EMERGENCY KUKDONG UPDATE JUNE 5, 2001

LABOR BOARD MOVES AGAINST KUKDONG WORKERS’ UNION

Today, around noon, three officials from the Local Labor Board of Puebla

Arrived at Kukdong to verify that the 28 workers of Kukdong who filed for the legal recognition of SITEKIM (the worker’s union), were indeed members of SITEKIM.

This arbitrary procedure is not contemplated anywhere in the Federal Labor

Law of Mexico and is neither common practice, yet it has been invoked at least

Twice when worker (independent) unions have filed for legal recognition. The

Measure is arbitrary and absurd in that the workers have already expressed their membership by submitting the petition for legal recognition.

The procedure may give the Labor Board an excuse to deny the legal recognition of SITEKIM. According to Federal Labor Law, at least twenty workers are  needed

to obtain legal recognition. However, for the following reasons, it is likely that only fifteen, or less, workers signed their support for SITEKIM.

1. The labor board gave SITEKIM’s lawyers a single day’s notice of this procedure. Given that many workers live several hours away from the factory,  and

that most of them do not have telephones, it was impossible to notify any workers. Three workers were absent today. An additional three no longer work  at

Kukdong (which is not grounds to deny the recognition, according to Federal Labor Law).

2. Between six or seven workers (these numbers are unconfirmed at this  point) have been coerced by the CROC, either through offers of money or threats, to deny any  participation in SITEKIM.

3. The other fifteen workers were called to the offices one by one to sign  their approval of SITEKIM. They were forced to walk by three high-ranking CROC officials, who waited outside the offices. (Clearly the CROC was given advance notice). Workers report that some of the fifteen were pale and trembling throughout the day.

The six workers who were absent will be submitting a brief to the Labor

Board where they reaffirm their membership in SITEKIM, but there is fear that the

Labor Board may not accept it. In light of these events, Centro de Apoyo al Trabajador suggests these  actions:

1. Write Vicente Fox Quezada, President of Mexico; Carlos Abascal Carranza, Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare; and Melquiades Morales Flores,  Governor of the State of Puebla, expressing concern for the situation at Kukdong and  for the arbitrary measures adopted by the local labor board of Puebla, which  tend to undermine the right to freedom of association. Express concern especially in light of the Puebla-Panama development plan, which takes Puebla as a  modelstate.

2. Write Kukdong, Nike and Reebok and express that you expect no further harassment or reprisals against workers who signed their membership in  SITEKIM.

3. Write letters to local media outlets and media outlets in the state of Puebla, or send a copy of the letters to Mexican officials. Express concerns  as consumers of apparel manufactured at Kukdong or similar factories in Mexico,  as well as solidarity with the workers of Kukdong.

4. Write to the Puebla State Office for Labor and Social Welfare, and if possible, call the local labor board of Puebla. Express outrage for the arbitrary “verification” measure which clearly tends to undermine the rights  to freedom of association of Kukdong workers, especially since there was no reasonable or sufficient advance notice of this procedure.

CONTACT  INFORMATION:

Vicente Fox QuezadaCarlos Abascal Carranza

Melquiades Morales Flores: Go to www.puebla.gob.mx and click on the link to

write to the governor.NikeReebokKukdongPuebla Local Labor Board:

Armando Toxqui Quinteros, President(011) (52-2) 232-2280

Puebla State Office for Labor and Social Welfare: dgtpsp@prodigy.net

Puebla Media:

Estereo Sol, a local Atlixco radio station: buenosdiasatlixco@informatic.net

La Jornada de Oriente, a Puebla newspaper: jori@prodigy.net.mx

Sintesis, a Puebla newspaper: sintesis@datasys.com.mx