Solidarity News
RadioLabour
2013-04-15
Slaves found in Argentinian garment sweatshops
Turkey releases 22 unionists but keep charges against them
15,000 women cigarette workers in India win 15% raise
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Slaves found in Argentinian garment sweatshops
The international fashion chain Zara has been accused of using sweatshop labour in
Argentina. The accusation comes in a report by the worker's right group La Almeda. The
report led to a raid by Argentinian police which found migrant workers and children in
sweatshops treated as slaves. They were forced to work 16 hour days with a break. Zara's
parent company - the Spanish multinational Inditex - released a statement saying it had never
heard of the shops or had any contact with them. Inditex is the largest fast-fashion retailer in
the world ahead of H&M. Jenny Holdcroft is the Director of Policy, Trade and Development
for the global union federation IndustriALL. Industriall represents garment workers and their
unions at the world level. Ms Holdcroft was asked about the statement by Inditex that it had
never heard of the companies running the sweatshops.
(audio)
In other news
In other news: In Turkey, thanks in part to a global campaing by labour organizations, 22
unionists have been released from jail. They had been arrested in a raid of 21 Turkish cities at
the end of June and falsely charged with membership in a terrorist organization. Though
released the unionists still face up to 15 years in jail. In Hong Kong a strike by port workers is
headed into its third week. Some 6,000 people have signed a online petition in support fo the
workers. The petition was initiated by the International Transport Workers Federation and is
being conducted by LabourStart, the labour movement's news and campaigning service.
1,600 workers at the Mahindra & Mahindra’s engine manufacturing factory in Igatpuri India
are on the seventh day of a tools-down strike. They are striking to protest the firing of their
union president. A tools down strike is when employees enter a plant but refuse to pick up
their tools to do the job. In western India more than 15,000 women employed as home-based
cigarette workers have won a 15 per cent wage increase through collective bargaining. The
women are member of India's Self-Employed Women's Association - SEWA.
End
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