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Close to 4,000 Vietnamese garment workers went on strike in northern Vietnam in early January. The workers protested mistreatment by management at the Taiwanese-owned Sun Jade Company shoe factory in the province of Thanh Hoa.

Workers claim management has routinely dealt physical abuse and humiliation to workers, a majority of whom are women. Sun Jade management often punished workers for arriving late by refusing to pay the day’s wages, barring entry to the cafeteria for company-provided lunch, and cutting their entry cards in half. They have also been denied leave for an illness or death in the family, losing up to a month’s pay when these situations prevent them from working.

The footwear plant has seen three strikes since June as workers have demanded better working conditions and improved treatment. They have received no response from the company’s higher-ups. The plant in Thanh Hoa employs 4,500.

The strike at Sun Jade came amid reports of a record number of strikes in Vietnam last year. Strikes in 2008 came to a total of 762, up from 541 the previous year. A majority of strikers are garment workers in the textile and footwear manufacturing industry. Rapid inflation has provoked many strikes, as workers struggle to make ends meet and take action to secure higher wages and better conditions.

Support the workers at the Sun Jade footwear plant and demand an end to mistreatment by management. Send letters of protest to Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, No. 12 Ngo Quyen street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.

Expiration Date:
Sat, 02/28/2009 - 9:59pm