LESOTHO: WAL-MART MUST NEGOTIATE

From 20 February 2003, Posted 3 March 2003

Wal-Mart, US world leader in distribution, has 4,300 supermarkets in nine countries and is constantly growing. Its net profits in 2001 totaled 6.67 billion dollars and its 2002 turnover was close to 250 billion dollars. But the firm is far from being a leader when it comes to economic and social rights. In Lesotho workers' rights are regularly flouted in several production units in the textile sector working for Wal-Mart. The trade union Lesotho Clothing and Allied Workers (LECAWU) has requested support from its international partners to demand that Wal-Mart's suppliers comply with the country's labour code and International Labour Organization (ILO) standards.

Lesotho, a small enclave surrounded by South Africa, has a population of two million. The country's textile sector has grown substantially in recent years and currently employs 40,000 persons. Exports have risen steeply, especially to the US owing to the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)(1), a customs agreement to facilitate trade for southern African states. But firms in the sector are often more concerned about profits than about working conditions. Local labour regulations as well as international conventions ratified by Lesotho are regularly violated. The government, satisfied with the inflow of foreign investments, is turning a blind eye, which simply worsens the situation.

DEGRADING WORKING CONDITIONS

Workers in the textile industry are mobilizing on production sites but additional pressure on Western importers is essential if results are to be obtained. LECAWU and the Africa office of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF)(2) recently investigated working conditions in 21 factories in Lesotho producing clothes for Wal-Mart. Results of this inquiry, based on interviews with workers, are overwhelming: - working hours and wages: whereas a working day is theoretically supposed to last ten hours, employees are forced often without prior warning to stay at work for up to 14 hours consecutively and occasionally even more. They are also forced to work overtime at night or on Sundays, sometimes without extra pay. Most workers receive a monthly wage of 54 euros which is not even enough to meet a family's most basic needs; - insults, physical assault and sexual harassment: many employees, mostly women, are victims of this type of violation. Body searchers are standard practice to "catch thieves". Workers, often forced to undress in front of their superiors, have denounced this humiliating practice; - inadequate hygiene and security: on several production sites employees work in the cold in winter and in stifling heat in summer. Buildings either have no adequate heating or air conditioning facilities, or management refuses to use them. Toilets are often insalubrious and their use is sometimes limited to certain times. Protective equipment such as masks are frequently not available; - trade union rights flouted: employers refuse to negotiate with LECAWU although it represents up to 50% of the workers on certain sites. Moreover, managerial staff are openly hostile to union members. Officially Wal-Mart is not totally unconcerned about the situation, but its monitoring of suppliers is clearly half-hearted. For example, during a recent social audit at one of the suppliers, it was a factory manager who served as translator during interviews with workers!

MAKING IMPORTERS AWARE OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

An international campaign was launched in January 2003 to prompt Wal-Mart to take action. The company has still not responded. It is therefore necessary to maintain pressure on Wal-Mart to force it to take a genuine interest in the conditions in which the clothes it orders are produced. In March 2002 LECAWU urged North American companies ordering goods produced in Lesotho to visit factories in the country in order to see conditions, and to commit themselves to finding solutions. One of the challenges with this type of action is to ensure that transnational firms do not "solve the problem" of trade union mobilization by simply pulling out of the country and moving to other more favorable places. That is why Wal-Mart is urged not to cancel its contracts with partners in Lesotho but to demand that they observe workers' economic and social rights by negotiating with trade union representatives. By appealing to this world leader in distribution, which is taking a keen interest in the European market (and is already present in the UK and Germany), it is the entire sector that we are targeting. The measures taken by Wal-Mart are bound to influence its competitors.

(1) Agreements on growth and economic possibilities in Africa, signed in May 2000 (2) In November 2001 the ITGLWF called on the Lesotho prime minister to negotiate with LICAWU in order to find solutions to workers' problems in this sector (www.itglwf.org)

Labour standards in Lesotho Lesotho has ratified 22 International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. These conventions, as well as the country's main labour regulations, are on line on the organization's web site.

www.ilo.org

Wal-Mart Watch A web site, promoted by a North American union, is devoted to monitoring and alerting the company.

www.walmartwatch.com

Fair wages The international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, ratified by Lesotho, states that all workers should receive remuneration that at least enables them to afford a decent existence for themselves and their families (Art. 7).

WHAT CAN YOU DO ?

By letter: You can cut out or copy the letter below. This text is simply a suggestion; you can change it to suit your own style. NB: Don't forget to date and sign your letter and to add your name and address. E-mail: hlscott@wal-mart.com

H. Lee Scott, CEO Wal-Mart
702 SW Eighth St.
Bentonville, AR, 72716
USA

Dear Mr Scott,

I have been informed, through Réseau Solidarité (10, Quai de Richemont - 35000 Rennes France) of serious worker rights violations at over 20 factories producing for your company in Lesotho.

I urge you to take immediate steps to ensure that all of your supply factories in Lesotho are in compliance with the Lesotho labour code and accepted minimum labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) of the United Nations.

I also support the freedom of association, the right to organize and collective bargaining and I urge your company to consult with the Lesotho Clothing and Allied Workers Union (LECAWU).

I strongly urge your company not to cut and run from Lesotho, but to stay and be part of the solution by using your considerable influence to help clean up sweatshop abuses.

Yours truly,