US Brand Fails on Fair Play, Leaves Indonesian Workers Jobless and Unpaid

International labor rights activists have
launched a series of actions -- including today [Tuesday, June 28th] at
Wimbledon -- to draw attention to Fila’s failure to ensure fair working
conditions for those who make their products.

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), an international network of trade
unions and non-governmental organizations, and its allies in other parts
of the world, have begun a “summer of action” to highlight Fila’s bad
labor rights record. Activists are calling for Fila’s immediate action
on an ongoing labor dispute in Indonesia. Actions are scheduled to take
place in the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia.

While Fila spends a reported $72 million annually on advertising, the
company has not invested any effort to see that the workers at PT Tae
Hwa, its Indonesian supplier, receive the back wages and severance pay
owed to them. Workers were paid under $3 for a standard work day at this
factory, which produced sports shoes for Fila since 1994 and closed in
February 2005. The CCC and other labor rights organizations around the
world have repeatedly called upon Fila to fulfil their obligation to
these workers. Fila, a subsidiary of the New York-based Sport Brands
International, has continually refused to respond.

Prior to the shutdown, workers at Tae Hwa were not only paid a pittance
and poked by supervisors who called them “pig” and “monkey“, but had to
deal with an array of extremely serious rights violations, including
forced overtime and denial of trade union rights. Though called upon
repeatedly to take action on this case, the CCC reports that Fila has
ignored its responsibilities.

“Fila’s lack of respect for the rights of the workers who make their
products is scandalous,” said Nina Ascoly, of the CCC International
Secretariat. “These workers were making Fila goods right up to the last
day the factory was open. The fact that Fila hasn’t taken concrete
action to see that they get what they’re legally owed – and doesn’t even
want to discuss the case – calls into question any claims they make
about being a socially-responsible company. If Fila wants to be taken
seriously as a global player in the sportswear world, they need to
change their attitude on labor rights.”

The CCC calls upon Fila to:

· clarify their role in the closure of the PT Tae Hwa factory,
· ensure that the PT Tae Hwa workers are paid the back pay that they are
owed,
· ensure that the PT Tae Hwa workers are paid the compensation owed to
them and granted by the Indonesian courts on May 2, 2005 without further
appeal by the employer, and
· play an active role in getting the PT Tae Hwa workers new jobs.

The CCC also urges Fila to reformulate their code of conduct to conform
with international labor standards, ensure that their suppliers comply
with labor standards through independent verification, and work directly
with local unions and organizations where they produce their goods to
address labor rights issues.

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) aims to improve working conditions in
the garment industry worldwide. The CCC is made up of coalitions of
consumer organizations, trade unions, researchers, solidarity groups,
world shops, and other organizations. The CCC informs consumers about
the conditions in which their garments and sports shoes are produced,
pressures brands and retailers to take responsibility for these
conditions, and demands that companies accept and implement a good code
of labor standards that includes monitoring and independent verification
of code compliance. For information on Clean Clothes Campaign coalitions
in different countries, see  http://www.cleanclothes.org/contacting.htm.