Publications

Working for Scrooge 2008: 5 Worst Companies for the Right to Associate

Publication Date: 

December 10, 2008

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that “everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests” (Article 23, Section 4). As human rights advocates around the world celebrate International Human Rights Day, the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has released “Working for Scrooge: 5 Worst Companies for the Right to Associate” – a list of the five worst multinational corporations for union organizing.

Child Labor in Fall 2008 Uzbek Cotton Harvest

Publication Date: 

November 11, 2008

This new report from the International Labor Rights Forum and a group of human rights defenders in Uzbekistan documents continued child labor in cotton fields in Uzbekistan in the Fall 2008 harvest season. Contrary to the government of Uzbekistan’s assertions that it has banned forced child labor, recent information suggests it continues to compel children as young as 11 and 12 to pick cotton, closing schools and using other coercive measures to enforce compliance.

The Sour Taste of Pineapple

Publication Date: 

October 20, 2008

Since the 1960’s, pineapple production has quadrupled and export has tripled worldwide. While profits for some have tremendously expanded under such development, this report demonstrates how pineapple workers, their families and communities, and the environment in the largest pineapple producing nations have not enjoyed the benefits of such growth.

Sweatshop Solutions?

Publication Date: 

October 10, 2008

This is an account of a particularly abusive factory in Bangladesh which produces children’s wear, primarily for Wal-Mart. It reveals how one of the world’s most powerful companies is influencing lives and working conditions in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Forced Child Labor in Uzbekistan’s 2008 Spring Agricultural Season

Publication Date: 

October 10, 2008

At the end of March and in early April this year, Uzbekistan’s parliament ratified the ILO Convention on Minimal Age of Employment (No. 138, 1973) and the Convention on Prohibition and Immediate Action for Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (No. 182, 1999). The very next month, however, under the direction of Uzbekistan’s central government, local authorities and school administrations forced thousands of children out to the fields for spring agricultural work.

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