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Honduras: Workers Tear-gassed, Beat



Subject: Honduras: Workers Tear-gassed, Beaten

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Title:  Honduras: Workers Tear-gassed, Beaten
Date: 02-SEP-1999
Author: U.S./Labor Education in the Americas Project (US/LEAP)
<usglep@xxxxxxx>
Source:  Campaign for Labor Rights <clr@xxxxxxxxxxx> (by way of Jay
<jay@xxxxxx>)
Style: News report and action alert
Reference: www.summersault.com/~agj/clr

Honduran Workers Tear-gassed and Beaten While Supporting Striking Kimi
Workers
posted September 1, 1999

Workers from neighboring maquila (assembly-for-export) factories who
refused to go to work in a stirring show of solidarity for striking
workers at the Kimi factory in Continental Park in Honduras were
tear-gassed and beaten Monday morning, August 30 by anti-riot police.
Many workers were taken to local hospitals in nearby San Pedro Sula.

As of Monday afternoon, the situation was calm and remained so on
Tuesday, August 31. On Wednesday, at the urging of the Kimi workers, the
other workers in the park returned to work.

The confrontation took place following a weekend blockade of Continental
Park gates by Kimi workers, who were protesting Kimi management's
refusal to respect the collective bargaining negotiated by the Kimi
union, SITRAKIMIH, earlier this year. It is the only collective
bargaining agreement in the eight-factory Continental Park.

Kimi is a long-time supplier for JC Penney. Other U.S. companies
sourcing from Continental Park include The Gap, Phillips-Van Heusen,
Kohl's, Dayton-Hudson, Salant, Gear for Sports and American Eagle.

Kimi workers had shut the park down on Friday and Saturday, August
27/28, by blocking entrances. They dispersed later in the weekend. When
they returned on Monday, riot police were lined up in front of the gates
to allow workers to enter the industrial park. But in an act of
widespread solidarity, most workers refused to enter the park, even
though Kimi workers encouraged them to do so. A representative from a
local radio station then arrived and reportedly used a megaphone to lead
the workers in chants. Without provocation, police then attacked the
workers with tear gas and clubs.

Kimi management met with the union on Monday evening but demanded that
the union's leadership be removed as a condition for negotiations. A
second meeting on Tuesday, August 31 again produced no progress, with
Kimi saying that other maquila operators in the park are threatening to
close their plants if the Kimi union leadership returns. Removal of the
union leadership would be tantamount to destroying the union, and the
workers have rejected this demand. The negotiations have been convened
by the Honduran Labor
Ministry and are being observed by the Honduran Maquila Association.

Earlier, on Saturday, August 28, owners of the other maquilas operating
in the park published an ad in the newspaper owned by Continental Park
owner and presidential candidate Jaime Rosenthal warning that the Kimi
conflict was threatening the future of the park and blaming outside
agitators and foreigners for a potential loss of jobs. The ad came in
response to the park's shutdown the previous day and was a clear attempt
to threaten park workers not to support the Kimi workers. This attempt
failed miserably when workers refused to enter the park Monday morning
despite police escort.

Workers at Continental Park are becoming increasingly militant in
supporting efforts to improve conditions and wages by forming unions. On
August 16, workers at a second factory in the park, Yoo Yang, filed an
application for union recognition. Maquila operators in the park, most
of whom are Korean, are no doubt nervous about the growing efforts by
workers in the park to exercise their basic right to organize.

The union at Kimi, SITRAKIMIH, is affiliated to the International
Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation, an international trade
secretariat of apparel unions which, along with UNITE, has been
providing on-going support to the union.

BACKGROUND

Earlier this year the SITRAKIMIH union won the only collective
bargaining agreement in Continental Park after a two-and-a-half year
struggle. But a month later park owner Rosenthal refused to renew Kimi's
lease, reportedly telling Honduran TV he would never allow a union in
his industrial park.  Kimi management then announced it would close the
factory in the Park and relocate at a distance too far for most workers.
[See CLR alert posted June 21, 1999.]

An international outcry directed at both Rosenthal and Kimi management
ensued. When construction of the new plant fell far behind schedule,
Kimi used the opportunity to cancel the move and asked the union to help
find a new location, one presumably acceptable to the union. A
resolution of this issue appeared likely.

Discussions then began between the union and the company regarding the
company's breaches of numerous clauses of the collective bargaining
agreement. Negotiations seemed to be proceeding positively until August
18
when management stalked out of the meetings and the next day
unilaterally imposed a wage change that broke an agreement reached in
the negotiations.

The workers, angered by the company's continued lack of compliance with
the collective bargaining agreement, its reversal of the agreed-upon pay
schedule and its cutting off of discussions with the union, stopped
working and occupied the factory. Management remained inside the factory
until later that afternoon when the police escorted them out.

The owners then refused to meet with the workers to resolve the
situation, despite requests from the Honduran Labor Ministry that they
do so. Instead, Kimi sought to have the union leaders arrested and
jailed on charges of sedition, kidnaping and more.

These charges clearly have been made to deflect attention from Kimi's
continuing refusal to respect its workers' internationally respected
rights to free association and collective bargaining.

ACTION REQUESTS

While the workers have been attempting to find a resolution to this
conflict, Kimi is attempting to bust the union by demanding the firing
(and/or arrest) of the union's leaders.

Contact both the Honduran and Korean governments and urge them to
persuade Kimi to negotiate a resolution as well as to abide by its
collective bargaining agreement with the union.

(Note: Contacting the Korean government can be an effective tactic
because the Korean embassies in Central America largely serve to support
Korean investment in the maquiladora sector in the region. Korean-owned
maquiladoras account for as much as 50% of production in some
countries.)

We have suggested contacting both governments' respective embassies in
Washington since it is much cheaper and easier than faxing or writing
Honduras. As an alternative to faxing the Honduran embassy, you can call

that embassy in Washington at (202) 966-7702.

PLEASE send a brief note to Campaign for Labor Rights by email
<CLR@xxxxxxx> or fax (541) 431-0523 notifying us if you respond to this
alert ... and please include your city and state (or country, if not the
U.S.) Thank you!

I. Sample letter to the Honduran government (Use as-is or adapt.)

date

The Honorable Hugo Noe Pino
Embassy of Honduras
3007 Tilden NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 966-9751

Dear Ambassador Noe Pino:

On August 30, anti-riot police attacked maquiladora workers at
Continental Park in La Lima with tear gas and clubs. Many workers were
hurt and taken to hospitals. The workers had refused to go to work, in a
show of support for Kimi workers who were peacefully demonstrating
outside the Continental Park gates.

I deplore this excessive use of violence against unarmed workers.

For nearly three years workers at the Kimi maquiladora in Continental
Park in Honduras have sought economic justice and dignity. In March of
this year they finally obtained the only collective bargaining agreement
in the park.  Since then, however, they have been subject to threats to
close the factory and move it to Buffalo and a failure by management to
abide by the contract.  On August 18 the workers went on strike in
protest against management's continuing refusal to respect the
collective bargaining agreement.

Given the long struggle of the Kimi workers to obtain a collective
bargaining agreement, it appears that Kimi management has provoked this
confrontation. While the workers are trying to negotiate a resolution,
Kimi
is refusing to do so and instead is seeking to effectively destroy the
union by removing its leadership.

We respectfully urge the Honduran government to use every means at its
disposal to mediate a resolution between management and the union, to
ensure that Kimi abides by its legally-binding collective bargaining
agreement and to ensure that the basic rights of all maquila workers at
Continental Park are respected.

For a brief time, it had appeared that Continental Park and its tenant
Kimi were in the process of becoming an example of a free trade zone
where basic rights would be respected, offering itself as a model for
U.S. customers and U.S. companies that are increasingly concerned about
the conditions under which apparel for the U.S. market is made. Now,
this is in doubt.

As you know, the U.S. Congress is considering new trade benefits for
Central America's maquiladora sector and many people are watching the
Kimi situation and Continental Park for evidence that workers can
exercise their basic rights. I hope that it can be a positive example
rather than a negative one.

Sincerely,

II. Draft letter to the Korean government (Use as-is or adapt.)

date

The Honorable Hong Koo Lee
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 232-0117

Dear Ambassador Lee:

I write to you about an urgent matter involving a Korean-owned
maquiladora in Honduras.

On August 30, workers at the Continental Park in Lima, Honduras were
attacked by Honduran anti-riot police with tear gas and clubs. In
support of striking workers at the Kimi plant - which, like most of the
factories in
the park, is Korean-owned - workers from the other factories had refused
to go to work in the Park.

The Kimi workers were striking in protest against the company's refusal
to honor a collective bargaining agreement signed with the Kimi union in
March, 1999. The company had twice broken off negotiations initiated to
resolve this situation and has provoked the workers to strike to win
respect for their basic rights.

Following this violent confrontation, Kimi managers met with the union
on August 30 and August 31 but stated that they have refused to
negotiate unless the union's leadership is fired . These terms are, of
course, unacceptable to the union.

Kimi is also saying that other Korean operators in the park will leave
if the Kimi union leadership is not fired.

We respectfully urge your government to: (1) urge Kimi management to sit
down and negotiate an acceptable resolution of this matter; and (2) urge
the other Korean operators in Continental Park to immediately issue a
public statement that they respect the rights of their workers and
welcome the return of the Kimi workers, the union and its leaders.

Thank you for your consideration of my views.

Sincerely,


For more information, contact:

Campaign for Labor Rights
1247 "E" Street SE
Washington, DC 20003.
E-mail: CLR@xxxxxxx
Fax: (541) 431-0523