Resources

Global network of labour rights and union organizations calls on brands to guarantee garment workers receive full pay

Oct 2, 2020 —

On June 1, the Clean Clothes Campaign, in which MSN is an active member, launched a campaign calling on global garment and footwear brands to guarantee workers in their supply chains are paid their full salaries during the COVID crisis. The wage payment demand is central to the global network's broader call that brands, retailers, governments and other stakeholders work together to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers and, moving forward, to ensure that workers receive living wages and a social safety net.

Garment workers on poverty pay are left without billions of their wages during pandemic

Oct 1, 2020 —

Image: Clean Clothes Campaign

Millions of garment workers around the world have not received their regular wages, or have not been paid at all since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, reveals a new report launched today by Clean Clothes Campaign.

The report, "Un(der)paid in the pandemic,” analyzes nonpayment and underpayment of wages to garment workers during the months of March, April and May resulting from order cancellations by apparel brands, unpaid leave imposed on workers by employers, and state-sanctioned wage cuts during the Covid-19 crisis.

The effects of COVID-19 on maquila workers

May 22, 2020 —

A new document, written by Cirila Quintero Ramírez, MSN ally working out of the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Matamoros, analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on maquila workers in the north of Mexico. The document is part of a broader political analysis piece entitled, “COVID-19 and the northeastern border: early impacts on migration, public policy and populations.”

COVID-19: Call to Action a First Step toward Mitigating Impact of Pandemic on Workers

Apr 22, 2020 —

Image: Kalpona Akter, Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity

On April 22, the International Organization of Employers (IOE), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Global Unions announced a joint call to action by garment industry employer and worker organizations, major garment brands and retailers aimed at mitigating the catastrophic impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on the heath and livelihoods of workers in the global garment industry. COVID-19: Action in the Global Garment Industry sets out urgent priorities and includes some general commitments from brands and retailers.

Brands and retailers need to step up now to protect garment workers

Apr 13, 2020 —

Image: CCC

MSN is joining with other organizations in the world-wide Clean Clothes Campaign network in calling for action from brands, retailers, governments and other stakeholders to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those most exploited in global supply chains and to build towards a future in which workers have access to living wages and a social safety net.

Original Timeline for the implementation of the labour reform in Mexico (2019-2023)

Oct 15, 2019 —
On April 29, 2019 the Mexican congress approved a comprehensive labour justice reform that directly impacts workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. In this resource MSN provides a timeline for the implementation of the reform highlighting important landmarks throughout the 2019-2023 period.

Do Mexico’s labour law reforms live up to commitments in USMCA?

Jun 1, 2019 —

On May 1, 2019, Mexico published its long-awaited reformed Federal Labour Law, which the Morena government promises will guarantee the right of workers to be represented by a union of their free choice and to have an active role in collective bargaining.

The lack of freedom of association in Mexico has been a major obstacle in negotiations for a revised North American Free Trade Agreement (now known as USMCA or T-MEC).

Legal analysis of 2018 Salvadoran workplace childcare law (April 2019)

Apr 12, 2019 —

On May 31, 2018, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly ratified the Special Law for the Regulation and Installation of Nurseries for Workers’ Children. During an August 2018 roundtable, management representatives from Salvadoran maquila factories requested more detailed analysis on the implications of the new law for employers. In response, the Coalition for Decent Work for Women (CEDM) and the Americas Group (AG) contracted Ena Nuñez, an independent legal consultant and expert on labour issues, to prepare this document.

Will Mexico's new government make advances on labour justice? (September 2018)

Sep 20, 2018 —
On July 1, 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known by his initials AMLO) and his party, National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), won an overwhelming electoral victory that creates a new political context for the implementation of the 2017 Constitutional Reform to Mexico’s labour justice system.

Bi-national childcare forum in El Salvador (May 2018)

Sep 11, 2018 —

Over 90 participants came together on May 23, 2018 in San Salvador, El Salvador, for a bi-national forum on the advantages and disadvantages for maquila workers of workplace, community, and home-based childcare options in Central America and internationally. Representatives came from 38 supplier factories in Honduras and El Salvador; 27 union, women’s and other non-governmental organizations, 13 international brands and manufacturers; and two industry associations.

Childcare in Central America: Legal Requirements and International Conventions (May 2018)

May 16, 2018 —

This educational resource compares childcare laws and regulations in four garment-producing Central American countries and profiles relevant international conventions on childcare. It was prepared by MSN for Central American women’s, trade union and labour rights organizations, as well as international apparel brands that participate in the Americas Group, a multi-stakeholder forum involving brands and manufacturers, the Global Union IndustriALL, the Fair Labor Association, and MSN.  

Debate on Mexican Labour Justice Reform Continues as Counter-Reform Bill Suspended (May 2018)

May 10, 2018 —

Today, MSN published its latest Update on the ongoing debate in Mexico concerning the implementing legislation for the Constitutional Reform to the country’s labour justice system.

The May 2018 Update deciphers a complicated series of events that led to the temporary suspension of a counter-reform bill that would have undercut, if not totally negated, the spirit and intent of the February 2017 Constitutional Reform.

Legal Analysis of the Right to Childcare for Workers in Honduras (June 2017)

Sep 12, 2017 —

Honduras has the most extensive legal framework on childcare for working parents in Central America, setting out the responsibilities of both employers and the state to provide and monitor childcare services for workers.

However, employers in the maquila sector have attempted to use differences in various laws and regulations to argue that employers have no legal responsibility to provide or pay for workplace childcare.

Joint letter from 14 clothing brands supporting labour justice reform in Mexico (July 2017)

Aug 5, 2017 —
On July 28, 2017, 14 international clothing brands and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) released a joint letter to the Mexican government declaring their support for a Constitutional Reform to Mexico’s labour justice system that could better protect workers’ right to freedom of association and to bargain collectively.

Briefing Paper: Will Mexico’s labour justice reform remove barriers to workers’ rights? (July 2017)

Jul 13, 2017 —

Today, MSN released a Briefing Paper entitled Labour Justice Reform in Mexico.

Based on MSN’s own research and in-depth interviews with 16 Mexican and international labour rights experts, the paper analyzes the Mexican government’s  February 2017 reform to the country’s Constitution, which promises to provide better protections for the rights of workers to be represented by a union of their free choice and to bargain collectively.

Brands and Labour Rights: How and when to engage with brands (2016)

Jul 12, 2016 —

Module and Reference Materials

The workshop Brands and Labour Rights: When and How to Engage with Brands was designed by Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) as a tool for use by women’s and trade union organizations in Central America and Mexico in their work to pressure apparel brands to take action to achieve greater respect for labour rights in their supplier factories in the region.

Comparison of Mexico's federal labour law, ILO standards, and FLA code and benchmarks (January 2015)

Oct 9, 2015 —

This document, prepared by MSN for the Mexico Committee of the Americas group, was designed primarily as a tool for companies sourcing apparel products from Mexico to better understand the labour standards obligations of their Mexican suppliers and the rights of workers in their supplier factories. It should also serve as a useful reference document for trade union and labour rights organizations advocating on behalf of Mexican workers.

MSN's Freedom of Association in Mexico Tool Kit (2014)

Oct 6, 2015 —

The right of workers to freely associate and the right to bargain collectively on the terms and conditions of their employment are fundamental human rights enshrined in International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and United Nations (UN) declaractions. These fundamental principles are reflected in the codes of conduct of most leading apparel brands.

What Should Brands Do?

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