Bangladesh: Free garment union leaders now!

'LABOUR Start' and the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) are raising concerns about the safety of trade union leaders and workers in Bangladesh, after a number of labour activists and workers were arrested on apparently arbitrary grounds.  CCC reports that the arrests have come in the wake of a week of unrest, as thousands of workers in the Ashulia area of Dhaka went on strike to demand higher wages. The strike, started on the 12th December, 2016 at the Windy Apparels factory - most recently in the news following the death of one its employees in October. The factory supplies a number of well know high street brands including H&M, Inditex (known for the brand Zara), Esprit, Tesco, Arcadia, S Oliver, and Debenhams. The strike spread over the following days to other factories in the Ashulia area. By the 20th December 2016 59 factories were closed, although many were shut down as a preventative measure by factory owners rather than by striking workers. The workers are demanding the implementation of minimum monthly wage of 15.000 BDT/ month (182 EUR). At the moment the minimum wage is 5.300 BDT, which was set in 2013 after the Rana Plaza collapse.
It is unclear how the strike started but it is generally acknowledged that it was not a coordinated action and none of the major trade union federations have endorsed the strike. At a number of press conferences trade union leaders have instead urged workers to return to work, while recognizing that their concerns need to be dealt with by the government and employers. Despite this it appears the government is taking the opportunity to carry out a crackdown on trade unions, by threatening and arresting their leaders.
For more go to www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=3310

'Labour Start' & the murder of Giulio Regeni

UPROAR has resulted following the torture and murder in Egypt of the 28-year-old doctoral student at Cambridge University, Giulio Regeni, who disappeared in Cairo on the 25th, January 2016, and whose half-naked, battered body was found in a ditch on February 3rd, hours after Italian officials appealed to President Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt directly for help in locating the student.
Italy's interior minister, Angelino Alfano, has said Mr. Regeni's body bore evidence of 'inhuman, animal-like unacceptable violence' - exactly the kind of torture the security forces regularly inflict on Egyptians.  Though Egypt's authorities have denied their security forces were involved, the Italian press has not swallowed this and a headline in La Republica on Monday (8th, Feb. 2016) read:  'Giulio Regeni was tortured because they thought ha was a spy.'
Mr Regeni's dissertation research focused on trade unions, a tricky topic in Egypt, his friends say he was careful in how he carried out his investigations.
Last Friday the International New York Times ran an editorial which read:
'Under Mr. Sissi's government thousands of Egyptians have been imprisoned.  Torture and enforced disappearance are commonplace.  Academics, human rights activists and journalists have been singled out.  Mr. Regeni's murder is sure to put a deep chill on academic freedom in Egypt.'
It is good that bodies like 'Labour Start' are monitoring these events.

An Italian Murdered in Egypt

PEOPLE all over the world were shocked and saddened to learn of the torture and murder of Giulio Regeni, a young academic who was in Egypt to research the situation of independent trade unions. As Kamal Abbas, an Egyptian labour leader, has written:
'The announcement of Giulio’'s death came after 10 days of his disappearance. The condition in which the body was found reveals that Giulio was murdered viciously and was subjected to monstrous torture before his death. This caused international outrage.'

There have been open letters and online campaigns from Giulio's academic colleagues.

We in the trade union movement are also demanding answers from the Egyptian government, and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for this horrific crime.

Please take a moment to support the LabourStart campaign:

http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=2953

After you've sent off your message, please share this with you friends, family and fellow union members.

Thank you!



Eric Lee

Rio Tinto, Valentine's Day & Worker's Rights

RIO Tinto, the global mining giant, is a serial violator of workers' rights.  It also has a long history of abuse of human rights and destruction of the environment.

This year, IndustriALL Global Union has teamed with with two NGOs (Earthworks and the London Mining Network) to put pressure on Rio Tinto where it hurts.

It turns out that the world's largest jewellery retailer sources its diamonds and gold from Rio Tinto.

And Valentine's Day is a big sales day for that company.

We've decided that there could be no better time to tell the public about the connection and to encourage that jewellery company to tell Rio Tinto to clean up its act.

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or don't, whether you buy jewellery or don't, I'm sure you care about workers' rights and will join me in sending this very powerful message to Rio Tinto.

Please take a moment to send off your message here:

http://www.labourstart.org/go/valentine

To learn much more about the fight for workers' rights at Rio Tinto, go here:

http://www.industriall-union.org/dont-tarnish-your-love-with-rio-tintos-dirty-diamonds-and-gold

Do these online campaigns work?

Just ask the workers at IFF in Dandenong, Australia.  We told you about their occupation of their workplace a few days ago, and asked you to send messages of protest and solidarity in support of the IUF's global online campaign.  Thousands of you did so -- thanks.  The workers have won a spectacular victory.  Read more here:

http://www.iuf.org/w/?q=node/3981

Please share this message with your friends, family and fellow union members.

Solidarity forever!

Eric Lee

McDonald's Sacks Korean Activist

Gahyun Lee (pictured) worked for McDonald's in South Korea, spoke out about workplace issues such as unsafe workplace practices, and lost her job. The company fired her after she travelled to Los Angeles to support the national action by US fast food workers. The International Union of Food Workers has just launched an online campaign demanding that McDonald's hire her back. Please take a moment to sign up -- http://www.labourstart.org/go/mcdonalds And please spread the word. And if you have an Android phone, please check out the brand new LabourStart app -- now with 4.9 stars (out of 5) in the Google Play Store. Eric Lee Copyright © 2014 LabourStart, All rights reserved.

Poland & the Union Busters!

It's like the old saying about buses: you wait all day for one to come along, and then two appear at at the same time. This week we have two new campaigns in support of retail workers in Poland, from two different unions, confronting two different global employers. When I asked why this had happened, I was told it was no coincidence. Polish workers -- like workers in so many other countries -- are under attack. In this case, we can help and we can make a difference. The employers are the cheap LIDL supermarket chain, based in Germany, which will be familiar to many of you, and Aelia, which runs shops in airports and is part of the Lagardere Services group, based in France. The famous Polish union "Solidarnosc" organized workers at LIDL more than a year ago, but the company is refusing to talk. The union has begun a series of innovative protests, including blocking cash registers by paying in small coins. Still, union representatives are being harassed and union leaders have been sacked. Solidarnosc, together with UNI Global Union, has asked us to send a strong message to LIDL -- please take a moment to do so: http://www.labourstart.org/go/lidl A newer and smaller union in Poland, Workers' Initiative, has asked for our help in a campaign for union rights at Warsaw's Chopin Airport. When workers at the Aelia duty free shop joined the union in May, the company reacted by sacking their elected representative and encouraged other workers to quit the union. This is yet another example of a multinational corporation ignoring workers' rights. Let's send them a powerful message too: http://www.labourstart.org/go/aelia Now please share this message with your friends, family, co-workers and fellow union members. Thanks very much! Eric Lee Which campaigns have I missed? Click here to find out.

Labour Start Appeal

A woman union leader from Thailand faces the threat of legal action by the owners of fast food chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
Her crime? She attended the first international fast food workers' meeting recently held by the International Union of Food workers (IUF) in New York.

The threat of legal action is not the first time time union members have had problems with this company.

According to the IUF, "In 2011, three workers were terminated after they established a union and sought to bargain a collective agreement with KFC. The three workers were only reinstated by court order months later."

It will take you less than a minute to support the campaign -- please click here to send your message:



And then please spread the word about this important campaign to your friends, family and fellow union members.

Thank you!


Eric Lee

Rana Plaza Anniversary: Firms Dodge Donations

IN another seven weeks, we mark the first anniversary of the building collapse at Rana Plaza, in Bangladesh. Over 1,100 people were killed in one of the worst industrial accidents in history.
As you may know, this was followed up by a ground-breaking agreement signed by global unions, local unions in Bangladesh, employers, major clothing brands, the International Labor Organization, the Bangladeshi government and others.

In addition to trying to ensure that the tragedy doesn't repeat itself, the employers also agreed to help compensate the injured and the families of those killed.

As the Clean Clothes Campaign put it, "The survivors and victims families have suffered enough and should not have to relive that horrible day without being secure that their financial losses at least are covered. They suffered terrible injuries, lost husbands and wives, children and parents, brothers and sisters; and will bear the physical and emotional scars for life. This can never be compensated for, but they can and should be compensated for loss of income and medical costs before the anniversary."
But among those companies which have not made public donations to the fund are these: 
Adler Modemrkte, Auchan, Ascena Retail, Benetton, C&A, Carrefour, Cato Fashions, Children's Place, Grabalok, Gueldenpfennig, Kids for Fashion, KiK, LPP, Manifattura Corona, Matalan, NKD, Premier Clothing, Primark, PWT, Walmart and Yes Zee.

IndustriALL, UNI Global Union and the Clean Clothes Campaign have launched an online campaign hosted by LabourStart to pressure those companies to pay compensation now.

Please sign up and send your message. And please spread the word about this very important campaign.

Meanwhile, halfway around the world in Peru, the government is attempting to privatize the country's water supply -- over the objections of citizens and the country's trade union movement. Those unions and their global union federation PSI have launched an online campaign demanding that Peru stop this privatization now. Please support the campaign and spread the word.

Thank you very much!

Labour Start.