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About Diesel's New Campaign Called Misopolis

Clean Clothes Campaign release

Diesel says to take female workers' rights serious, with their release of the campaign Misopolis (see www.dieselforwomen.com). With this campaign Diesel wants to improve the living conditions of female garment workers by distributing free abortion pills.

But what does Diesel do to improve work conditions on garment factories, and the position of female workers? Just like other garment brands, Diesel needs to get serious about improving the labour conditions. Garment workers should be able to do their work in a safe environment. And earn a wage that enables them to lead a normal life with their family. Diesel should focus more on these urgent issues instead, according to the Dutch Clean Clothes Campaign (www.schonekleren.nl).

The overwhelming majority of garment workers are female. Excessive overwork is even more difficult for them then for their male colleagues, as they often combine their work with caring for a family. Diesel should adapt their purchasing practices ? including paying a living wage - to make sure garment workers don't need to work so much overtime. And Diesel can work together with their suppliers to make the work environment safe for women, and give female workers equal chances on promotion.

Diesel could work together with one of the initiatives to make the Indian 'sumangali scheme' a practice of the past. In May 2011 SOMO and the India Committee of the Netherlands released a report 'Captured by Cotton'. It proved that Diesel buys from suppliers that use this emploment scheme. Girls are being coerced to work in certain spinning mills and factories, with the promise of getting a big lump sum at the end of a 3 year period. This lump sum is actually part of their withhold wage, which is below the legal minimum.

And in the mean time these workers live and work in horrible conditions. Their freedom is severely limited; they are often not allowed to go outside the factory premises, and can barely contact their families. In response to these findings, a number of garment brands have made a clear stance against the sumangali practice and joined initiatives to work together on ending this scheme. Unfortunately Diesel refrained from any clear stance or commitment.

For more information see:  www.cleanclothes.org / www.schonekleren.nl

Source:
www.dieselforwomen.com/revealed/clean_clothes.html