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A briefing note on the economic impacts of the crisis on Mexico's textile and apparel industry and the Federal Government's response.
In our new publication What can brands do to support freedom of association in Mexico?, MSN sets out some of the most important systemic issues that need to be addressed by brands to ensure that workers in their Mexican supplier factories can exercise their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
The global financial crisis now underway is expected to have major consequences for workers in the global South who depend on North American and European markets.
This paper takes a look at the possible impacts of the financial crisis on the garment industry and garment workers. It goes on to lay out indicators to look for that help gauge the impact that workers will ultimately feel.
Estela Ramirez, ex-Hermosa worker
Credit: Christliche Initiative Romero
A new report prepared by the Maquila Solidarity Network for the Fair Labor Association (FLA) documents the desperate situation of former employees of the Hermosa Manufacturing facility in El Salvador, which closed in May 2005, leaving former Hermosa workers without jobs, back wages, severance pay, health insurance and employee pensions. MSN's report identifies next steps to rectify the injustices suffered by the Hermosa workers, and actions that buyers can take to prevent future "Hermosas".
(March 2007) Although price remains the main factor in sourcing decisions, brands are also concerned with guaranteeing that their products reach stores at the right time. According to brand representatives, instability in different countries also motivates brands to keep work in different countries located in different regions. For brands selling in the US market, it is quite likely that their strategies first divide suppliers into two big categories: Asia/Americas.
Revealing Clothing, ETAG's second Transparency Report Card, picks up where Coming Clean on the Clothes We Wear left off. It assesses and compares public reporting on labour standards compliance by 30 top apparel retailers and brands selling clothes in the Canadian market, including Levi Strauss, Nike, adidas, H&M, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Roots, La Senza, Reitmans and 22 others. This year's report also discusses worker involvement, purchasing practices and sustainable compliance.
Coming Clean on the Clothes We Wear assesses and compares 25 retailers and brands based on the information they provide to the public on their efforts to address labour rights issues in their global supply chains.
Brand Campaigns & Worker Organizing profiles three successful international campaigns that helped defend workers' right to organize. Available in English and Spanish, the 82-page booklet is an invaluable educational resource for anti-sweatshop activists, labour and human rights advocates, trade unionists, researchers, educators and anyone concerned about the conditions under which their clothes are made. Also available in Spanish. PDF order form
A report on the effects of free trade and the restructuring jean industry on workers, indigenous communities and the environment in the Tehuacan Valley, Mexico. Calls for local action and international solidarity, and cautions against extending the Tehuacan economic model to southern Mexico and Central America through the Plan Puebla-Panama. Also available in Spanish. PDF File
A revealing look at the impacts of free trade on the lives of maquiladora workers who make Gildan T-shirts in Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador. Offers concrete recommendations to the company and stakeholders on ways to improve working conditions and labour practices.
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