Blog: January 2007

Another World is Possible!

January 29, 2007

ILRF participated
in three panels throughout the 5 day event. The first panel was titled “The purchasing policies of Wal-Mart
and other Big Box Retailers and how workers are impacted” and was organized
with the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Clean Clothes Campaign. In addition to panelists from these
organizations, the event also featured a worker from a textile union in Uganda which produces for Wal-Mart. The audience learned more about the sweatshop conditions at factories producing for Wal-Mart
and brainstormed ideas for an international day of action to hold this big box retailer responsible for its labor rights violations.

Nestle Still Doesn't Get It

January 18, 2007
We have repeatedly requested that Nestle take responsibility for
its cocoa supply chain in Ivory Coast and are still waiting for clarification on
what the company has done to take the few simple, basic steps that we and others
requested years ago.  These include:

*Provide transparency of your supply
chain.  The farmers know which multinationals are buying their cocoa- why, then,
is it so hard for the multinationals to identify which farmers are selling to
them?

*Create contracts with the farmers.  Nestle can be assured farmers
will do the right thing if the farmers can be assured that Nestle will honor its
arrangements with them.

Walmart's Energy Savings Cost Workers

January 4, 2007

The story notes that Philips manufactures CFL bulbs in Asia, and GE is
portrayed as worried that a big increase in CFL sales could take jobs
away from its US-produced incandescent bulbs.  The story says that in
meetings with suppliers, WMT buyers pushed for lower prices for CFLs.
Has Walmart, and have the big environmental groups advising it,
considered how suppliers will manage to enforce work place codes of
conduct and ensure fair compensation of workers as prices are cut to
induce US consumers to become more energy efficient?

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