Thai workers end six week strike

Between July 30 and September 13 more than 2,000 workers at the Thai subsidiary of underwear giant Triumph International went on strike to demand reinstatement of their union president, Ms. Jitra Kotchadej. Ms. Kotchadej was dismissed on July 29 in relation to her appearance during her private time in a national television debate wearing a t-shirt with the text ‘Those who do not stand are not criminals. Thinking differently is not a crime.’ The t-shirt refers to the right of people not to stand when the royal anthem is played and the abuse of lèse-majesté legislation to suppress political opposition.

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In this issue:

Thai workers walk out; Reaching a deal with Burger King; Hanesbrands workers in Dominican Republic and Mexico; Chinese labour contract law; Puebla government interferes at Mexmode; Chasing the next China.

Download Update 13.3 here.

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On July 10, 2008, following the Ethical Trading Forum in Vancouver at which transparency and Olympic licensing was debated with companies, trade unions, NGOs and Olympic organizers, Nike publicly released the full list of factories that produced its products for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

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On June 12, the Ethical Trading Action Group (for which MSN serves as the secretariat) and its counterparts in British Columbia brought together 60 representatives of Olympic stakeholders for the 2008 Ethical Trading Forum in Vancouver. Together, they discussed and debated ways to improve working conditions in China and other countries where Olympic-branded products are made, and how to ensure that the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are sweat-free.

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MSN-authored report challenges sportswear companies to meet targets by next Olympiad

As the clock ticks down to the Beijing Olympics, international sportswear companies are amassing huge profits and arranging multi-million dollar sponsorship deals with the Games, Olympic athletes and national teams.

Meanwhile, workers producing their goods are still living in poverty. In a new report, “Clearing the Hurdles: Steps to improving working conditions in the global sportswear industry”, Play Fair 2008 calls upon brands, manufacturers, and multi-stakeholder initiatives to overcome four major hurdles to make real, measurable progress on wages and working conditions in the global sportswear industry.

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MSN Codes Memo #23

Who’s got the Universal Code? examines attempts by multi-stakeholder initiatives and industry associations to develop and promote a “universal” code of conduct that would be applicable to one or more sectors in the globalized economy. We also compare and contrast key provisions on minimum labour standards in these competing “universal codes” and identify critical issues that are blocking agreement on a common code.

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