On June 11, 2019, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) received a Third Party Complaint from the union Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Hilandería de Algodón Peruano S.A. concerning issues arising at the factory Hilandería de Algodón Peruano S.A. (HIALPESA) located in Lima, Peru, and specifically with regard to the suspension of the employment contracts of 190 workers in the spinning and knitting areas.
The Fair Labor Association received a Third Party Complaint (TPC) on July 8, 2019 from the union Sindicato de Trabajadores de Star (SITRASTAR) with respect to the then-pending closure of the Star S.A. facility in El Progreso, Yoro Department, Honduras, a facility owned and operated by the FLA-affiliated company Gildan.
The Fair Labor Association initiated an investigation in December 2018 based on a complaint from the Bangalore, India-based Garment Labor Union concerning allegations of Sexual Harassment and Freedom of Association violations at Carnival Clothing Company, a Tier 1 supplier of FLA affiliate adidas located in Mysore, India.
In March 2018, the FLA received a Third Party Complaint from the Tekgida-IS trade union (Tekgida) in Turkey concerning allegations of noncompliance with ILO Conventions 87 and 98 (freedom of association and the right to organize and bargain collectively) and, by extension, relevant provisions in the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct and Benchmarks at the Progida production facility in Piraziz / Giresun owned and operated by Olam Group (Olam), an FLA-affiliated company.
On December 17, 2017, the union Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Empresa Delta Apparel Honduras filed a Third Party Complaint with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) alleging violations of the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct at the factory Delta Apparel Honduras, located in the Zip Buena Vista industrial park, Villanueva, Honduras.
On December 6, 2017, the Fair Labor Association (“FLA”) initiated a Third Party Complaint from the Union of the Textile, Similar and Related Industries of El Salvador (“SITSCES”), affiliated with the Union Federation of El Salvador (“FESS”). FESS/SITSCES alleged violations of labor standards and of the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct at the factory Apple Tree S.A. de C.V. located in San Salvador, El Salvador.
The Fair Wear Foundation (FWF), a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands engaged in improving workplace conditions for garment workers, informed the FLA of allegations concerning violations of freedom of association at VT Group, a Participating Supplier of the FLA. At the time of the complaint, FLA-affiliated companies Patagonia and adidas were sourcing from Sawbwa VT.
On December 18, 2017, the FLA accepted for review a Third Party Complaint filed by a worker – who requested anonymity -- at Brooklyn Manufacturing in El Salvador, making a number of allegations regarding violations of the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct at the factory. Brooklyn is affiliated with the FLA as a Participating Supplier. An assessment by Brooklyn management corroborated some of the allegations in the Third Party Complaint but not others.