Posts by GLJ-ILRF

Oversight Committee Statement on the Progress During the First Year After the Signing of The Dindigul Agreement

As the Oversight Committee of the Dindigul Agreement, we welcome the first annual
report from the labor stakeholders to the Dindigul Agreement, which covers the initial
impacts and progress of the Agreement and was delivered to us and made public in
June 2023.

Honduras: Fyffes escalates against melon workers with retaliatory firings triggering government investigation

Blatantly disregarding national laws and international labor standards safeguarding workers’ right to organize, Japanese-owned billion-dollar multinational fruit company Fyffes has terminated all permanent worker-members of the independent farmworker union and IUF affiliate,

Migrant Fishers in Taiwan Take Wi-Fi Now For Fishers’ Rights Campaign International

March 12, 2023

Migrants from across Asia work in Taiwan’s fishing fleet, catching seafood we eat every day. Working under harsh conditions and often facing danger, violence and abuse on the job, thousands of fishers have come together in a new campaign to demand fundamental labor rights.

On March 12, 2023, they took their campaign internationally, gathering with local and international NGO and labor allies in front of the Seafood Expo North America at the Boston Convention Center to demand that responsible sourcing of seafood that respects fundamental labor rights as set forth in ILO conventions and wi-fi access for all fishers on distant-water vessels be at the heart of the conversation about the global seafood industry.

Fight the Heist: Asian Unions Join Forces with GLJ-ILRF & Asia Floor Wage Alliance in Campaign to Stop Nike, Levi’s & VF Corp. from Funneling Stolen Pandemic Wages toward Buybacks

Garment supply chain workers, a majority of them women, faced massive wage theft and income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic when Big Fashion brands’ like Nike canceled or drastically reduced orders en masse (as detailed in Asia Floor Wage Alliance’s (AFWA) Money Heist report).

Meanwhile, Wall Street investors and owners made record profits and paid themselves millions of dollars through stock buybacks.

Honduran Melon Pickers Decry Fruit Giant Fyffes Refusal to Sign Agreement and Demand No Retaliation in Hiring

Choluteca, October 26, 2022 – Honduran farmworkers on marched on the melon fields in Choluteca demanding that multinational fruit giant Fyffes engage with them in good faith after the company walked away from negotiations with their union and stopped hiring union members, making it impossible for them to feed their families. 

The workers, members of El Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Agroindustria y Similares (STAS), called out Fyffes for turning their back on workers and negotiations, demanded an end to discrimination in hiring and called for intervention from the Honduran government to enforce the law and protect their rights. 

A World Cup for Workers: Fighting for Labor and Human Rights

In a month FIFA will be making its final city selection for the North American 2026 World Cup which will take place with games in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. FIFA and the World Cup’s dismal record on human rights, from Qatar to Brazil to South Africa and prioritization of corporate sponsors over communities and workers impacted has tarnished the internationally-beloved game of football. 

As Castro takes office, Hondurans continue to fight for democracy, workers’ rights

This week international attention is on Honduras as U.S. Vice President Harris visits the country for the inauguration of Xiomara Castro, Honduras’ first woman President, elected on a platform of tackling the enormous inequalities that have historically plagued the country. Much of the attention will be focused on Honduras’ relationship with the United States, and the Biden administration's desire to address root causes of migration. Castro’s presidency offers tremendous hope for Hondurans on many levels but key to the question of migration is in their fight to expand labor rights and raise their standard of living in a country where nearly half the population lives below the poverty line.

The Justice for Jeyasre Speaking Tour Stops in Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, garment workers like Maria, Elizabeth, and Carlos are earning around $6 an hour. That’s because they’re paid through the piece rate system, where workers earn pennies per garment sewn instead of earning an hourly wage. “These industries are run by millionaires,” Maria from the Garment Workers Center shared on the Los Angeles Justice for Jeyasre Speaking Tour stop, “and they have us enslaved.”

The Justice for Jeyasre Speaking Tour Stops in Tennessee

When Armando helped build a public middle school in Tennessee he expected to get paid for his work. Two years later, he’s still fighting to get the $43,000 owed to him. 

Companies, like the one Armando worked for, often get millions of dollars in government contracts only to turn around and steal workers’ wages. They assumed that, because they’re not from the U.S. and don’t speak English, they won’t be able to fight back. “It’s so corrupt”, Armando said at the speaking tour event, “they keep hiring the same corrupt companies. This will continue if we don’t do anything about it”.

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