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Union
Busting at Wal-Mart Factory
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Urgent
Action Alert
Maquila
Solidarity Network
September
27, 2006
Wal-Mart
factory workers assaulted, fired for going on strike*
Workers
producing clothes for Wal-Mart at the Korean-owned Chong Won Fashion
garment factory in the Philippines desperately need your support to put a
stop to their employers' attempt to destroy their union through violence,
mass firings and intimidation.
This
morning (September 27), a combined force of municipal and free trade zone
police and private security guards attacked the strikers who were
peacefully picketing outside the factory gates as the police escorted scab
replacement workers into the factory. According the Philippine Workers'
Assistance Centre (WAC), 22 union members were injured in the attack.
This
is the second police assault on the picket line since workers walked off
the job on September 25 to protest their employers' refusal to sit down
with their union to negotiate a first collective bargaining agreement.
According to WAC, at least 10 workers were injured in the first police
assault, which took place shortly after they set up their picket line as
the newly hired replacement workers began arriving for work.
That
afternoon, WAC received information that all the striking workers were
going to be fired. According to WAC, at least 66 workers have already been
served termination notices. The free trade zone police are also reportedly
blocking food supplies from reaching the striking workers in an apparent
attempt to starve them out.
Wal-Mart
is the major buyer in the factory. Although Wal-Mart carried out an audit
of the factory one week ago (September 20), it failed to live up to its
commitment to meet with WAC to hear its side of the story, as requested by
MSN, or to put sufficient pressure on its supplier to cease all
harassment, discrimination and abuse of union members.
One
day before the audit, management personnel reportedly circulated and
pressured workers to sign a document condemning their union for protesting
outside the factory.
Although
Wal-Mart has never been a friend of unions, its revised code of conduct
requires its suppliers to respect their employees' legal right to freely
associate with any organization of their choosing and to not
"obstruct or prevent such legitimate activities."
*REQUESTED
ACTION:*
Please
join with MSN and the US-based International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) in
demanding that Wal-Mart live up to its promises to ensure that the
workers' right to freedom of association is respected.
*SAMPLE
LETTER* (Please write your own and send a copy to MSN.)
[Date]
Rajan
Kamalanathan,
Director
of Compliance
Wal-Mart
Stores Inc.
702
Southwest 8th Street Bentonville,
AR
72716-0830 F
ax:
479-277-1799
E-mail:
Rajan.Kamalanathan@wal-mart.com
Dear
Mr. Kamalanathan:
I
am writing to you today to express my deep concern for the workers of
Chong Won Fashion in Cavite, Philippines. As you know Wal-Mart has sourced
from this factory for quite some time and has agreed to maintain orders at
the factory and work with its supplier to ensure that workers' right to
freedom of association is respected.
I
have received disturbing reports that workers who went on strike on
September 25 to protest their employers' refusal to negotiate with their
union were physically assaulted by free trade zone police. Many of the
striking workers have reportedly also received termination notices.
Together
with International Labor Rights Fund and Maquila Solidarity Network, I
would strongly urge Wal-Mart to live up to its commitments by immediately
doing the following:
-
Meet with the Worker's Assistance Center in Cavite, Philippines in order
to hear their side of the story on worker rights violations at the
factory.
-
Demand the reinstatement of any workers fired as a result of their
participation in the strike and send a clear message to management that
Wal-Mart will not tolerate any further violence, harassment, intimidation,
or discrimination against workers because of their union membership or
activities.
-
Indicate to management that Wal-Mart will not tolerate any shifting or
subcontracting of orders to other factories from Chong Won.
-
Share and discuss your audit findings with the employer, other buyers,
Worker's Assistance Center, and United Workers for Chong Won (workers'
union), develop a corrective action plan, and work with other buyers, the
supplier and stakeholders to implement the plan.
I
look forward to learning how Wal-Mart has taken an active role to uphold
its code of conduct at Chong Won Fashion.
Sincerely,
Please
write your letter today! Chong Won Fashion workers need our support!
For
further information visit www.maquilasolidarity.org,
www.LaborRights.org
and www.wacphilippines.com
********************************************************
Maquila
Solidarity Network / Ethical Trading Action Group
606
Shaw Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6G 3L6
416-532-8584
(phone)
416-532-7688
(fax)
info@maquilasolidarity.org
www.maquilasolidarity.org
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