam died from the assault, and Mustafa Kamal, Ahmed Sharid and Akkas Ali suffered serious injuries. An initial investigation by the industrial police led to various arrests.

The attack has received significant national and international attention. A July 11 joint statement by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC) condemned the murder and called for an investigation. High-level delegations of the European Union, United States and Canadian diplomatic corps in Bangladesh met with the government and unions, including the BGIWF, and continue to closely monitor the situation.

MSN extends our solidarity and deepest condolences to the family, friends and union brothers and sisters of Shahidul Islam Shahid. We join Bangladeshi workers, the BGIWF, and international trade union and labour rights organizations in condemning this violent attack and calling on the Bangladeshi government to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation of the crime.

Photo: IndustriALL.

Bangladeshi unions demand minimum wage of 23,000 taka (US$212)

MSN is joining with Bangladeshi and Global unions and Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) member organizations in calling for an increase in the country’s monthly minimum wage for garment workers from 8,000 taka (roughly US$74) to 23,000 taka (US$212).

The current monthly minimum wage was already far below a living wage when it came into force in 2019. Since then, workers have had to endure the additional pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent high inflation without any wage increase.

Bangladeshi unions are unanimously demanding the 23,000 taka amount, which is based on an extensive cost of living study by the Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies. Though no independent unions hold seats on the country’s Wage Board, they are making their demands heard by organizing national campaign actions and lobbying international brands to support their proposal.

Photo: Teksid Hierro workers celebrate union victory (IndustriALL).

Deadline passes for completion of Mexico’s CBA legitimation process

July 31 was the official deadline for the completion of all legitimation votes on existing collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) under Mexico’s labour justice reform, but there are still a number of votes scheduled to take place later in August.

Any existing CBAs that are not subjected to a legitimation vote will be terminated. Of the approximately 139,000 registered CBAs in the country, the Federal Centre for Conciliation and Labour Registration estimates that just over 100,000 have been eliminated, the vast majority of which were “employer protection contracts.”

Photo: Press conference to announce rapid response complaint (FAT).

Mexico: FAT wins wage increase at INISA garment factory

A union affiliated with the Authentic Labour Front (FAT) has successfully negotiated improved wages and other benefits in the existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) at the Industrias del Interior 2000 (INISA) garment factory in Aguascalientes. On July 25, the union members at the plant voted to ratify the revised CBA.

The agreement was achieved after the FAT filed a complaint under the rapid response mechanism of the trinational trade agreement, known as USMCA in the US and CUSMA in Canada, charging the employer with violating the workers’ right to freedom of association and to bargain collectively.

The complaint, the first in Mexico’s garment sector, was accepted by the US government on July 12, after its preliminary investigation found evidence of employer interference in the internal affairs of the union, coercion against its new leadership, and pressure on workers to bypass their union and accept the employer’s wage proposal.

Photo: Protest against government reforms in Sri Lanka (FTZ&GSEU).

Sri Lankan government’s ‘investor-friendly’ reforms are attack on trade unions

Discontent grows in Sri Lanka as the government tries to usher in a set of undemocratic labour law reforms and a debt restructuring plan amid the country’s deepening economic crisis.

Over the past few weeks, thousands have taken to the streets to protest the government’s plans, including the Free Trade Zone & General Service Employees Union (FTZ&GSEU), one of the largest unions representing garment workers in Sri Lanka.

Under the pretext of ‘promoting international investment’, the government’s labour reforms threaten workers’ rights on issues like overtime, working hours, freedom of association and collective bargaining. The debt restructuring plan, dictated by the International Monetary Fund, will place the burden on the working class and risk workers’ savings by misusing pension funds.

On August 3, the FTZ&GSEU, the Clean Clothes Campaign, MSN and other international labour rights organizations released a joint statement urging the Sri Lankan government to scrap its regressive reform proposals and engage in meaningful social dialogue with workers and their unions to address the country’s crisis.

Photo: Solidarity action in Pakistan calling for the expansion of the International Accord (HBWWF, NTUF).

Gap signs Pakistan Accord: other brands must join effort to protect workers’ lives

Gap Inc. has signed onto the legally-binding Pakistan Health & Safety Accord, becoming the 65th company to do so. The Pakistan Accord is poised to bring meaningful health and safety improvements for workers in Pakistan. Other global apparel brands sourcing from Pakistan, who have had nearly seven months to sign on to the life-saving agreement, must do so without further delay.

Despite the clear safety benefits of the program, some major brands whose products are made in Pakistan, like Amazon, Levi’s, Ikea, Esprit, and Fruit of the Loom, have so far failed to join, leaving Pakistani garment workers at risk.

Photo: International Workers' Day action to demand payment for workers in Cambodia (CATU).

Nike and Ramatex: #PayYourWorkers in Cambodia

MSN has joined over 50 other labour and human rights organizations in signing a joint statement urging Nike and its primary supplier, the Ramatex Group conglomerate, to ensure that 1,284 Cambodian workers receive $1.4 million in severance and other monetary benefits legally owed to them since 2020, when the Violet Apparel factory closed with less than one week’s notice.

The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) issued a factory investigation report in June 2023 detailing Nike and Ramatex Group’s joint responsibility to ensure workers are paid what they are legally owed.

The WRC report also criticizes Cambodia’s labour dispute settlement body, the Arbitration Council (AC), for its decision to deny damages to workers and its claim that it lacked jurisdiction. Cambodian and international organizations are increasingly calling out the diminishing independence and impartiality of Cambodian labour authorities such as the AC and the Ministry of Labour.

This July and August, campaign activists have been leveraging the high-profile Women’s FIFA World Cup to publicly call on Nike to ensure workers in their supply chain are paid. Nike has a lot to lose as it sponsors the gear of almost half of the participating teams and has individual sponsorship deals with international soccer stars like Megan Rapinoe.

Photo: Workers in Indonesia call on Messi to stand up against adidas' wage theft (CCC).

#PayYourWorkers actions around the world call on Messi, adidas to do right by workers

On June 19, workers who make adidas products took over a soccer match between Indonesia and Argentina in Jakarta, Indonesia, to call on Argentinian soccer hero Lionel Messi to support their fight to end adidas' wage theft. Messi has a lifetime contract with adidas worth more than US$1 billion.

In May CCC Germany took over the adidas AGM while workers, unions and activists protested against adidas' #WageTheft around the world! Inside the AGM, they confronted adidas' new CEO Bjørn Gulden directly about wage theft in adidas’ supply chain.

On May 30, the #PayYourWorkers union committee sent an open letter to Gulden following the high-profile Yeezy shoes scandal and adidas’ decision to sell the remainder of the product and donate the profits to organizations combatting discrimination and hate. #PayYourWorkers is calling on adidas to dedicate a small portion of those profits to establish a global severance guarantee fund.

Photo: CORE announces investigation into Nike Canada (City News).

Nike Canada on the hook for Uyghur forced labour in China?

On July 11, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) announced it would proceed with its first two investigations since the office’s creation in 2018. One of the investigations responds to a complaint filed by twenty-eight organizations against Nike Canada for allegedly using or benefiting from the use of forced labour in their supply chains in China.

The Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, of which MSN is a member, has repeatedly raised concerns that the CORE lacks the necessary powers to carry out an effective investigation, such as the power to compel documents and testimony from companies and to dictate penalties.