10 July 2020

Gokaldas Exports owns 20 factories, and on 8 June, management announced a lay-off of all workers at the only factory with union membership. Factories with more than 100 workers are required to obtain prior [government] permission... before layoffs, making the move illegal as...1,200 workers were employed in the factory. That same evening, workers began a sit-in at the company gates, which is still ongoing.

... H&M was the only buyer... IndustriALL affiliate Unions United, is engaged in conciliation proceedings before the labour department. Gokaldas management refused to attend meetings called by the National monitoring committee (NMC), part of the global framework agreement between H&M and IndustriALL... [until] 8 July [when] management attended the NMC meeting, but refused to make any commitment or show good faith to resolve the matter...

In an appalling development since... officials from Gokaldas Exports have gone to village[s]... where the workers live, bullying the workers to resign and threaten them with withheld dues unless they resign. Union members, with support from village leaders, have managed to resist the pressure from management.

IndustriALL general secretary [said]: "Gokaldas Exports behaviour violates international labour standards... of freedom of association, the cornerstone in our GFA with H&M, and thus a clear violation of the GFA itself..."