Chinese workers contracted by Uniqlo strike over plant closure 

- Friday, June 26, 2015 - 9 years ago No Comments 2,506 Views

Derek Gatopoulos and Lorne Cook, Brussels Greece and its international creditors remained at loggerheads yesterday over reform measures that Athens must introduce to unlock billions of euros in loans and prevent a likely bankruptcy of the country. At talks in Brussels, leaders from the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission reached agreement on the kind of reforms needed to secure Greece a financial lifeline. But Greece was still not on board, preferring a compromise reached in previous meetings, raising fresh doubts about whether it is possible to clinch a deal before Athens must make a payment to the IMF on Tuesday. An EU official said a “set of proposals, agreed upon unanimously by the institutions, has been forwarded” to finance ministers from the 19 nations using the single currency. The official, who declined to be named with the negotiations still in flux, said that this “can form the basis of an agreement.” But a Greek government official said that Athens remains “steadfast in support of the proposals that formed the basis for talks several days ago.” “The Greek side has shown responsibility and the will to find an agreement. The responsibility of each party involved will now be determined,” the official said. The latest gambit came after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with the lenders under pressure to seal a deal before facing other European Union leaders at a summit. Tsipras is also under massive pressure from Greeks themselves as the compromises suggested so far will mean fresh hardship for citizens already suffering the impact of past austerity measures to bring public spending back into line. Representatives from almost every Greek party were in Brussels, following developments blow by blow, to see whether they would be able to back any new deal in the Greek parliament, where a vote must pass by Monday. “We are at a critical moment,” Greek Labor Minister Panos Skourletis warned on private Antenna television. “There are issues that for us are paramount — that must be included in an agreement. These are tackling the debt so that it can go on a sustainable course, and the financing of the economy,” he said. A senior lawmaker in Tsipras’ radical left governing party denounced the international demands for new spending cuts as “blackmail.” “The effort to restore exhausting measures shows the blackmail and pressure against Greece is culminating,” Syriza party parliamentary spokesman Nikos Filis said on Mega television. Greece has a 1.6 billion-euro (USD1.8 billion) debt to pay on Tuesday which it cannot afford unless the creditors unfreeze 7.2 billion euros (8.1 billion dollars) in bailout money. A failure to reach agreement with its creditors and a default on its debts could force Greece out of the eurozone, which would be hugely painful for the country. Some experts say it could be manageable for Europe and the world economy, but that remains unclear and any failure would likely shake global markets. As the meetings were getting underway yesterday in Brussels, the Athens stock exchange fell 2.1 percent minutes after opening, but later recovered and was marginally up 0.6 percent in late morning trading. AP

More than 300 Chinese workers at a garment factory that supplies international brands such as Uniqlo have been protesting for about two weeks what they say is a unilateral decision by the management to close down.
The strike is one of more than 1,000 collective actions since January by Chinese workers, who are increasingly turning to group actions in fighting for their rights.
Hong Kong-based China Labor Bulletin has reported 1,379 workers’ strikes in China in 2014, up from 656 the previous year, as China’s economy slows down and workers have become more aware of their legal rights.
To defend their rights, Chinese workers — as advised by labor activists — are opting for collective actions, such as group negotiations, but they also see interventions from local governments that are wary of any organized activity.
Workers at Shenzhen Artigas Clothing & Leatherware in southern China said the management is forcing them to move to another factory and they demand a proper negotiation for the relocation.
Officials at Lever Style Limited, which manages Artigas, have refused to comment, while Uniqlo Co., Ltd. has issued a statement urging for a peaceful resolution.
The Japanese retailer said it could terminate its contract with the supplier if the matter is unresolved.
“We are concerned by the reported strike, and have urged Lever Style Limited to undertake thorough discussions with the workers, for a peaceful resolution,” said the Uniqlo statement, issued about a week ago.
Asked if its public statement has had any sway on Lever Style, Uniqlo said it will continue “to monitor the situation and keep requesting the supplier to discuss with the workers.”
Artigas workers said the management is yet to sit down for negotiations. The workers said they would like to receive proper payouts, including back payments for social security, overtime work, and unused holidays, before they would sign new, proper contracts to work in the new location, which is 20 minutes away by public transportation.
“They have removed the needles from the machines, so we have not been able to work at all,” said a female worker who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from both the management and the local government.
“Before we should say whether we are willing to move to the new location, the management should have asked us and discussed the matter with us,” she said. “Instead, they made the announcement in the morning and began to move machines in the afternoon.
“This should not have been a unilateral thing,” the worker said. Didi Tang, Beijing, AP

uniqlo in hk and macau

Japanese casual fashion brand Uniqlo currently has 24 stores in Hong Kong, with one branch also located in Macau at The Venetian. Known for selling a spread of basics, Uniqlo has 1,200 stores worldwide. The chain is one of seven brands from its Tokyo-based parent company Fast Retailing Co., which also owns Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam.tam and Theory.

 

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