Community: The Union for Life

“The international Play Fair campaign has already had some impact - we are now negotiating with the major sportswear brands. So the ongoing support of fellow workers and students in the UK is vital for us to continue making progress.”

Lilis Mahmudah, Indonesian trade unionist

Building this ongoing support of workers and students across the UK for a sweat-free 2012 London Olympics was the goal of Lilis Mahmudah’s recent speaker tour to the UK, organised by the Playfair 2012 campaign. Lilis is part of Serikat Pekerja Nasional (SPN - Textile and Garment Trade Union) in Indonesia and she is directly involved in negotiations with sportswear companies and suppliers to improve the rights of workers, including those working on products likely to end up in a UK shop or at the 2012 Olympics.

As Lilis travelled the length and breadth of the UK talking to fellow trade unionists, she provided vivid examples illustrating the issues being faced by her colleagues in Indonesian factories including union busting and intimidation of union members; wages too low to cover workers’ basic needs; sexual harassment; verbal and physical abuse; compulsory overtime; poor health and safety provisions; and workers’ rights being undermined through repeated use of short term contracts. Lilis’s union is part of the international Play Fair campaign and she reports that some employers are already starting to respond to SPN’s demands to negotiate better wages and working conditions.

During her UK visit, Lilis kept a diary of her meetings, thoughts and impressions of the trip.

Monday 7 June 2010 - London

I was very proud to be speaking in front of a substantial audience in the TUC’s Council Chamber, the most important room in the building, with the TUC’s Deputy General Secretary, Frances O’ Grady, and ITGLWF/Inditex Professor Doug Miller. Doug was Research Director for the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF) and he previously visited us in Indonesia, helped us with research, and explained to us how supply chains work. Being here reminded me of the support that Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the ITGLWF, who died last year, had given SPN: we remember Neil warmly.

Tuesday 8 June 2010 - London

I met with Annie Watson (ETI Trade Union Coordinator) and Ben Moxham (TUC Policy Officer) to talk about the Ethical Trading Initiative. I raised concerns about workers’ rights violations in a GAP supplier and I agreed to document evidence of this on my return to Indonesia and share this with ITGLWF and ETI.

In the afternoon I carried out some ‘field work’ with my interpreter, Teresa Birks, in Oxford Street. I scoured the high street for products and sportswear made in Indonesia. I found many Nike and Adidas sports shoes made in Indonesia, and also in China and Vietnam. They cost about £50-60, which means that if a worker making these shoes in Indonesia wanted to buy a pair, it would cost them their entire month’s wages of US$102. In most shops, production from China seems to dominate. I was worried that maybe some products made in Indonesia are being taken to China and the label being sewn on there. (I later discussed this with Ben Moxham – who confirmed that some companies do this, which made me realise how difficult it is to get transparency in supply chains). I returned to the office for an interview with Anti-Slavery International .

In the evening I spoke at an event organised by the NUJ. I feel that it is vital for us to work with journalists as they are the people who can raise awareness of the issues and disseminate information to the general public. There were lots of interesting questions and I agreed to follow up with information in the future.

Wednesday 9 June 2010 – Nottingham and Belper

It was a very early start, but the journey to Nottingham was really beautiful. We were met at the station by Sean Redgate from Community and taken to Courtaulds factory, which makes hosiery and underwear. We were given a guided tour by Mel Freeman (HR Manager), which really took me back to my past: I had worked as a knitter in a factory making similar products many years ago.

Mel told us that they were buying a lot of new machines that didn’t need so many people to work them, but also said that they weren’t making people redundant because of this, just not recruiting. It was great to be able to talk to Community trade union rep, Tracy Clarke, and I was surprised to learn how well the union and the management are able to work together. It seems that the management really consult the union. I was surprised that the union and the workers accepted a pay freeze for two years, but it seems that they all want to keep the company afloat.

We travelled from Belper to a Community event in Nottingham. I met several Community members who had been made redundant due to the closure of textile factories in the region because the companies had moved to countries like Indonesia, where they could pay less. Members I met pointed out that if companies keep moving from country to country, skills will be lost.

Even though Community members I met had experienced difficult times, they were down but not out, and I met Brenda Clarke and Helen Elliot who were still militant and active, even though they had lost their jobs. It was very special to meet with them and share our experiences and they had some good suggestions for us on how to campaign. They said we had a lot in common, the same issues, apart from the intimidation which they didn’t experience. We agreed that the important thing is to have unions working together at an international level, so that we share information about what is happening and help each other. After warm farewells, we set off for Newcastle.

Thursday 10 June 2010 - Newcastle

We had some spare time in the morning to explore Newcastle and see some of the old buildings, including part of an old castle which was amazing. We also saw a number of beautiful bridges across the River Tyne.

Our first event in Newcastle was at the University of Northumbria. I think its good to work with people on the university campus - we do that in Indonesia too. They can reach people outside of ‘our’ community and they can have a great influence. I met a first year fashion and marketing student called Rosie Dobby who wants to go into sportswear but wants to do it ethically. She had already spent six months in Cambodia and asked me whether students can come to the SPN to do exchanges – she asked whether she might be able to shadow me in my work which I think is a really good idea.

I was really excited to meet up with Ashling Seely from ITGLWF. Ashling has been really supportive to SPN and has played an important part in the negotiations with the sportswear brands. It was wonderful being in the office of ITGLWF - my union - to talk with them, share our concerns, and discuss how to address these. I was really surprised that their office is smaller than SPN’s – but just as chaotic!

In the evening we had a meeting at the Northern TUC offices with brothers and sisters from PCS, UNISON and ITGLWF, including representatives of young members and women, as well as some students. It was great to see them get straight down to planning what sort of actions and activities they could engage in for Playfair 2012 – there was so much enthusiasm and many good ideas.

Friday 11 June 2010

Another early start on the train to Glasgow, but it gave me the opportunity to have further discussions with Ashling about the negotiations with the sportswear brands.

We had good meeting. Patricia Ferguson MSP joined us, which was very useful since she had been involved in putting together the bid for the Commonwealth Games, which will be hosted by Glasgow in 2014. Patricia shared information with us and lots of ideas about how she could lend support. The Deputy General Secretary for the STUC was really able to crystallise how they can support Playfair 2012 and how this can inform work they are doing around the Commonwealth Games – bringing in an international dimension, for example around living wage.

When the meeting ended we hurried off to catch our train back to London, for my last night in the UK, before flying back home on Saturday.

I felt it was really good that I came to the UK even though it was a whirlwind tour because I think I am a good ‘provocateur’ and it seems that as well as meeting people and learning, and sharing our experiences in Indonesia with people here, my visit also acted as a catalyst to get strategies developed and activities going. I hope I can keep in contact with everyone and continue the struggle.

SPN, together with other Indonesian unions, staged a demonstration on 10 June in Jakarta, calling for an end to poverty wages and the right to freedom of association for all workers. Playfair 2012 will be following the Indonesian negotiations and supporting the unions in their efforts to negotiate an agreement with the sportswear brands on Play Fair’s demands.

In the run up to the London Games, Playfair 2012 is calling on the sportswear industry, the Organisers of the London Games, and the International Olympic Committee to raise the bar on workers’ rights and ensure that working conditions in their supply chains comply with internationally recognised standards.