Labour Behind The Label

 

The battle to obtain wages high enough to ensure a dignified and decent life is being fought by hundreds of thousands of mainly women garment workers in some of the poorest countries in the world.

In the evening of August 25th, over 12 hours since he was snatched from outside the Viva Global factory in India, Anwar Ansari was dropped by his kidnappers on a street near his home. Badly beaten and warned to immediatly leave the state, Anwar has now returned to join his fellow workers at an ongoing demonstration outside the Viva Global factory.

Marks and Spencer, one of the UK companies most often lauded for its ethical commitments, has become embroiled in a new "sweatshop" scandal following an expose by the Observer yesterday. The investigation also found a supplier for NEXT and GAP employing workers under conditions that fail to match either Indian law or the ethical standards of the brands themselves.

Labour Behind the Label is sad to announce the reopening of the campaign to demand justice for workers at the DESA leather factory in Duzce, Turkey.

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June 2010: Two workers have been dismissed since May 2010 and one worker has filed an harassment case against his supervisor at the intimidation of trade union members ramps up again at the DESA factory in Duzce.

August 2009: Labour Behind the Label is delighted to announce the closure of a year-long campaign against the DESA leather factory in Turkey following a protocol agreement signed by DESA and the Deri Is union.

 

Following thousands of emails sent by Labour Behind the Label and LabourStart supporters to the main buyers at the factory, DESA management finally agreed to meet with the Deri Is union. However despite a succession of meetings no progress has been made. Not a single buyer had agreed to meet with the Deri Is union or to attend a meeting called by the International Textile Garment and Leather Workers Union, set for the 20th December.

Long hours, low wages and appalling conditions were the norm for DESA workers, until in April 2008 they decided to do something to try and change them. With the support of Deri Is (Leather Workers Union) DESA workers started to organise their own trade union in order to demand that things improve.

Since then the management at DESA has been running a campaign of harassment and intimidation against anyone they suspect of being a member of the union. From April to July 2009,  44 workers from the factory were dismissed and a further 55 were forced to resign from the union.

Almost a year to the day since DESA workers began their struggle for union recognition, the Supreme Court in Turkey has confirmed that 18 of the workers sacked by the Turkish leather factory had been illegally dismissed as a result of union organising.The Supreme Court rulings represent a significant victory for the DESA workers, including worker-organiser Emine Arslan.