Commentary Archive
Fruit of the Loom, which made groundbreaking commitments in 2009 to ensure that its employees in Honduras could exercise their legal right to form unions freely and without retaliation, is now in the final stages of closing its two remaining unionized garment factories in the country. These closures are tragic for the thousands of workers affected: for nearly 15 years, they enjoyed respect for their right to freedom of association and better wages and conditions achieved through collective bargaining.
Read More Al cerrar sus fábricas de confección sindicalizadas que quedaban en Honduras, Fruit of the Loom está perjudicando a los trabajadores y matando a un símbolo del progreso para los derechos laborales Fruit of the Loom, marca que asumió compromisos innovadores en el año 2009 para garantizar que sus empleados en Honduras pudieran ejercer su derecho…
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Whether or not there are further tariff increases on apparel and footwear beyond the additional 10% across-the-board rate and the 30% rate on China currently in effect, a vital question for garment workers is whether international brands will act responsibly or push the cost of higher tariffs onto the shoulders of suppliers and workers, who…
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When the garment factory Haiti Premier Apparel closed in April 2023, roughly 100 of its former workers in that country did not receive their legally required severance. However, thanks to a contribution from the US workwear company Careismatic Brands, which is a former buyer from the factory, the workers will now be paid in full.…
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OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector The WRC shared our analysis and experience from the field at three side events during the 2025 OECD Forum. These discussions addressed due diligence, the realities of state-imposed forced labor, and the power of binding agreements in protecting worker rights. Recordings for two of…
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After organizing against gender-based violence and harassment on the factory floor, courageous women workers in Central Java, Indonesia, have negotiated a groundbreaking agreement to implement a union-led gender justice program. Signed in July 2024, the Central Java Agreement for Gender Justice represents a major victory for workers at two garment factories operated by the Korean…
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The WRC’s engagement with top US retailers has secured reinstatement with full back pay for nine workers who were fired in 2022 and 2023 from a garment factory in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for leading or joining protests against poverty wages. Haitian garment workers, who are among the lowest-paid workers in the world, struggle to survive amidst…
Read More Angajman WRC te pran ak gwo magazen ki vann rad nan peyi Etazini te garanti re-anbochman ak peman salè konplè pou 9 travayè ke yon faktori rad nan vil Pòtoprens, nan peyi Ayiti te revoke ant ane 2022 ak 2023. Yo te revoke travayè sa yo paske yo te dirije oswa patisipe nan yon manifestasyon…
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As the WRC reported previously, Industrial Hana, a garment factory in Guatemala, permanently closed operations in October 2023, without paying its approximately 250 employees $1.5 million in unpaid severance and other terminal benefits owed to them in accordance with Guatemalan law. The WRC’s investigation found that, in the months leading up to the factory’s closure,…
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14 Years’ Wages for Illegally Fired Worker Leader from Haitian Factory
Despite widespread gang violence and the collapse of civil authority in Haiti, the WRC has continued achieving concrete remedies for violations of workers’ rights in the country—including securing justice for worker leaders fired for speaking out against abusive conditions. In May 2025, the WRC achieved a settlement equivalent to 14 full years’ wages for the…
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