Recently, I wrote about the atrocious conditions at facilities in Jordan that churn out product for Victoria’s Secret. On Friday, I got an alert from my friends at the National Labor Committee about a strike that has broken out among workers who work in factories turning out goods for Wal-Mart, Gloria Vanderbilt and GAP (I was traveling back from Bali that day so didn’t have a chance to post it then). Here’s the gist:
Three thousand foreign guest workers, 50 percent of them young women–1,500 from Sri Lanka, 900 from Bangladesh, 400 from India and 100 from Nepal–have been on strike since Monday, December 10, 2007. The situation is critical. At least 10 workers were beaten today by the police. Before going on strike, the workers had written to the Jordanian Ministry of Labor seeking help, but received no response.
Workers paid less than half the wages legally due them, earning a take-home wage of just $30.95 a week for a minimum of 78 hours of work, while they should have been paid at least $64.88.
Routine 12 1/2 to 14 1/2-hour shifts, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00, 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., seven days a week with at most two days off each month. Workers are at the factory 80 1/2 to 93 1/2 hours a week.
Two young women report being raped by factory management.
Managers routinely shout and curse at the workers and even slap and beat them for falling behind in their production goal or making minor errors.
Workers say they are locked in the factory and afraid that if a fire breaks out they will be trapped.
The bathrooms are filthy.
Factory dorms are very cold, lack heat and are seriously overcrowded with 12 people crammed into each room.
Workers describe the factory food as too little and often stale, with an "awful" taste.
Factory management does not pay medical expenses and does not respect the workers’ legal right to 14 days paid annual vacation.
Workers are paid just 15 cents for each paid of jeans they sew for Wal-Mart and Gloria Vanderbilt.
Yeah, Jordan–a great place to work and a place that got a so-called "free trade" deal with the U.S., supported by Democrats, because it was supposed to have strong labor law enforcement. Hah.
So, what can you do:
Ask Wal-Mart, Gloria Vanderbilt and GAP to clean up their contractor’s plant.
HRH Prince Zeid Ra’ad
Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the US
Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
3504 International Drive, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Telephone number: (202) 966 – 2664
Fax number: (202) 966 – 3110
E-mail: HKJEmbassyDC@jordanembassyus.org
Lee Scott
President & CEO
Wal-Mart Stores
702 Southwest 8th Street
Bentonville, AR 72716
FAX: 501-621-2063
Gloria Vanderbilt:
Wesley R. Card, President & CEO
Jones Apparel Group Corporate Offices
1411 Broadway
New York, NY 10018
Tel: (212) 642-3860
Fax: (212) 703-9154
Glenn K. Murphy, Chairman and CEO
Gap Inc. Headquarters
Two Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
tel: (650) 952-4400
fax: (415) 427-2553
