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Public Eye on Davos – Positive Award for FIAN!

NEWS

Heidelberg, 10/09/05

Success against violations of labour rights awarded

Today, the German Environment- and Development-Organisation Germanwatch, the Human Rights Organisation FIAN and the Mexican Trade Union Euzkadi receive a “Positive Award” of the “Public Eye on Davos” Initiative for having campaigned successfully against the illegal closure of a mexican tyre factory of Continental. The award is given to campaigns which have led to a positive change in the policies and conduct of a company. It is part of the “Public Eye Award”, which is presented every year in the beginning of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos by the Swiss  organisations “Declaration of Bern” and “Pro Natura”.

The “Positive Award” is given today to Jesús Torres Nuño, former trade union leader and current president of the workers cooperative of Euzkadi, as well as to Cornelia Heydenreich, coordinator of Germanwatch for corporate accountability,  and to Martin Wolpold-Bosien, coordinator of FIAN  International for Central America. “We  were very satisfied about this award”, says Cornelia Heydenreich. “The success in Mexico should encourage other people and demonstrate: It’s worthwhile to fight against violations of human rights committed by companies!”. “It if had not been for the resistance and the strategic intelligence of the trade unionists to transnationalise their rights, the success would have never been possible”, says Martin Wolpold-Bosien. And Jesús Torres Nuño stressed the importance of the international solidarity: “In this globalised world which is being steered by the influence of transnational companies, we depend on globalising our struggle. This was the key to our success: to count on allies and friends, who fought with us in Mexico and in Germany against Continental at shareholder meetings, in the media and with parliamentarians.”

FIAN and Germanwatch have been fighting for years against the misconduct of companies in the South. Since 2002, they supported the employees of the Continental tyre factory Euzkadi in Guadalajara, Mexico, in their struggle against the illegal closure of the plant. After having maintained a strike during three years, numerous talks in Mexico and Germany with representatives of Continental, politicians and journalists, many actions and a complaint because of violation of the OECD-Guidelines, the workers reached their most important aims in the beginning of 2005: the re-opening of the Euzkadi-factory and the maintenance of their jobs. Furthermore, the workers became 50 percent co-owners of the factory, which was taken over by the trade union and the Mexican company Llanti Systems in a common society.

Parallelly to this positive award presented this year for the first time, “negative awards” are given in Davos since 2005 to companies which lack socially and ecologically responsible conduct. “Public Eye Awards” are being presented in the categories environment, social conduct and taxes. Activities of “Public Eye” are taking place in Davos already for the seventh time parallelly to the World Economic Forum.