International Solidarity/Strike Support in the Philippines

November 28th : via email Dear BCCHRP members, supporters and friends: December is a time when some of our activists in the BC Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines visit the Philippines for a Christmas holiday. We thus have the opportunity again to send materials and cash as support for striking workers in the Philippines. Therefore we ask you all to think of donating a few small and lightweight personal care, children's and school supplies or cash to the striking workers at the Nestle factory in Laguna province and the sugar plantation and refinery workers at Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, Central Luzon. These workers have carried out valiant struggles in the face of murders against their brothers and sisters and intense militarization and harassment because they have been carrying out their legitimate rights to organize and negotiate contracts for over a year. Their wages very meagre to begin with, they have not had employment income for all that time and funeral expenses must be covered. So please give what you can. Items and cash can be left for BCCHRP at Kalayaan Centre, 451 Powell Street, Vancouver (604-215-1103). As the banking system in the Philippines is cumbersome and unreliable, cash instead of cheques or drafts would be best. However, if you must make payments by cheque, please make your cheque payable to "BC Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines" and tag it for strike support, attention Beth. Otherwise, drafts could be made out to KMU, with a similar tag. Items or cash should be dropped off by December 13 at the very latest. Our travellers will deliver the donations to the National Office of KMU (May 1st Movement) in Quezon City, National Capital Region, for distribution to Nestle and Hacienda Luisita workers as soon as possible thereafter. We know that any donation would be welcomed with deep appreciation. International solidarity is important. Even letters of solidarity, greeting cards would be valued highly. And please remember to boycott all Nestle products. Thank you, Barbara Waldern Chairperson, BC Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines

Nestlé Philippines Union Leader Murdered - Government Must Act Now!

Posted September 30th Another union leader was shot dead in Southern Tagalog, Sept 22, 2005, a day after the  33rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. Diosdado Fortuna was shot by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen believed to be agents of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). Fortuna was riding his motorbike on his way home when he was shot near Sagara factory in Brgy Paciano, Calamba.  He sustained two fatal gunshot wounds in the chest and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Calamba Provincial Hospital. Read more here and send a message to the Philippine government telling them to act now to investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice (both links ).

Support the striking workers of Lepanto Mines

August 5th The 1, 685-strong Lepanto Employees Union (LEU) went on strike on June 2 2005 versus company management as a result of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) deadlock on April 2. The union submitted its proposal for wage increase and other demand, and the negotiations started in November 2004. However, The management of Consolidated Mining Corporation (LCMCo) consistently refused to agree on the demands of the workers on the rate of salary increase, inspite of the adjustment already offered by the union. In the ensuing negotiations, the workers will agree to the meagre wage increase offered by the management so that they can already get back to work. Yet the management insists on having the union leaders dismissed, as a condition for the end to the conflict. This is un-acceptable to the workers, as it was the company’s refusal to agree on their just demand which led to the strike. Inspite of the series of human rights violations committed against the striking workers such as series of forced dispersals of picket lines, arrest and detention of 23 workers, forced eviction from their homes, food and medical blockade, Lepanto management is the one accusing workers of human rights violations and threatened to file cases against them. The workers have remained steadfast in asserting their just demands and protecting the integrity of their union against the company’s threats of dismissing the union officers which id equivalent to union busting. This is now the core of the continuing just and legitimate strike of the workers. We are therefore appealing for your support in this struggle for worker’s rights, genuine unionism, and against corporate greed and domination. Read more about how to support these workers here.

Shop 'til you drop on a Mexican wage

posted June 28th If you worked in Mexico, what could you afford to buy? And how does that compare, if you had the same job in the U.S.? Today, Mexican workers do the same kinds of jobs that U.S. workers do. Many even work for the same employers, making the same or similar products just as efficiently. The world is shrinking -- for corporations. But there's a world of difference in living standards for workers. See for yourself. Visit UE International  to pick a job and they'll show you some typical things that you might buy in the U.S. and Mexico. See for yourself how many hours you'd work in each country to buy the things you want and need.

Paul Robeson display at VPL

On 06 June 2005 the display celebrating Paul Robeson's life and times was complete and ready for viewing on the 6th Floor (History & Arts) of the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch. It will be up for a month! This is the display that was assembled for the 50th anniversary Paul Robeson concert at the Peace Arch.

The display focuses on the parallel politics of then & now! Not all of the panels were used because of space constraints and there is no audio or video set up.

Certainly, it is a timely display for the upcoming Pacific Northwest Labour History Conference  and the celebration of the Wobblies.

View some photos below

robeson.pdf

Call out: Canada-Cuba Solidarity Conference

June 8th : via VDLC October 14, 15 and 16, 2005, Steelworkers Union Hall, 25 Cecil Street, Toronto, Ontario Organized by Worker to Worker, Canada-Cuba Labour Solidarity Network. For more information please contact: Heide Trampus at 416-431-5498 or email: w2wcclsn@hotmail.com Download the tentative agenda below. CAN-cubaconfOct05.pdf

Social Justice Fund: Anti-Poverty Initiatives in Canada

May 18th Is there an anti-poverty action, campaign or initiative that you would like the PSAC Social Justice Fund to support in your community? This year there is a global campaign to “Make Poverty History”. Funding anti-poverty initiatives is one of five priority areas for the PSAC’s Social Justice Fund. As part of the Make Poverty History Campaign , the PSAC Social Justice Fund will be funding up to 15 anti-poverty projects in Canada. The Social Justice Fund will give priority to those initiatives that support a closer collaboration between union members and low income groups in the community, particularly activities that are part of anti-poverty coalitions at the community level. These activities can include the development of educational initiatives or advocacy work such as letter writing, postcard campaigns, marches, white-band days and other similar activities. If you know of anti-poverty initiatives in your community that you would like to support or would like more information, visit the national website.

Report: Third Global Gathering of Solidarity, Venezuela

May 16th : via email Thanks to Sheila Dunnachie, PSAC representative on the VDLC, for this report. The Vancouver & District Labour Council was invited to attend the above event as a result of the visit by a leader of the National Workers Union to the 2004 B.C. Federation of Labour Convention. There were about a dozen of us from our Labour Council, representatives from the North Okanagan and Nanaimo Labour Councils, together with other community representatives from B.C. present at the conference which took place from April 13 – 16, 2005. The objective of the conference was "to offer a space for Venezuelans to learn about experiences from other places in the world that relate to the main challenges faced during Venezuela’s revolutionary process and at the same time to share with visitors Venezuela’s latest and most innovative aspects of the revolutionary process".  There were eight topics and workshops for each were held in different parts of the country. Read more below VenezuelaReport.pdf

Public Forum - Stop the political killings in the Philippines

May 10th Stop the political killings in the Philippines! No to state terrorism! Public Forum and Information session on the International Solidarity Mission to the Philippines Wednesday, 18 May 2005 6:30 pm at Kalayaan Centre (451 Powell Street) Organized by: British Columbia Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines Since January 2005, 32 political activitsts and peace-loving Filipinos have been killed by the current regime of Philippine President Arroyo. In only 3 years of power, Arroyo's U.S.-backed regime has been responsible for already half the number of human rights violations perpertrated by former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in his almost 20-year rule. The Canadian government continues to send aid and support to this repressive regime. Now more than ever, the Filipino people need the support of peace- and freedom-loving Canadians and people of the world. Please join our public forum to learn more about the current situation and the upcoming International Solidarity Mission to the Philippines in August 2005. More information: bcchrp@kalayaancentre.net or 604-215-1905.

Take Action: End Wal-Mart's Use of Children in Hazardous Jobs

March 17th : via email A recently exposed settlement between Wal-Mart and the Department of Labor in the United States provides a sweetheart deal for child labor violations by the world’s largest and richest corporation—and one of the biggest political campaign donors in the country. The deal, agreed to in early January, requires Wal-Mart to pay a nominal federal fine of $135,540 for child labor violations in which 85 minors operated hazardous equipment at stores in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Arkansas. But the deal gets even sweeter for Wal-Mart because the DOL agreed to give the company 15 days’ notice before conducting any further investigation of company violations. Read more and please sign the petition at unionvoice.org

Make Poverty History!

March 7th Make Poverty History is part of a global call to action against poverty. National campaigns are currently active in more than 50 countries. At the start of the 21st century 1.2 billion people live in abject poverty. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry and 30,000 children die every day from poverty-related causes. Make Poverty History is calling for More and Better Aid Trade Justice Cancel the Debt End Child Poverty In Canada It doesn't have to be this way. If we choose - if we have the will to act - we can Make Poverty History. Visit makepovertyhistory.ca to add your voice to a chorus around the world calling on leaders to act now. Poverty exists because of the choices we make.

Valentine's Day Sweatshops

February 14th : via email By Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman. Before you buy your sweetie those roses for Valentine's Day, pause for a moment to consider where they come from, and at what cost -- and what can be done to give a bit more joy not just to the flowers' recipients, but their producers. Cut flowers are a highly globalized industry. The majority of cut flowers sold in the United States are imported, especially from Colombia and Ecuador. Kenya and Tanzania are the key overseas supplier for Europe. Here's how the industry looks from the multinational corporate perspective: "In just a 24-hour period, each stem is cut, packed and loaded onto a temperature controlled UPS aircraft heading to Miami. There, they clear customs and are distributed to florists and consumers across the country. Eighty-seven percent of all cut flower imports arrive in Miami." UPS reports that it imported more than 14.8 million stems of cut flowers into the United States last year from South American countries such as Colombia and Ecuador. But on the ground in Colombia and Ecuador, things don't look so smoothly efficient and trouble free. Olga Tutillo is secretary general of Rosas del Ecuador, a flower workers union in Ecuador. She has worked at flower plantations for 22 years. She is 38 years old and has five children. Tutillo explains how hard the work is for Ecuador's roughly 100,000 flower workers, about 70 percent of whom are women -- the faces behind Cupid. The International Labor Organization estimates about 20 percent of the workforce consists of children. The workers generally earn the national minimum wage, $145 per month. They work especially long hours in advance of Valentine's Day and other flower-giving holidays in the United States. They experience major occupational risks. Back pain is common among those who must stand or lean all day. Repetitive motion injuries are common. Rose pickers are frequently cut by thorns. "There are also problems caused by pesticide fumigation," she explains. "Fumigation happens every day, either to prevent the plants from getting different diseases or to deal with it when they do get those diseases. Some of these chemicals are highly toxic." Flower workers who try to organize to improve their working conditions face severe repression. "It is extremely difficult to unionize in Ecuador," says Tutillo. "The companies are organized among themselves and they have a list on the Internet of the people who have tried to unionize or have unionized. If someone tries to create a union, the company threatens to fire them and says they won't be able to find another job. These are the famous blacklists." Thanks to firings, blacklisting and other tactics -- like increasing use of contract workers instead of full-fledged employees -- the unionization rate in Ecuador is depressingly low. Among 300 flower companies in Ecuador, reports Tutillo, "only four have unions -- the other attempts to unionize have been repressed." The story is much the same in Colombia, says Ricardo Zamudio, president of Cactus, a Colombian organization that conducts research on issues related to the flower industry. Workers are trying to organize despite the repression they face. In Colombian a recent important development has been independent unionization at one flower company owned by Dole, which altogether controls 20 percent of Colombia's flower exports. The International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) is running a letter-writing campaign to urge Dole Fresh Flowers and the Colombian-based firm Splendor Flowers to respect workers' right to unionize. Visit www.laborrights.org for more information. Unfortunately, as long as the repression remains intense, consumers have much more freedom to demand flower justice than do the flower workers. In Europe, a flower certification program has taken hold that tells consumers whether flowers were grown on farms or plantations that respect minimal environmental and labor conditions. According to the International Labor Organization, a substantial portion of flowers grown in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe receive certification under the Flower Label Program. The flower certification program is no panacea, but it does help modestly improve environmental and working conditions, and it gives workers more space to organize. The program has had much less impact in South America, in considerable part because the Flower Label Program hasn't taken hold in the United States, where most Colombian and Ecuadorian flowers are shipped. Just like with sweatshops, consumer pressure can make a significant difference in the lives of the flower workers. But the opportunity is in some ways greater, because of the concentration among both flower producers and sellers. ILRF is leading the way, trying to galvanize consumer pressure to force Dole and large cut flower sellers --Albertson’s, Safeway, Costco and Wal-Mart, among others -- to pressure flower suppliers to respect workers' rights to organize, protect employees' health and safety, and pay overtime wages. So go ahead and give that rose for Valentine's Day. But be careful of the thorns -- and to avoid sticking it to the flower workers, support the ILRF campaign. Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. Robert Weissman is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Multinational Monitor. Mokhiber and Weissman are co-authors of On the Rampage: Corporate Predators and the Destruction of Democracy (Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press). (c) Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman

News: PSAC donates $175,000 for Tsunami disaster relief through Social Justice Fund

January 7th OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada Social Justice Fund will contribute a minimum amount of $175,000 to disaster relief to victims and to rebuilding efforts in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami in South Asia and Africa. “The members of our union, like all Canadians, have been greatly affected   by the immense suffering and devastation experienced by the people of South Asia and Africa,” said PSAC President Nycole Turmel.  “There have been so many lives lost and millions left homeless without food, clean water and vulnerable to disease. We hope that our contribution, made on behalf of all 150,000 PSAC members, to the international relief effort will help bring much needed immediate support as well as help in the reconstruction of devastated communities and economies.” About one-third or $60,000 of PSAC’s initial total contribution will be donated immediately to two Canadian aid agencies involved in emergency relief efforts in affected areas, with $30,000 going to Oxfam Canada and $30,000 to Save the Children.  Another $30,000 is earmarked for Doctors Without Borders to support the second phase of its relief efforts. The remaining amount, including future additional donations from PSAC components, regions and locals, will be used to assist workers and their organizations in affected areas to help restore their ability to earn an income. This initiative will be undertaken in co-operation with the Canadian and international labour movement. This initial $175,000 contribution was raised from $50,000 from existing funds in the union’s Social Justice Fund, another $50,000 added to it by unanimous decision of the PSAC National Board of Directors,  and the remainder  from contributions by PSAC components, regions and locals. In addition, the  PSAC is encouraging  its members across the country to continue to donate to recognized aid organizations providing relief and emergency assistance to affected countries. Click for a list of contact information for some of the groups organizing aid for victims of the disaster (link to globeandmail.com opens in new window).

Hacienda Luisita strike in the Phillipines - update

Dear friends,

Thank you for your overwhelming response and support to the Action Alert we have circulated on the brutal massacre of Hacienda Luisita strikers (link opens in new window). To date, almost 4,000 messages of support and letters of condemnation were sent to Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of National Defense and other concerned government agencies and to the family of former Pres. Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, whose family owns the sprawling 6,000-has Hacienda Luisita.

We make it a point to mention and acknowledge this strong international support and solidarity in protest assemblies and in the programs being held in the picketlines. Your letters are a great source of inspiration to the workers and their supporters. Meanwhile, protest letters help a lot in pressuring the government and its cohort agencies to speedily act on the issues of the sugar workers.

Attached please find an update on the Hacienda Luisita struggle ( .pdf, below). Please feel free to circulate it to your network so as to generate more support and solidarity to the sugar workers fight.

The Hacienda Luisita strike is still on-going, getting stronger and militant as ever. The Cojuangco-Aquino family, in connivance with the government, clearly failed to demoralize and dampen the spirits of the strikers and its supporters despite the massacre.  An average of 2,000 people man the picketlines daily.

The workers, led by its unions United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) and Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union (CATLU), would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to your strong support to their struggle. And on behalf of KMU, we thank you and urge you to continue sending letters of protest and solidarity, financial and material support and to undertake other actions you deem necessary.

As we commemorate the International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, let us not forget the heroes and martyrs of the Hacienda Luisita struggle for land, wages, jobs and democratic rights.

Justice to all victims of the Hacienda Luisita Massacre!
Justice to all victims of human rights violations!
Long live international solidarity!

In solidarity, Tess Dioquino, Secretary, KMU International Department

hli_updates.pdf

News: PSAC donates funds to support relief efforts in Caribbean, Sudan

OTTAWA …The Public Service Alliance of Canada is donating a total of $60,000 from its Social Justice Fund (SJF) to respond to crises in the Caribbean and Sudan .

The spate of hurricanes that hit the Caribbean recently has left hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in Haiti , without shelter, clean water and food and vulnerable to outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera and typhoid. While in Sudan , an estimated 50,000 people have died and more than one million have been displaced by an uprising that began in 2003.

Read more on the national website (link to psac.com opens in new window)

News Release: Martin challenged over Charakaoui decision.

MARTIN CHALLENGED OVER CHARKAOUI DECISION: "LET US NEVER BECOME THE EVIL WE DEPLORE"

19 August, Montreal - Prime Minister Paul Martin is coming under fire this week for his Minister's decision to refuse protection from torture to secret trial detainee Adil Charkaoui. Amnesty International, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG), Ed Broadbent and other Members of Parliament are among those sounding the alarm about the recent decision by Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan.

"Morocco, together with Egypt and Jordan, are often cited as the three countries on which the United States relies to render suspects up to torture. A Canadian decision to refuse protection to Mr. Charkaoui raises serious questions about Canada's possible complicity with this practice of rendition," wrote ICLMG in a letter to Paul Martin. ICLMG is a coalition of over 30 unions and NGOs, including the Canadian Labour Congress, Rights and Democracy, Canadian Council for International Cooperation, AQOCI, Development and Peace (Catholic Church) and World Vision Canada.

Read more here (link opens in new window).

Olympics - Winners and Losers

August 20th "If labour exploitation were an Olympic sport, the sportswear giants would be well represented among the medal winners" - Play Fair at the Olympics Report prepared for Oxfam International, the Clean Clothes Campaign and Global Unions including the Canadian Labour Congress. The Play Fair at the Olympics Campaign is challenging the International and Canadian Olympic Committees to ensure all Olympic sportswear is made under humane, decent and fair conditions. Research conducted in eight countries discovered that sportswear workers, mostly women, worked long hours under harsh conditions for low wages. Many of the workers reported having to work excessive hours and forced overtime. They were often confronted with harassment and abuse. They suffered poor health due to the factory conditions and exhaustion. Their right to form a union was denied and there was no job security. To find out more or how you can support this campaign, please visit: www.oxfam.ca and www.fairolympics.org (links open in new window)

Dear Friends of the 5:

August 9th: via email

We want to let you know that August 13, is Rene Gonzalez's 48th birthday, and Fernando Gonzalez's 41st birthday is August 18. If you can, please send a birthday greeting to them.

In solidarity, The National Committee to Free the Five.

Their addresses are:

for Fernando Gonzalez, write to: Ruben Campa on envelope, then you can address letters, cards to him inside the envelope.

Rubén Campa #58733-004
P.O. Box 1000
Oxford WI 53952

René González Reg. #58738-004
F.C.I. Edgefield
P.O. Box 725
Edgefield, SC 29824

Who are the Five?

They are five Cubans who were trying to stop the ultra-right terrorist groups in Miami from carrying out violent actions against the people of Cuba.

May Day 2002 - Havana, Cuba   photo: Gloria La Riva

Since 1959, these organizations have conducted bombings, assassinations and other sabotage, killing hundreds of innocent Cuban civilians. Groups like Alpha 66, Omega 7, Brothers to the Rescue, and Cuban American National Foundation have terrorized the Cuban people for years with impunity.

Follow Up: Roots will do the right thing, co-owner says

May 20th : Toronto Star

Roots Canada says it will deal with the concerns of a coalition of prominent human rights and labour groups demanding more transparency about the conditions under which the company's Olympic clothing is being manufactured.

Roots co-owner Don Green said the company is prepared to do the right thing.

"We'd have to hear it from them firsthand what their beef is. Whatever we need to do to make sure we're being fair and doing the right thing is what we're going to do."

News: Coalition challenges Roots over conditions

May 19 : Toronto Star

As Roots unveiled the gear Canada's Olympians will be wearing this summer in Athens, a coalition of prominent human rights and labour groups yesterday stepped up its demand for more transparency about the conditions under which the company's clothing is being manufactured.

The call came as the world's largest trade union group criticized the IOC for failing to protect factory workers producing Olympic goods.

The coalition is made up of the Maquila Solidarity Network, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, the Canadian Labour Congress and the Quebec Coalition Against Sweatshops. Olympic cross-country gold medallist Beckie Scott and former Olympic runner Bruce Kidd support the effort.

Ian Thomson of the Maquila Solidarity Network said Roots' recently adopted Code of Conduct falls far short of the internationally accepted labour standards in International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions, regulations that he said are being followed by such companies as Nike and adidas.

Among Roots' failings cited by the Maquila group:

* There is no mention of employees' rights to organize and bargain collectively.

* Roots' code sets the minimum age for workers at 14. The ILO minimum is 15, with 14 only allowed in special exceptions for developing countries.

* Roots sets no specific maximum limit for the work week, only the legal maximum in the country of manufacture. ILO establishes a 48-hour week.

* Roots' code does not mention days off. The ILO requires one day off per week.

Roots closed its Toronto factory in January and is now outsourcing -some of the Team U.S.A. and Great Britain clothing is being made in China - but co-owner Don Green said all the Canadian team clothing was produced in this country.

"Saying that the clothing is made in Canada doesn't cut it any more,"Thomson said. "Sweatshop conditions exist here in Canada, too."

 Maquila Solidarity Network / Ethical Trading Action Group
 606 Shaw St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6G 3L6
 tel. 416-532-8584   fax. 416-532-7688
 www.maquilasolidarity.org

News: Hudson's Bay executive leads drive to stem sweatshop labour

May 26 : The Globe and Mail

When George Heller sits down today with other international retail executives to give the nod to a framework for a global ethical sourcing pact, he will be capping three years of trying to stem sweatshop labour.

It's not as if the chief executive officer at Hudson's Bay Co. didn't have other matters on his plate, not the least being restoring Canada's oldest company as a relevant and financially strong shopping destination.

Mr. Heller says the sweatshop file was one he couldn't let go of, partly because no matter how much his company tried to verify and correct conditions at overseas factories, it never was enough. He was constantly open to criticism by human rights groups of abusing cheap labour to lower his prices. That got him to thinking that only global efforts in monitoring factory working conditions were going to make a dent.

At the same time, Mr. Heller wanted to use his position as one of Canada's most seasoned merchandising executives -- on the executive of two international retail bodies and having the ear of top merchants around the world -- to spur change he felt was necessary.

"I obviously had the platform at which to start getting everybody to understand it," Mr. Heller said in an interview on the eve of the meeting he is hosting in Toronto today of the International Association of Department Stores. It is set to review the global initiative on ethical sourcing.

"We were doing an incredible amount of work on this and so were a whole bunch of other retailers," he said. "But unless we started to work together, we would be duplicating and overlapping each other."

"This is like a treadmill that is going 10 miles an hour and you're running at eight miles an hour . . . It just became so daunting."

It was less than two years ago when HBC won the dubious distinction of being named one of two "sweatshop retailers of the year" by a Canadian labour rights organization (along with Wal-Mart Canada Corp.).

As pressure mounted from human rights and shareholders' groups, Mr. Heller was quietly trying to mobilize international forces to properly audit factory conditions and share the information with fellow retailers in a bid to track more factories and avoid duplicate audits.

Last June, Mr. Heller addressed a United Nations committee in New York, urging world retailers to set up an independent group to ensure they make their products following basic principles of worker and human rights.

"George Heller has certainly been a leader in Canada," said Peter Chapman, executive director of the non-profit Shareholder Association for Research and Education in Vancouver, which has pushed HBC to make changes. "He's positioned Hudson's Bay as trying to be a leader in the field."

Added Bob Jeffcott, policy analyst at the Maquila Solidarity Network, which handed HBC the sweatshop award in 2002: "They're certainly taking the issue more seriously . . . They've been paying far more attention to the conditions in their factories and they've been providing some information on the audits that they're doing and some information on the results of the audits."

He said HBC has been a leader among the large Canadian retailers in the area of ethical sourcing, adopting a strong code of conduct that is patterned on the code from the International Labour Organization.

But Mr. Jeffcott said HBC could go even further than proposing that retailers and suppliers share a global ethical sourcing database. He said the information should also be available to shareholders, customers and other stakeholders.

Last week, Gap Inc. released a sweeping report on its monitoring and enforcement of labour standards among its suppliers -- by region.

Mr. Jeffcott said the Gap move is inspiration for other retailers, including HBC.

The framework for global ethical sourcing is aimed at creating a system for retailers and suppliers to share social compliance audit information.

It proposes creating an organization to serve as the central repository of this information, collected through a global ethical sourcing database.

The confidential exchange of data is aimed at helping participating retailers to make better decisions about which suppliers can meet their sourcing standards.

Mr. Heller said he expects three major international retail associations, including the department store group, to have signed the agreement within the next six to nine months.

Retailers that will attend the meeting today include U.S.-based Federated Department Stores Inc., which owns Bloomingdale's and Macy's, and Galeries Lafayette of France.

He added that it's vital to set up a central database because it is virtually impossible, and extremely expensive, for any one retailer to monitor all suppliers' factories.

In 2003, HBC, audited 535 factories representing 875 suppliers, company spokeswoman Hillary Stauth said.

Of those factories, 98 per cent didn't pass the first audit and had to make changes. Subsequently, 88 per cent passed and 12 per cent chose not to do business with HBC any more.

In 2002, HBC audited 581 factories representing 998 suppliers. Initially, 89 per cent didn't pass and had to make changes. Subsequently, 85 per cent passed the audit and 15 per cent chose not to do business with HBC, she said.

Anti-Poverty Initiatives in Canada

Is there an anti-poverty action, campaign or initiative that you would like the PSAC Social Justice Fund to support in your community?

This year there is a global campaign to “Make Poverty History”. Funding anti-poverty initiatives is one of five priority areas for the PSAC’s Social Justice Fund.

As part of the Make Poverty History Campaign, the PSAC Social Justice Fund will be funding up to 15 anti-poverty projects in Canada.

If you know of anti-poverty initiatives in your community that you would like to support, please read on.

The Social Justice Fund will give priority to those initiatives that support a closer collaboration between union members and low income groups in the community, particularly activities that are part of anti-poverty coalitions at the community level. These activities can include the development of educational initiatives or advocacy work such as letter writing, postcard campaigns, marches, white-band days and other similar activities.

The projects must involve PSAC members and one or more community organizations. From $500 to $2500 will be available for each selected project. Projects will need to be from three months to one year long and would include an agreement to participate in one activity related to the Make Poverty History Campaign (see www.makepovertyhistory.ca)
and the campaign web site at www.makepovertyhistory.ca .

Social Justice Funding Guidelines

Overall Goal

The SJF has a mandate to support and fund anti-poverty initiatives in Canada that:

• promote social justice through actions aimed at social, human and economic development;
• include PSAC membership involvement at the community level; and
• raise awareness of the root causes of poverty and social injustice.

Project Proposals

Project proposals must demonstrate how the proposed activities will achieve the SJF objectives by:

• promoting transformation and/or changes in social, economic and political causes of poverty,
• attacking the root causes of poverty,
• enabling the poor and the general public to become more aware of the causes of and the problems arising from poverty, and
• facilitating the involvement of union members in community issues.

Funding Objectives

To fund anti-poverty initiatives:

• whose goal is to attack and seek to overcome the causes of poverty and injustices;
• whose activities encourage community participation that will give low-income people more control over their own lives;
• whose activities seek to give low-income people better information and resource tools with which they can pursue their own education as to the nature and causes of poverty;
• that seeks community based economic development through alternate models (such as co-operatives, non-profit or worker-controlled corporations, etc.); and
• that promote the Make Poverty History Campaign

Guidelines on Partnership

• Groups must have a membership that is mostly low-income.
• Groups must follow a democratic process in their decision-making.
• Groups must include an educational and advocacy component.
• Groups should demonstrate that they have other sources of financing and are not dependent on the SJF funding
• Groups should generally not be recipients of corporate donations

Funding Criteria

Funding applications to the Social Justice Fund will be considered based on the following criteria:

• The activity must be planned and implemented by the group.
• The initiative must promote the goals of the Make Poverty History Campaign.
• Activities should provide ways of allowing participants (both staff and group members) to evaluate, n a regular basis, the progress the group is making in reaching its stated objectives.
• Groups should agree on a reporting formula that is mutually acceptable.
• Activities should facilitate and encourage cooperation, exchange and networking among groups sharing similar objectives.
• Activities should seek community and union participation wherever possible, in the form of human resources, in-kind contributions, sponsorship of events.
• Grants of $500 to $2,500 will be made available to projects that are approved by the SJF Steering Committee.
• Projects will need to cover a minimum requirement of three months to one year of duration.
• Funding for economic activities may assist groups to do feasibility studies, to acquire seed money, and to facilitate the group in getting access to capital and operational funding, other than SJF funds, for such activities.

International Solidarity Mission to the Philippines Report Back

September 21st

You are invited to ... A report-back from the INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MISSION & PEOPLE'S TRIBUNAL IN THE PHILIPPINES

Sunday, September 25, 2005, St. Patrick's Church Hall (2881 Main Street at 12th Avenue) at 1:30 PM

Seven delegates from Vancouver participated in the recently concluded International Solidarity Mission to the Philippines in August 2005. They joined 85 other delegates from countries all over the world to investigate the worsening human rights situation in the country and travelled to parts of the country where the most notorious human rights violations have occurred.

Read more on the upcoming events page.