Dongguan Elegant Top Shoes Co., Take Action
Monday, October 1, 2001
URGENT ACTIONS
By Li Qiang, China Labor Watch
Dear friends,
Chinese workers need your help! We hope you will join our writing campaign to Reebok to urge them to improve the working and living condition of their workers in factories in China.
Reebok is a giant international company. Many products of the company are manufactured in the factories of Chinese contractors. The labor situations in these factories is as follows:
- Workers are forced to work overtime up to 13 hours a day;
- Workers hourly pay is as low as 24 cents U.S.;
- Female workers are sexually harassed;
- Workers are fined as punishment;
- Workers are overly burdened under regulations laid out in a 49 page manual (link to regulations);
- No pension plan, no employment insurance, no medical insurance, and a worker will loose everything once his/her job is lost.
TAKE ACTION
Today, China Labor Watch has released another report on the labor conditions of a Reebok contractor. We are now focusing our demands on several points the workers believe Reebok contractors should fulfill. We hope you will take the time to write to Reebok to support these Chinese workers. The email address of Reebok's Human Rights Office is humanrights@reebok.com. The demands we have put forward are listed as follows.
1. Regarding: No discrimination against male workers. Because of the discriminations against male workers, there are currently eight female workers to every male worker. We demand this rate to improve to four female workers to each male worker.
2. Regarding the education of labor laws and union laws as well as the establishment of trade unions. Although election of union leaders were conducted under the direction of Reebok, most workers just regard the union as a program during New Year celebrations. They do not understand the function of the union. We demand that the posters of Labor Law and Union Law be displayed on the bulletin boards in these factories
3. The factory administration does not establish pension plans, employment insurance, and medical insurance for the workers. This is in violation of current Chinese Labor Law. The workers will lose everything when they get laid off or leave the factory. We demand that the workers' wage level meet or exceed the minimum wage level set by the government. The factory administration should establish pension plans, employment insurance, and medical insurance for the workers according to the Chinese Law. The total expense of such compensation is only 8 US dollars per month.
4. Regarding work hours. We demand that normal work hours not exceed 40 hours per week according to China's labor law, and overtime work hours not exceed 36 hours per month.
Friends, Chinese workers need your help. Take action now! We sincerely appreciate you help.
Sincerely,
Li Qiang
Executive Director, China Labor Watch
Please direct your appeal to the individuals below:
Reebok International Ltd.
1895 J.W. Foster Blvd., Canton, MA 02021, U.S.A.
Phone: +(1-781) 401-4910
Fax: +(1-781) 401-4806
humanrights@reebok.com
You may also write to the following organizations to further assist this cause:
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Geneva, Switzerland
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +(41-22) 917-9000
webadmin.hchr@unog.ch
ILO Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific in Bangkok (ASIE)
Phone: +(66-2) 288-1710
Fax: +(66-2) 288-3062
bangkok@ilo.org
Lorne W. Craner
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
U.S. Department of State
Fax: +(1-202) 647-5283
Jorge Perez Lopez
Acting Deputy Under Secretary for International Labor Affairs
U.S. Department of Labor
Fax: +(1-202) 693-4780