Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Use your voice to support sweatshop workers

Last week, thousands of students took to the streets of London to protest against the rise in university tuition fees. Were you there? What was it like to stand with a group of like-minded people to get your voice heard? Were you arrested for voicing your opinion? Unless you were causing damage and being violent, the answer is most likely not.

Unfortunately, protesting in other countries can cost you your job or land you in jail as illustrated by the case of four South Asian sweatshop workers at the Galaxy factory in Jordan. This factory produces clothes for the likes of GAP, Walmart and Banana Republic. The garment workers were arguing against illegal working conditions, and asking for the very basics that you and I would expect, for example, annual leave, overtime pay and clean drinking water. With their passports confiscated, the workers are expected to work a minimum of 15 hours a day, every day, for very low wages. With no-one to turn to for help, is it any wonder these workers wanted to complain?

Please click here for the full story and to send a letter to the Jordanian Minister asking him to free the four workers from these unjust consequences and to launch an investigation into the factory conditions. It will only take a couple of minutes.

Will you choose to use your voice to support these garment workers?

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