May 1, 2013 

May 1: A Day to Mourn and Organize

On May 1, International Workers’ Day, the Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) is inviting all our friends and supporters to join us in celebrating the struggles and victories of workers around the world, and to mourn the deaths of hundreds of Bangladeshi garment workers in the worst industrial accident in that country’s history. Most importantly, we are calling on you to take action in support of the victims of the tragedy and the thousands of workers who continue to make our clothes under unsafe conditions.

Take action on Bangladesh factory collapse

In the wake of the horrifying factory collapse in Bangladesh that has taken the lives of more than 400 garment workers, injured hundreds more who are now without work, and left approximately 800 workers unaccounted for, there is a desperate need for concerted action – by governments, retails and brands, consumers and investors -- to ensure that all the victims receive just compensation and prevent similar tragedies from taking place in the future. MSN is urging its supporters to join the call for a comprehensive, transparent and effective fire and building safety program in Bangladesh, and to support the removal of legal barriers to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

>> Take action now

Victory! Adidas pays compensation to Indonesian workers

After two years of international campaigning, adidas has finally signed an agreement to provide severance pay to the former PT Kizone workers in Indonesia. The owners of PT Kizone shut down the facility at the beginning of 2011 and immediately fled the country, leaving 2,686 workers without jobs and short $3.4 million in legally mandated severance pay. Although Nike and the Dallas Cowboys – two other buyers from the factory – had provided compensation earlier, adidas was holding out. But a two-year campaign organized by PT Kizone workers, backed by a broad coalition of unions and NGOs including United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), the Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC) and the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), forced the company to negotiate compensation
>> Read more on the Clean Clothes Campaign website

Maquila Solidarity Network: www.maquilasolidarity.org The Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) is a labour and women's rights organization that supports the efforts of workers in global supply chains to win improved wages and working conditions and a better quality of life. We welcome your donations.