Thai Workers Demand Reinstatement - In Blood

Labor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor Rights

Posted July 22, 2002

In this alert:

• Light House Workers in Thailand Demand Reinstatement - in Blood
• The Connection to PPR
• Take Action Now!

LIGHT HOUSE WORKERS IN THAILAND DEMAND REINSTATEMENT - IN BLOOD

On 16 July, over 200 protesting workers from the Light House Labour Union in Thailand presented a letter written in their own blood to the Thai parliament in protest of events at the Light House production plant. The Light House workers produce luggage that is sold in the U.S. and around the world by the Samsonite Corporation.

Their letter stated that, "We, Light House workers, sacrificed our blood to write this letter, revealing our genuine will and our suffering from savage exploitation."

The workers were driven to these desperate tactics by events which began in October 2001 with the dismissal of 600 workers (out of a total workforce of 1400), and the slashing of benefits and wages for the remaining workforce -- wages for the remaining workers were cut by 25% to $3.60 per day.

On 29 April 2002, the workers' wages and benefits were again cut-back. The company informed Light House union leaders that the tragedy of September 11 caused a drastic reduction in orders from the U.S. to the plant. The company claimed they had to reduce costs by laying-off workers. They then asked them to re-apply to the factory - when the workers were "re-hired," they received a lower wage and no union benefits. The workers complied with this process out of the fear of losing their jobs altogether.

Then, in June 2002, the company fired all 20 elected union representatives at the plant. When 849 workers held a work stoppage to protest, all were immediately fired.

Samsonite distributes its merchandise in over 100 countries and has production sites across the world, including factories in China and Mexico.

Currently, the Light House workers in Thailand are still demonstrating around the clock in front of the factory and promise to continue to do so until all the workers are reinstated to the factory.

THE CONNECTION TO PPR

Samsonite is principally owned by Francois Pinault, who also controls the company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, which is currently the target of a major international campaign for its blatant anti-union campaign in Indiana (USA), as well as for the poor working conditions and low wages in its supply factories around the world.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Samsonite boasts annual sales of over $730 million and calls itself the "sole global player within the fast-growing luggage market." Samsonite calls the period from 1990 to today its "race for the lead" in the luggage industry. At Campaign for Labor Rights, we recognize that what they call the "race for the lead" translates into a "race to the bottom" for workers around the world who too often find themselves competing with each other for jobs by accepting lower and lower wages.

Send the company and the luggage industry a message that it can't just comb the world looking for the most desperate people to hire as the cheapest labor. Let them know that when workers in their production factories organize to assert their rights, people all around the world will be standing behind them.

Call or Write a letter to Samsonite!

Tell CEO, Luc Van Nevel to:

• Respect the rights of Light House workers to form a union and collectively bargain.
• Rehire all the fired workers at the Light House plant in Thailand.

** NOTE: Please let us know that you contacted Samsonite-- mailto:clr@clrlabor.org clr@clrlabor.org - so that we can report back to you and the Light House union about our collective response to the company.

~ For more information on this campaign, visit the Thai Labour Campaign on the web at: www.thailabour.org
~ For pictures from the Light House workers' July 16 rally in Thailand, visit www.behindthelabel.org (Picutres will be posted to that site on July 23).

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