Clover Group

ILO violation 87 : In September, the Hong Kong based Clover Group suddenly declared it was closing the Gina Form Bra factory, just two years after the Gina Relations Workers Union (GRWU) had won a historic three year struggle – strongly supported by more than a dozen international labour unions and NGO solidarity groups --- to overcome an intense management campaign to destroy the union. In 2001, the GRWU had been the first labour union to take a case before the National Human Rights Commission, and in 2003 the workers achieved a comprehensive collective bargaining agreement and reinstatement with back pay of dozens of fired union members. Management claimed the factory was losing money, but refused to provide proof, and GRWU mounted another campaign. Coming right at the time of the coup d’etat, union organisers were harassed by police and military to not conduct public protests – but did so anyways in front of the US Embassy, the MOL, and finally, Government House. During the third week of September, while a GRWU delegation was in Hong Kong to negotiate with the Clover Group, the factory called in army officials (out of uniform) and local police to clear workers out of the factory, and shuttered it. International solidarity efforts to reverse this decision came to naught, and finally, under pressure from international campaigners and the factory’s clients, Gina Form Bra agreed to GRWU demands for severance pay above the legal minimum.: Thailand