Germany: Activists call on Merkel to support labour rights

German network of grassroots development NGOs, INKOTA, asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday, 30th October, to take a clear position in support of international labour rights. The Chancellor, who is on an official visit in India, has been asked to express her views on the arrest of Dutch Clean Clothes campaigners who were arrested in September 2007 in Bangalore and accused of cybercrime, racist and xenophobic activities, and slander in relation to the labour practices of Indian jeans manufacturer FFI.

The Clean Clothes Campaign and the India Committee of the Netherlands have, since 2005, been campaigning to raise the issue of labour rights violations in Indian FFI factories. The campaign was started after local organisations reported high work pressure, forced overtime, physical and psychological abuse, overwork without pay and failure to provide contracts. FFI produces jeans for G-Star, Armani, RaRe, Guess, GAP, Mexx and others.

Dutch clothing brand G-Star, the largest buyer at FFI and a key player in the dispute, has refused to put pressure on its supplier to halt the legal proceedings. In the meantime Amnesty International has declared that they object to legal action against the campaigners and have publicly voiced their concerns about the "continued harassment of defenders of women workers' rights and campaigners abroad", and has condemned the "the filing of apparently false criminal charges against them, aimed at curbing their freedom of expression".

INKOTA has demanded that labour rights be respected and for international standards to be set.

More info:

• www.infota.de
• www.cleanclothes.org