Labor is Not a Commodity

Discrimination Still Exists

by Yu-Lan Duggan, International Labor Rights Forum

In 1971, in a joint resolution introduced by Congresswoman Bella Abzug, the United States Congress designated August 26th as Women's Equality Day to celebrate the passage of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote, and to call attention to the fact that more efforts still need to be made in order for women to achieve full equality.   While equality for women in the US has improved slightly over the last 38 years (we as a society are still far from having achieved complete equality), equality for working women internationally is in desperate need of progress.   

Cadbury Expands Fair Trade Dairy Milk Bars Globally

Tim Newman, Campaigns Director, International Labor Rights Forum

Cadbury announced today that it is committed to achieving Fair Trade certification for its Dairy Milk bars in Canada, New Zealand and Australia by early 2010.  The news builds on Cadbury's previous decision to certify Dairy Milk bars Fair Trade in Britain and Ireland.  Those Fair Trade bars arrived on shelves in Britain this summer.  According to Cadbury, the sales of their Fair Trade chocolate bars will quadruple Ghana's Fair Trade cocoa sales.  This is a big deal in terms of improving the lives of cocoa farmers in Ghana and Cadbury is clearly leading the way among major chocolate companies.

We just updated our "thank you" e-mail action to include the new announcement -- check it out and send a note to Cadbury here!

Get Ready for Reverse Trick-or-Treating!

Tim Newman, Campaigns Director, International Labor Rights Forum

It may still be summer, but it's not too early to start getting ready for Reverse Trick-or-Treating!  For the third year, people across the country will be delivering Fair Trade chocolate and information about the chocolate industry to their neighbors as they go Trick-or-Treating on Halloween.  This fun action is coordinated by a great group of organizations and Fair Trade chocolate companies and we have reached thousands of people through this annual action.  The best part is that you can order your action kit (complete with Fair Trade chocolate) for free online!  You can order your kit online here.  The deadline for group orders is October 1st and the deadline for individual orders is October 13th. (REMEMBER: if you found out about Reverse Trick-or-Treating on this blog, please indicate on your order form that you found out from the International Labor Rights Forum)

Financial Crisis Creates New Difficulties for Export-Oriented Labor

By Li Qiang, Executive Director, China Labor Watch

The financial crisis has reduced foreign orders in China . Wages, employment and labor conditions of Chinese workers at export-oriented factories have suffered, slowing domestic consumption and perpetuating economic downturn. The recent ethnic brawl in Shaoguan and the murder of factory manager Liu Han Huang in Dongguan illustrate the gravity of deteriorating conditions in the export-oriented sector.

From February to May 2009, China Labor Watch (CLW) sent a task group to interview workers at 27 factories in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Zhongshan Cities , all in Guangdong Province including shoe, toy, electronics, clothing, stationary, packaging and furniture factories. 16 of the factories had 1,000 workers or more. In total, the factories employ around 50,000 workers and CLW interviewed around 300 workers.

Workers Responding to Crisis #4: Updates from Cameroon, Egypt, South Korea and more!

Tim Newman, Campaigns Director, International Labor Rights Forum

This the fourth in an occasional blog series highlighting how workers and unions around the world are analyzing the global economic crisis and fighting for economic justice.

Cameroon

Workers at Cameroon's third largest employer, the sugar maker SOSUCAM, kidnapped a factory manager and shut down a factory on Thursday to protest massive firings, poor working conditions and  low wages.  The workers were joined in their protest by local community members who are angry that they have not received fair compensation for their land that was leased to the company by the government.  The recent action builds on earlier protests and sit-ins workers organized due to the company's plans to restructure their operations and fire 300 workers.  The company claims the measures are necessary due to the global financial climate and rises in food and fuel costs, but the workers see it as an excuse to treat them unfairly.

What Sec. Clinton and US politicians could say in Liberia

Tim Newman, Campaigns Director, International Labor Rights Forum

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has arrived in Liberia as part of her seven-nation tour of Africa.  During her brief visit, Secretary Clinton focused her remarks on supporting the leadership of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as well as the role good governance and strong security forces play in ensuring a peaceful recovery from conflict.  In addition to Sec. Clinton's visit to Liberia, a Congressional delegation led by Congressman Bobby Rush and including  will visit Liberia (as well as Nigeria, Angola and South Africa) this weekend.

As readers of this blog know, we have tracked labor rights violations on the rubber plantation in Liberia owned by the Firestone tire company, the largest employer and foreign investor in Liberia.  As Firestone's investment in Liberia has historically been a major part of US relations with the country, what can Sec. Clinton and the Congressional delegation do and say to ensure that the rights of workers and the environment are protected as part of Liberia's development process after years of conflict?

Students protest Russell Athletics

By Sarah Farr, intern, International Labor Rights Forum

photo credit: Isaac Silver

This past weekend, close to 70 students from dozens of universities around the country gathered in front of the Target store in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., armed with signs, leaflets, a megaphone, and abounding energy.  As a large group began demonstrating outside of the store’s front entrance handing out leaflets to shoppers and passersby, marching in a picket line, and chanting slogans such as “Russell!  Step off it!  People over profit!” and “What do we want? Contract!  When do we want it? Now!,” another group of students was quietly distributing informational fliers around the store that urged shoppers to boycott Russell Athletic apparel.  What had Russell done to invoke such a committed and passionate reaction from these students?

Friday’s action was only one event of many that have been organized for a national campaign against Russell Athletic.  The campaign to boycott Russell, organized by students from universities across the county in partnership with United Students Against Sweatshops and SITRAJERZEESH, the union representing Jerzees de Honduras factory workers, has grown into the largest-ever collegiate boycott of an apparel manufacturer.  The campaign was kicked-off earlier this year after Russell announced plans to shutter its Jerzees de Honduras factory, the only unionized factory in that country, in October of 2008. 

Child Trafficking in the Cocoa Industry Continues, but There's a New Way to Take Action!

Tim Newman, Campaigns Director, International Labor Rights Forum

This week, INTERPOL issued a press release stating that they had conducted an operation in Cote d'Ivoire that led to the rescue of 50 child workers on cocoa farms and the arrest of eight adults involved in the illegal recruitment of children.  Eight years after the chocolate industry agreed to  ensure that their cocoa beans and derivative products "have been grown and/or processed without any of the worst forms of child labor," it is extremely upsetting to see that abuses like these continue in West Africa's cocoa industry.

INTERPOL described the conditions these children experienced as follows:

They were discovered working under extreme conditions, forced to carry massive loads seriously jeopardizing their health.  Aged between 11 and 16, children told investigators they would regularly work 12 hours a day and receive no salary or education. Girls were usually purchased as house maids and would work a seven-day week all year round, often in addition to their duties in the plantations.

At the end of June, there was a separate report that Ivorian police officers stopped two trucks filled with 20 children being trafficked in to Cote d'Ivoire from Burkina Faso.

These abuses are unacceptable and chocolate companies must do more to ensure that labor rights are protected in their cocoa supply chains.  These recent stories show how important it is for consumers to take action to demand more from chocolate companies and there's an exciting new campaign action you can do that is perfect for the summer.  Keep reading for more information.