Honduras:
Maquila workers strike

Union organising within the maquiladora (assembly for export) sector in 
South and Central American countries continues to spread. In Honduras, 
striking workers blockaded an industrial park containing eight maquiladoras 
supplying clothing to such famous US companies JC Penney, The Gap, 
Phillips-Van Heusen, Gear for Sports and American Eagle.

The strikers were from the Korean-owned Kimi factory in Continental Park in 
Honduras.

They were protesting Kimi management's refusal to abide by the collective 
bargaining agreement negotiated by the Kimi union, SITRAKIMIH, earlier this 
year. It is the only collective bargaining agreement in the eight-factory 
Continental Park.

SITRAKIMIH, which is affiliated to the International Textile, Garment and 
Leather Workers' Federation, won the collective bargaining agreement 
earlier this year only after a two-and-a-half year struggle.

But a month later park owner Jaime 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.

An international outcry directed at both Rosenthal and Kimi management 
ensued. Discussions then began between the union and the company regarding 
the company's breaches of numerous clauses of the collective bargaining 
agreement.

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.

Most of the maquila operators in the park are Korean, who no doubt hoped to 
escape from the militancy of Korean trade unions by shifting their 
operations to the maquiladoras of Central America.

They are presumably not happy about the growing efforts by Honduran maquila 
workers to exercise their basic right to organise.

On August 18, Kimi management stalked out of the meetings and sought to 
have the union leaders arrested and jailed on charges of sedition, 
kidnapping and more.

Kimi workers shut the park down on Friday and Saturday, August 27/28. 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 threatening loss of jobs and 
blaming outside agitators and foreigners.

On Monday, riot police lined up in front of the gates to allow workers to 
enter the industrial park. But in an act of widespread solidarity, most 
workers from other maquilas refused to enter the park.

Without provocation, police then attacked these workers with tear gas and 
clubs. Many workers were taken to local hospitals in nearby San Pedro Sula.

Kimi management met with the union on Monday evening but demanded that the 
union's leadership be removed as a condition for negotiations. Removal of 
the union leadership would be tantamount to destroying the union, and the 
workers rejected the demand.

The striking workers have called for international aid. Contact both the 
Honduran and Korean embassies and urge them to persuade Kimi to negotiate a 
resolution as well as to abide by its collective bargaining agreement with 
the union.

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Campaign for Labour Rights, USA