Successful Remediation of Illegal Dismissal at Unrivaled Teamwear Supplier in El Salvador

Please find here a new case brief on the WRC’s engagement with Unrivaled Teamwear that led to the successful remediation of a violation of worker rights at Salva Sewn, a garment factory located in El Salvador.
 
Salva Sewn is disclosed for the production of university licensed apparel by “It’s Greek to Me”, which is owned by Unrivaled Teamwear. The factory illegally fired a worker with a physical disability who sought the support of union representatives after she faced harassment from her line supervisor related to her disability. A WRC investigation found that the workers’ termination was unlawful and a violation of standards on freedom of association and protections for workers in El Salvador who have a disability.
 
After the WRC’s engagement with Unrivaled Teamwear, the licensee took swift action to engage with the factory on remediation. Salva Sewn has now reinstated the worker with full payment of back wages, thereby ensuring that the code of conduct violations were fully remedied.
 
The actions of the licensee to ensure remediation are particularly important in El Salvador, where workers frequently experience discrimination after exercising their right to freedom of association or as a result of a physical disability. Unrivaled Teamwear’s efforts to uphold university codes of conduct by ensuring prompt remedial action at Salva Sewn sets an important precedent for this factory and other factories in El Salvador to respect workers’ right to freedom of association and to protect them from discrimination on the basis of a physical disability.