Sacked Thai workers continue production

Submitted by Anon on 21 March, 2003 - 1:32

A factory in Thailand which supplied Nike, Reebok and Adidas closed down, without warning, in October 2002. It owed its 350 workers $400,000 in back wages and redundancy pay.
An international campaign began, calling on the Thai government to bring the owners of the factory to justice and to ensure that workers were paid all that they were owed.

Warrants were issued for the arrest of the owners, and the government ordered that the workers be paid back wages. Workers held a three-month picket outside the Ministry of Labour, held demonstrations in front of Government House and the US Embassy, had discussions with Nike and organised a forum at the Ministry of Labour.

The atmosphere on the picket line, according to Ineke Zeldenrust of the Clean Clothes Campaign, was amazingly strong: "Workers were there 24 hours a day, cooking meals, playing games, singing solidarity songs."

About 60 workers have set up a co-operative as a result of the initiative taken on the picket line and decided to continue production of "Made in Unity" garments.

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