Prada: The real cost of luxury

Union Busting in Turkey

In April 2008, hundreds of workers at Turkish leather manufacturer, DESA, decided to join Deri Is, the Turkish leather workers union. Between April and July 44 workers were dismissed and a further 55 were forced to resign from the union.

The company refused to reinstate these workers, despite rulings by both the labour court and supreme court which stated they had been dismissed illegally. The buyers from the factory, including Prada, Mulberry, Debenhams and M&S refused to speak to the union or to attend a joint meeting to negotiate improvements.

Following a year long international campaign a "memorandum of understanding" was signed which should have formed the basis for negotiations between the factory and the union. DESA and its buyers used the agreement to stop the international campaign but made no steps to actually implement the improvements promised.

Adidas: Stop Wearing Us Out

Tell Adidas to keep its promises to Indonesian workers

Triumph: Closing down the union?

Triumph Dismissals in Asia Attempt to Get Rid of Unions

In June 2009, Triumph's producer in Thailand, Body Fashion Thailand, announced that around half of its 4200 workers would be out of their jobs by the end of August. Earlier this year, another Thai Triumph producer, Worldwell Garment Company, had been closed down, and the entire work force sent home without their last salaries or the legally-required severance compensations. Similar scenes took place in the Philippines.

Triumph said it was due to economic downsizing, but on closer inspection, it appeared that only the factories with unions in were being closed...

Bangladesh: Labour rights group under attack

Workers' Rights Activists Targeted by Security Forces

On June 16, 2010, a staff member of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS) was detained and severely beaten by Bangladeshi security forces. This occurred just two weeks after BCWS was arbitrarily stripped of its legal status as an NGO, after being accused of inciting unrest in garment factories. The confiscation of its property and the freezing of its bank account was also ordered.

BCWS are an internationally renowned labour organisation who were carrying out legitimate organising work. There is no evidence linking them to the unrest that rocked the industry for several months. Rather, the timing of events suggests that this crackdown against BCWS may have taken place at the behest of a garment factory where workers are attempting to form an independent union.

M&S: Union members attacked in India

“If your face is seen in Haryana, we will kill you”

On 23rd August 2010, 60 workers from the Viva Global garment factory in Gurgaon, India were attacked by thugs as they arrived for work. According to eye witnesses the thugs used sticks and canes to beat the workers and kidnapped union leader Anwar Ansari. Mr Ansari was taken away in the back of a van and beaten. During his 14 hour detention, he reports he was taken to the office of PND contractors, a labour agency providing workers to the Viva Global factory.

In a signed statement made by Mr Ansari he stated that “the gangsters brought papers and asked me to write that I am willing to resign the job whenever the company wants..... I was forced to sign a bunch of blank papers by these gangsters. And they snatched my union id card ....” His attackers threatened him before dumping him in the street near his home. “If your face is seen in Haryana, we will kill you” he was told. M&S was a major buyer in this factory.