Labor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor Rights

CLR Labor Alert posted January 7, 2002

In this alert:

• 1. "Thank You" from the Thai Labour Campaign.
• 2. Report on December Call-in Action.

[ Information in this Alert provided by the Thai Labour Campaign, www.thailabour.org, and US Labor Education in the Americas Project, www.usleap.org ]

"THANK YOU" FROM THE THAI LABOUR CAMPAIGN

Below is the text of a letter from Junya Yimprasert, Coordinator of the Thai Labour Campaign, to those of you who actively supported workers at the Almond gold-jewelry factory. Through letter-writing and a series of leafleting actions in 23 cities, many of you helped put pressure on companies here in the US that sell jewelry made in the Almond factory. Two of those companies, Home Shopping Network and Sterling Inc. (owners of Kay Jewelers), played a positive role in the campaign, which ended in a victory for the Almond Labour Union, by voicing their support for the rights of the workers who produce the goods they sell.

Dear friends,

On behalf of Thai Labour Campaign and the Almond Labour Union, I am delighted to inform you that the yearlong dispute between Almond Labour Union and management has reached a settlement! After a long and difficult struggle, Almond workers can finally claim justice and victory.

I would like to thank you for your solidarity and support of the Almond workers' struggle over the last six months. As you most likely have heard, on December 2nd, the Almond Labour Union and management reached an agreement providing for the reinstatement of 40 fired unionists, the dropping of all lawsuits brought by the company against the union and other organizations, and, importantly, the recognition by the company of the collective bargaining rights of the union. Within three days of the union submitting demands for collective bargaining, the company has pledged to negotiate in good faith.

While Almond workers are excited and relieved to be returning to work after a year of struggling to make ends meet, the effects of this victory will spread beyond Almond. Almond unionists can continue their active role in the Thai labour movement. The withdrawal of the $1 million lawsuit against the union and the $1.25 million lawsuit against Thai Labour Campaign for damages due to the international campaign is extremely important because it reaffirms Thai Labour Campaign and the union's right to report on and publicize the truth about repression in Thai factories. While it does not guarantee that we will not be victim to future lawsuits, for the time being, employers have received a message about what awaits them if they violate these basic freedoms.

The success of the Almond campaign is owed to the strong fight that Almond workers braved against a repressive management and the pressure generated on Almond and its buyers by our international allies. This agreement was reached through strong and effective negotiation by Fred Higgs, general secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Mine, Energy and General Worker's Union, of which Almond is a member. The negotiations would not have been successful without the tremendous role that ICEM, US GLEP, Solidarity Center in Thailand, the Campaign for Labor Rights, New York City labor and religious groups and the AFL-CIO played in generating pressure on Almond's buyers. Additionally, we must recognize the impact of the thousands of individuals who wrote postcards, made phone calls and leafleted to call for justice for Almond workers.

Upon the implementation of the agreements made by Almond's management, Thai Labour Campaign will end its campaign on behalf of Almond workers and will make no further appeals for action on this particular dispute. I am tremendously proud to have collaborated together on this campaign. We have transcended many borders to come together in an effective struggle for justice and worker's rights.

In solidarity and Season's Greetings,

Junya Yimprasert
Coordinator

REPORT ON DECEMBER CALL-IN ACTION

On December 6th, 2001, as part of an international effort to support workers at the Choishin and Cimatexiles factories in Guatemala, many of you called the Guatemalan Consulate in your region.

The call-in action got a large and international response from activists and was accompanied by consulate visits in Los Angeles, CA and Brussels, Belgium! It was initiated by US/LEAP and supported primarily by Campaign for Labor Rights, Guatemalan Education Action Project, the International Textile, Garment, and Leatherworkers Federation, NISGUA, Maquila Solidarity Network, and Sweatshop Watch. The call-in day followed the Amnesty International day of action around impunity in Guatemala, so the Guatemalan government representatives in the U.S. already had their ears warm to the concerns about impunity.

Some call-in participants reported being directed to an answering machine at the Embassy in Washington, D.C., rather than being able to convey their concerns about labor rights violations to a person at the Consulate in their region.

Unfortunately, the Guatemalan Embassy has not returned calls from US/LEAP to follow-up the call-in day.

The Chronology of Action:

~ On November 28th, US/LEAP circulated an alert and posted on it and other materials on the US/LEAP website.

~ On November 29th, Campaign for Labor Rights sent you a Labor Alert, which generated an estimated 100 to 200 phone calls to local Guatemalan consulates on December 6th.

~ NISGUA worked with the participants of the FESTRAS tour to generate calls to the Guatemalan consulates on December 6th.

~ The ITGLWF generated calls from their affiliates in France and Norway and perhaps others on the 6th.

~ On December 11th, Neil Kearney, the General Secretary of the ITGLWF, met with the Ambassador to Guatemala in Brussels, Belgium.

~ Also on Dec. 11th, the Maquila Solidarity Network of Canada put out an alert for faxes to be sent to the Guatemalan Embassies in Canada to support the Choi & Shin's workers.

~ On December 12th, Marissa Nuncio of Sweatshop Watch spearheaded a consulate visit in Los Angeles with Garth Sorenson from GEAP. The visit to the consulate included Leone Hankey from the Southern California Fair Trade Network, Marissa Nuncio, and Garth Sorsenson and Policarpo Chaj of GEAP. They met with Consul Fernando Castillo and Marissa reports that the Consul was receptive to the concerns voiced during the visit. The delegation presented him with a sign-on letter endorsed by a broad range of local organizations.

{For more information and background on this campaign, check out our website at: www.clrlabor.org, or check the website of US/LEAP: www.usleap.org}

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