Textiles Opico

The WRC investigated a complaint filed by workers at Textiles Opico and found that the factory had violated university codes of conduct and other applicable standards with regard to workers’ freedom of association during a layoff of factory workers in January 2017.

Specifically, the WRC investigation found that the factory discriminatorily selected union members for dismissal, violated a labor-management agreement intended to ensure that layoffs are conducted in a fair and non-discriminatory manner, and refused union members the right to be represented by their chosen union representatives at the time of their dismissals.

The WRC found that the discriminatory dismissals constituted a serious repeat violation of freedom of association by Textiles Opico. In May 2013, the Fair Labor Association, of which Textiles Opico is a participating supplier, found that the factory had discriminatorily terminated five leaders of the same union. The FLA’s engagement led to the labor-management agreement, which the factory violated during these layoffs.

After sharing the findings and recommendations with both the factory and the buyers, the WRC engaged with all parties to seek redress to the violations. Textiles Opico agreed to act on a limited number of the WRC’s recommendations, but did not agree to reinstate nearly half of the workers subjected to discriminatory termination, which is a crucial element of remediation.

The WRC will continue to monitor compliance with labor standards at Textiles Opico.

Read More:

• Partial Remediation at Textiles Opico (El Salvador) – October 16, 2017
• WRC Assessment Report on Textiles Opico – July 31, 2017