"We have been enslaved in a modernized form" -- Nigerian workers allege widespread abuses by Shell in new video

Royal Dutch Shell is one of the world's largest multinational corporations and has long been accused of being involved in human rights abuses in Nigeria. Recently groups like Amnesty International and the international trade union federation IndustriALL have tried to shed light on the history and ongoing record of the company in the country.

On October 8 Amnesty posted about the case before a court in The Hague, Kiobel v Shell, where Esther Kiobel is trying to hold the company to account for its alleged involvement in the arrests and state murders in 1995 of the "Ogoni Nine" that included her husband and the famed writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Meanwhile, back in March IndustriALL and the Europe-Third World Center presented a statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland regarding Shell's present day Nigerian employment contracting practices. In it they said:

Contract workers at Shell Nigeria are living in poverty, with no job security and poor healthcare that is costing workers’ lives. Contract workers face dismissal if they join a union or ask for a pay rise. They lack safety equipment and risk death in the field...
...Shell is violating the human and labour rights of Nigerian workers with impunity, highlighting the urgent need for an international legally-binding instrument to regulate the activities of transnational companies.

On October 7, World Day for Decent Work, the union federation released a video in an effort to draw attention to the horrific conditions and poverty wages these workers are paid and the constant threat of dismissal or worse if they attempt to organize or fight for their rights.

One worker says "We have been enslaved in a modernized form".

Canadian Gildan Activewear launches "anti-union campaign" in Honduras according to global labour federation IndustriALL

Honduran Gildan Workers Protest, 2009

In a statement released yesterday IndustriALL, the global union federation, says that the Honduran supplier for Canadian textile and clothing manufacturer Gildan Activewear Inc. "has launched an anti-union campaign against its workers". 

According to IndustriALL:

In September, 28 workers were fired for being members of the union SITRAGILMAS, part of the Federation of Workers of Honduras (FITH), an affiliate of IndustriALL. The company is refusing to comply with agreements reached with the union, is harassing workers and has made attempts to form a yellow union.

This comes in the wake of actions IndustriALL says were taken by another Gildan supplier in Haiti:

One year ago, Gildan's supplier in Haiti unfairly dismissed union leaders and activists, including 13 members of IndustriALL affiliate GOSTTRA after a strike to demand an increased minimum wage. The fired workers have not been reinstated and have even been placed on a blacklist, meaning they are unable to feed their families and pay their rent.

Further:

Calling on the parent company in Canada, IndustriALL is urging Gildan to comply with the recommendations of ILO’s Better Work Programme, which has also requested that Gildan reinstate the workers in Haiti.
Gildan is a member of the Fair Labour Association, which has yet to take action against the company's violations.

You can read the full statement at: Gildan Activewear continues to violate workers' rights in Haiti and Honduras. 

On its website Gildan touts its allegedly ethical behaviour on a page talking about their Genuine Responsibility™ initiative (the trademark and its placement is theirs.) According to the company their "three overarching priorities" are "Caring for People", "Conserving the Environment" and "Creating Stronger Communities".

In the "Caring for People" section the company states:

Our Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics are the key elements that support our commitment to respecting employees’ rights throughout our operations and global supply chain. We believe that employees have the right to be free from discrimination or harassment, have opportunities to have their voices heard and be part of a supportive network of peers.

Further Reading:

Gildan workers in Haiti, Honduras complain of harassment, pay too meagre to live on

The new American Apparel: claims of 'ethically made' abroad clash with reality

WOMEN FACTORY WORKERS IN HONDURAS

Gildan Activewear Inc. profits from exploitation in Honduras