Oxfam Community Aid Abroad's NikeWatch campaign has two email lists for people who want to keep in touch with the international and Australian campaigns to stop the exploitation of workers making Nikes. The "nikewatch-news" list receives weekly news updates. It includes requests for solidarity actions in support of particular Nike factory struggles and information on campaign actions around the world. To subscribe send an email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> If you'd rather less information, the "nikewatch-updates" list receives a short campaign update every month. To subscribe send an email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Both lists are free. You can unsubscribe from either list at any time by sending an email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Here's an example of the latest issue of nikewatch-news: >List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2001 15:01:40 +1000 >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: Tim Connor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [nikewatch-news] Violence and threats of violence against independent union > members continue - Please fax/email/write in support of Nike and > Reebok workers in Mexico > >This week's update features information on the ongoing battle for workers >in the Kuk Dong factory, a Nike and Reebok supplier in Mexico, to be >allowed to elect their own union and get rid of FROC-CROC - the violent >company-selected union which has been intimidating and harassing workers. >Reebok has been relatively helpful in supporting workers, but Nike >continues to do as little as possible. > >Meanwhile protests outside the Nike store in Bourke Street in Melbourne >continue every Friday night - with 200-300 people participating each week. > >****Kukdong Update**** > >Thanks to all list members who have been sending letters in support of >workers at Kuk Dong. Unfortunately more faxes and emails are needed. Here >is a relatively detailed account of the state of play in the campaign for >workers to be allowed to have a real union in that factory. If you're >rushed for time you might want to skip to the end for the action request. > >Most workers at Kukdong have been able to return to the factory, but key=20 >independent union leaders, including Santiago Perez, are still being locked >out. Workers are still struggling for the recognition of their independent >union by government authorities, and to have a free and fair union election >in the factory. The recent harassment of Elytania Baez and the beating of >Ivan Diaz makes it is clear that the CROC (the employer-selected union,=20 >with links to local right wing political parties) are escalating their=20 >campaign against the SITEKIM (the independent union) >in an attempt to halt the government recognition process. Details of recent >developments are below - the information has been prepared by Centro de >Apoyo al Trabajador (CAT), an organization of Mexican workers, students and >labor activists established to support Mexican workers trying to assert >their right to freedom of >association. It has been very active in supporting the Kuk Dong workers. > > >1. IMPUNITY CONTINUES AT KUKDONG FOR VIOLENCE AND HARASSEMENT OF UNIONISTS, >WITH INVOLVEMENT OF KOREAN EMPLOYEE, AND WITH SUPPORT FROM NIKE > >Despite the violence suffered by Ivan Diaz Xolo and the harassment of >Elytania Baez, with the accompanying threats to the rest of the workers, >little has been corrected at Kukdong. Kukdong officials, with Nike, >continue to present the Ivan Diaz incident as a 'fight'. On the other hand, >in the case of Elytania Baez, like many cases of harassment, it seems as if >nothing had ever happened. >In the case of Ivan Diaz, Nike said it had spoken to all eyewitnesses >to the event. Yet, eight workers who witnessed the event have never been >interviewed by the company or Nike auditors, and have signed a=20 >statement to that effect. In contrast to Nike's misinformed or=20 >complicit coverup, workers report that a Reebok representative was=20 >present at Kukdong to address the case of Elytania Baez. They do not=20 >report to have knowledge of any visit by Nike >auditors. Workers have requested that those they perceive as=20 >intellectual authors of these attacks, FROC-CROC representative Jose=20 >Luis Ruiz and head of security Alberto Cedano, be held responsible=20 >for the violence and harassment against Elytania Baez and Ivan Diaz.=20 >They both continue to work at Kukdong with >impunity. > >2. KUKDONG EMPLOYEES AND THE FROC-CROC PARTNER UP TO DERAIL THE LEGAL >RECOGNITION OF SITEKIM (the independent union) > >Workers who wish to remain anonymous for safety reasons also reported that >6 workers were paid and pressured into signing a statement of loyalty to >the CROC and of rejection of SITEKIM at the local labor board. The 6 >workers who were taken to the labor board were offered money and threatened >by the CROC and pressured by a Kukdong employee known as Luis Lee. The 6 >workers had signed the founding document of SITEKIM, and the move by the >CROC is clearly an attempt to stop SITEKIM from obtaining government >recognition. Mexican Federal Labor Law states that unions must be created >by at least 20 workers. 28 have signed the founding documents of SITEKIM, >yet 6 have been pressured into renouncing. > >On 5 June three officials from the Local Labor Board of Puebla > arrived at Kukdong to verify that the 28 workers of Kukdong who=20 >filed for the legal recognition of SITEKIM (the worker=EDs union), were=20 >indeed members of SITEKIM. This arbitrary procedure is not=20 >contemplated anywhere in the Federal Labor Law of Mexico and is=20 >neither common practice, yet it has been invoked at least twice when=20 >worker (independent) unions have filed for legal recognition. The=20 >measure is arbitrary and absurd in that the workers have already=20 >expressed their membership by submitting the petition for legal=20 >recognition. The procedure may give the Labor Board an excuse to deny=20 >the legal recognition of SITEKIM. According to Federal Labor Law, at=20 >least twenty workers are needed to obtain legal recognition.=20 >However, for the following reasons, it is likely that only fifteen,=20 >or less, workers signed their support for SITEKIM. >1. The labor board gave SITEKIM's lawyers a single day=EDs notice of=20 >this procedure. Given that many workers live several hours away from=20 >the factory, and that most of them do not have telephones, it was=20 >impossible to notify any workers. Three workers were absent today. An=20 >additional three no longer work at Kukdong (which is not grounds to=20 >deny the recognition, according to Federal Labor Law). >2. Between six or seven workers (these numbers are unconfirmed at=20 >this point) have been coerced by the CROC, either through offers of=20 >money or threats, to deny any participation in SITEKIM. >3. The other fifteen workers were called to the offices one by one to sign >their approval of SITEKIM. They were forced to walk by three high=20 >ranking CROC officials, who waited outside the offices. (Clearly the=20 >CROC was given advance >notice). Workers report that some of the fifteen were pale and=20 >trembling throughout the day. The six workers who were absent will be=20 >submitting a brief to the Labor Board where they reaffirm their=20 >membership in SITEKIM, but there is fear that the Labor Board may not=20 >accept it. > >3. FROC-CROC ATTACKS REEBOK AND URGES VIOLENCE AGAINST SITEKIM AND CAT >MEMBERS > >On an undated memo to Kukdong workers on CROC letterhead, the CROC attacks >SITEKIM members Marcela Mu=F1oz Tepepa, Josefina Hernandez and Ivan de= Erick >Diaz, as well as Centro de Apoyo al Trabajador member Blanca Velazquez as >'seeking to damage the company and workers for their own personal gain' >and urges workers to 'throw boiling water on them if necessary so that they >do not disturb the harmony of your home'. >In addition, the document distributed by CROC representatives on Friday, >May 25 in the Kukdong cafeteria states that these people 'claim the support >of US students and Tara Holleman [sic] who regularly visits them in the >city of Atlixco, in the Metepec vacation center to be more precise' to >stage another wildcat strike. It further condemns that US students and >Reebok representative Tara Holeman 'meddle in the union and personal lives >of workers violating the political constitution of the United States of >Mexico'. > >SUGGESTED ACTIONS > >1. Send a FAX, directly from Global Exchange's website, to Philip Knight >asking >that Nike take immediate and concrete steps to ensure that the people= making >the company's products at Kuk Dong and other Nike Contract factories aren't >facing abuse and intimidation and are free to organise their own unions >http://www.globalexchange.org/economy/corporations/nike/stillwaitingfax.htm= l > >2. Send your own message to Nike expressing concern for their refusal to >address the >instances of violence and intimidation and the continued refusal to >pressure Kuk Dong to reinstate Santiago Perez. Contact Vada Manager, Nike's >Director of Global Affairs -=20 >fax +1 503 >532 0440 or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >2. Contacting Kukdong expressing concern for the permanence within the >factory of CROC >representative Jose Luis Ruiz, head of security Alberto Cedano, and for the >behavior of employee Luis Lee. Also, express concern for the lack of >measures to prevent further violence and harassment in light of the Ivan >Diaz and Elytania Baez incidents and the refusal to reinstate union >organiser Santiago Perez. > >> Kukdong International Mexico S.A. de C.V. >> Retorno de Ave. Continentes Num. 38 >> Rancho Los Soles=20 >> Atlixco de Puebla, Mexico >> Tel: 011-52-244-61020~3 >> Fax: 011-52-244-61024 >> Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>=20 >> Kukdong Corporation (Korea) >> Kukdong Building 229-3 Young Dap-Dong >> Sungdong-Ku, Seoul, Korea >> Tel: (02) 3407-7701~7905 >> Fax: (02) 2249-5915 >> 2243-7776 >> http://www.kd.co.kr >> email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tim Connor Coordinator, The NikeWatch Campaign -------------------------------------------------------- 55 Wells Street, Redfern 2016, AUSTRALIA Phone: 61 2 9698 2394 Fax: 61 2 9280 3426 Mobile: 0403 339 578 NikeWatch Site - http://www.caa.org.au/campaigns/nike/ -------------------------------------------------------- -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
