There will be six co-ordinated, international demonstrations in London, Paris, Strasburg, New York, Chicago and Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day, Wednesday 14th February 2007. Local trade unionists and students are supporting workers from Britain who are fighting to save their jobs being exported to Chinese sweatshops by staging demonstrations outside 6 Burberry stores in five cities. In addition MEPs in the European Parliament will be signing a giant ‘Stop Burberry Breaking Our Hearts’ Valentine’s Day card. They will give out “Stop Burberry Breaking Our Hearts” Valentine’s Day leaflets to shoppers asking for support for their campaign.

Of course No Sweat does not object to Chinese workers getting decent work - all workers need well-paid jobs. But this operation is about driving down the costs of production at our expense.

Burberry has refused to allow the workers at the Treorchy factory in Wales, whose jobs are threatened, to book leave owed to them, to attend the demonstrations to protest against moving their jobs to China. However, GMB members from South Wales will be in Paris and New York for these demonstrations.

The photocall/demonstrations take place as follows – all at their respective local times:

LONDON: BURBERRY
10.30PM TO 12.30 LOCAL TIME
21/23 NEW BOND STREET
LONDON
W1S 2RE (020 7839 5222)
London Contact: Steve Pryle, GMB Press Office on 07921 289880.

PARIS: BURBERRY
10.30 TO 12.30 LOCAL TIME
8 BOULEVARD MALESHERBES
75008 PARIS (8TH ARRONDISSEMENT NEAR CHAMPS ELYSEES)
Paris Contact: Kathleen Walker-Shaw, GMB European Officer on 07841 181549.

NEW YORK: BURBERRY
1:00-1:30 LOCAL TIME
9 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022.
North American Contact: 00353 1 91 76
01 16 78.

LAS VEGAS: BURBERRY
2:30-3:00 LOCAL TIME
Grand Canal Shops at the Venetian &
Forum Shops in Caesar’s Palace
Last Vegas, Nevada. North American Contact: 00353 1 91 76 01 16 78.

CHICAGO: BURBERRY
11:30-12:00 LOCAL TIME
633 N. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611. North American Contact: 00353 1 91 76 01 16 78.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
STRASBURG
During the day, MEP members of the Socialist Group will be signing a giant ‘STOP BURBERRY BREAKING OUR HEARTS’ St. Valentine’s Day card to be sent to Burberry.
Strasburg Contact: Kathleen Walker-Shaw, GMB European Officer on 07841 181549.

A copy of the St Valentine’s Day card that the Burberry workers and supporters will be giving out to shoppers is available at www.gmb.org.uk [1]

The American campus network, United Students Against Sweatshops, will be joining GMB members from South Wales at the North American locations.

The French Union CFDT (Hacuitex) will be joining GMB members from South Wales at the Paris demonstration.

Mervyn Burnett GMB Organiser said, “GMB’s campaign takes on a global dimension which follows Burberry's own globalisation moves. GMB members and supporters will explain direct to shoppers outside the Burberry stores in these cities GMB’s demand that the company reverse the closure of the South Wales factory."

Burberrys have not said how much workers in China will be paid, instead of the £5.35 per hour currently being paid to workers in Wales, or the weekly hours and holidays in China to replace the 39 hour week and the 33 days annual leave workers receive in Wales.

Contact: GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.

Notes:
In September 2006 Burberry management announced without consultation with GMB that they were closing the Treorchy factory at the end of 2006 with the loss of over three hundred Welsh jobs. The plan was to move the production of polo shirts to free trade zones in the developing world and to pocket the difference in wage costs onto an already profitable business. GMB launched a vigorous campaign to maintain the jobs in Wales. The company has put back the closure date by three months to the end of March 2007. With the support of elected representatives GMB members at the plant have vowed to carry on the campaign to get the closure decision reversed.

Attached: No Sweat Burberry flyer: download and dish it out!