Updates

Attacks on Bangladeshi unions intensify in aftermath of wage protests (January 2017)

Jan 4, 2017 —

Since December 21, 2016, in the aftermath of a week of unrest by thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers striking for higher wages, the Bangladeshi authorities have arrested or detained at least 14 union leaders and worker rights advocates, and 11 currently remain in police custody.

Free the Tipitapa 12: Nicaraguan workers prosecuted for taking part in peaceful protest (December 2016)

Dec 19, 2016 —

Photo: Industriall

Twelve workers will have to serve more time under house arrest for taking part in a peaceful protest against the dismissal of their union representatives and unjust working conditions.

Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety overstates progress; workers’ lives at risk

Nov 21, 2016 —

Photo: International Labor Rights Forum

More than three and a half years after 1,134 workers died in the Rana Plaza building collapse, major apparel brands and retailers that are members of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, including Walmart, Gap, Target, VF Corporation, and Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company, are way behind in ensuring that their Bangladesh supplier factories are safe, says a new report from four labour rights organizations.

Read more about Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety overstates progress; workers’ lives at risk

Gap and VF Corp release factory lists (September 2016)

Sep 14, 2016 —

As part of our 2002 campaign for factory disclosure regulations, students cut out clothing labels and mailed them to the Canadian government

Two more major international apparel brands have joined the growing list of companies in the sector that are publicly disclosing information on their wholly-owned and supplier factories around the world.

Campaign Victory: Kik agrees to compensate factory fire survivors

Sep 13, 2016 —

Photo: Clean Clothes Campaign

Four years after more than 250 garment workers were killed and over 50 injured in a factory fire in Karachi, Pakistan, German retailer Kik has finally agreed to pay over US$5 million in compensation.

Report: Beyond voluntary codes and audits - a challenge for the Electronics Industry (July 2016)

Jul 19, 2016 —

The Jesuit-affiliated Centre for Reflection and Action on Labour Issues (CEREAL) has just released its seventh annual report on working conditions in the Mexican electronics industry.

Survivors of Tazreen factory fire receive compensation

Jul 19, 2016 —

By the end of June 2016, US$2.17 million in compensation has been paid out to the survivors and family members of workers killed in the November 24, 2012 Tazreen garment factory fire in Bangladesh.

Read more about Survivors of Tazreen factory fire receive compensation

Scenarios

Jul 12, 2016 —

This workshop uses six scenarios based on real problems that workers and the organizations defending their rights face in factories. The goal is to develop participants’ capacity to decide when and how to engage with clothing brands. To read the scenarios presented to participants, click here:

Scenarios (PDF)

Exercise One

MSN condemns assassination of Guatemalan union leader (July 2016)

Jul 8, 2016 —

Photo: Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos/Solidarity Center

The Maquila Solidarity Network joins labour, human rights, women’s organizations in Guatemala and internationally in strongly condemning the murder of Guatemalan labour leader Brenda Marleni Estrada Tambito, and calls on the Guatemalan government to launch an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into her assassination, bring those responsible to justice, and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of members of her family.

Three years after Rana Plaza: What has and hasn’t changed for Bangladeshi garment workers?

Apr 26, 2016 —

Photo: Pieter Van de Boogert

April 24, 2016 was the third anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse, in which over 1,100 workers were killed and approximately 2,500 injured in the worst industrial disaster in the history of the garment industry.

Three years later, what has changed for the injured workers and the families of those who died, and for the young women and men who continue to work in the industry?

Compensation

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