- Indonesia: textile workers' victory
- No Sweat discusses Iraq workers' solidarity
- Women's TUC fringe meeting
- No Sweat steering group
- Play Fair Olympics campaign
Indonesia: textile workers' victory
A significant breakthrough has been made by workers at PT Kahatex Sweaters in Bandung, Indonesia. 537 workers were illegally locked out in May 2003 for demanding they be paid the minimum wage. The company has agreed to re-employ all of the locked-out workers.
Two hundred and ten workers have said they wish to be re-employed and the company has agreed work will restart by 1 March. The remaining 287 locked-out workers have until the end of this month to say they also wish to return. Those who do will be employed no later than 19 April.
The workers will be returning with the status of full-time, permanent employees, a status becoming increasingly rare in Indonesia and around the world, as manufacturers shift to using short-term contract employees, who have few benefits and no job security. This is a great victory!
No Sweat discusses Iraq workers' solidarity
Polish-British activist Ewa Jasiewicz who has just returned to the UK after spending over nine months in Iraq working with Voices US and the Occupation Watch centre is speaking at a number of No Sweat meetings.
London: 7.30, Tuesday 9 March
at The Dogstar, Brixton (corner of Coldharbour Lane and Atlantic Road)
Brighton: 7.30, Thursday 18 March
at the Cowley Club, London Roa
Women's TUC fringe meeting
"A workers' response to globalisation". With Katrina Hoogensdam and Cathy Nugent.
5.30pm, Wednesday 10 March, at the Eastbourne conference centre.
No Sweat steering group
Meets at 12pm, Saturday 13 March, at ULU, Malet Street, Euston, London. All activists welcome.
Play Fair Olympics campaign
The TUC and Oxfam are launching the Play Fair campaign on 4 March.
Play Fair's focus is on the second rung of the sportswear brands (the smaller brands, behind the big three, Nike, Reebok and Adidas), like Puma and Ellesse, to highlight poor work conditions in the sportswear industry.
The campaign is being run across Europe in the run-up to the Greece Olympics. The TUC in Britain is targetting Puma, because it it the biggest selling of this group of brands in Britain.
They are lobbying Puma's management to sign an international framework agreement with international garment workers' unions.
