Report prepared by Nadia Revelo, Human and Labour Rights Program Director.
The multi-union delegation "Women Building Power in Central America" arrived in San Pedro Sula, the capital of the Cortés Department in northern Honduras, on November 20 at 11:30 PM.
We entered the airport, "Ramon Villeda Morales," which is currently undergoing renovations. Villeda Morales served as the president of Honduras from 1957 to 1963. He survived an attempted coup d'état in 1959 but was ultimately overthrown in 1963. This liberal president supported the revolutions in Nicaragua and Cuba and, among other achievements, inaugurated the Honduran Institute of Social Security (HISS) in 1959, which is responsible for occupational healthcare.
On November 21, we left our hotel in Downtown San Pedro and traveled in the rain to Choloma. Along the way, we passed by flooded slums, where the residents, drawn by the promise of jobs in the maquila industry, remained trapped in poverty. According to the Central American Observatory of Labor Violence, between December 2022 and June 2023, twenty thousand maquila workers lost their jobs in Cortés Department, Honduras.
In Choloma, we spent the day at the office of the Honduran Women's Collective (CODEMUH). For the first time, I had the opportunity to meet in person the members of CODEMUH, women whom I deeply admire. The first meeting was institutional, lasting around three hours during which we listened to CODEMUH's perspective. This feminist organization focuses on the health and lives of workers, particularly women who face significant oppression.
Maria Luisa Regalado, Director of Codemuh (right) with Julia MacRae, President of CoDev.
Demanding approval of the Health at the Workplace bill
For ten years, CODEMUH has been advocating for improvements to the legal framework regarding occupational health and safety, as the Honduran labor code has remained unchanged since it was passed in 1959. In 2022, their proposal culminated in a bill called "Health at the Workplace." This bill is based on the National Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the conventions and recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Labor Code, and other national laws and regulations.
Banner: Congress, It is urgent to approve the Health at the Workplace bill. Job Yes but with Dignity.
The bill aims to enhance Chapter V of the Honduran Labour Code by establishing a stronger institutional framework. This framework will facilitate collaboration among the Public Health System, the Honduran Institute of Social Security, the Labour Ministry, the Justice System, as well as workers and employers, creating an integrated system.
The "Health at the Workplace" bill seeks to improve mechanisms for preventing occupational diseases and work-related injuries across all economic sectors. It will increase the recognized occupational diseases from 44 to 242, establish a system of sanctions to enforce compliance with the law, and enhance benefits for workers who are disabled due to occupational diseases or work-related injuries.
During the meeting with CODEMUH's staff, I observed the deep respect the team has for the maquila workers. Many of the CODEMUH staff members have previously worked in the maquila industry themselves. This experience has heightened their awareness of women's labor rights through the initiatives developed by CODEMUH, leading many to become more involved and eventually join the organization.
Maquila women workers during the May Day Rally 2024. Demanding the approval of the Bill Health at the Workplace.
Sharing collective empowerment
Ruth, Reina, Maria Luisa, Helen, and Ninibe expressed their strong indignation and frustration regarding the working conditions in the maquila. Despite this, they have not given up; instead, some of them are continuing their studies in law or health sciences. They spoke passionately about the collective empowerment process they share with the women workers, who often come to CODEMUH feeling defeated and humiliated by their employers. These workers have given years of their youth and felt betrayed by the state institutions that are supposed to protect their rights.
The courage of many women in the maquila rises from their struggles, like a phoenix rising from its ashes.
Members of Codemuh staff.
Three key concerns about the production practices in the Maquila industry trouble CODEMUH. First, the work schedules, which are organized as 4x4 or 4x3, require workers to work for four consecutive days (11.5 to 12 hours each day) followed by three or four days off. Second, the high production targets contribute significantly to work-related injuries due to the prolonged, repetitive movements that workers must perform without adequate rest. For example, a team of four or five workers is expected to sew 23 dozen t-shirts per hour, resulting in a total of 2,800 to 3,000 t-shirts by the end of an 11.5-hour shift. This combination of high production demands, long working hours, and wages tied to the quantity of garments produced creates a management system that effectively dehumanizes workers and treats them as disposable.
The third concern for CODEMUH is the pattern of factory closures and re-openings. Workers, particularly those who have sustained significant injuries, are unfairly dismissed by companies that consistently violate labor and human rights. These companies often hire young workers to perpetuate the cycle of exploitation. By closing factories, they can evade their labor responsibilities while maintaining their power as either job providers or destroyers, all within a context marked by corruption, weak law enforcement, and dependence on foreign investment.
Meeting of the Injured Maquila Workers from Gildan San Miguel factory dismissed in June 2023 due to the closure of operations of the maquila.
After meeting with CODEMUH staff, we spent an additional two hours talking to maquila workers who had been dismissed by Gildan, Hense, and Fruit of the Loom. Their stories were heartbreaking, revealing the level of harassment, exploitation, and humiliation they endured. Two words that capture the contrasting feelings of these maquila workers are DISPOSABLE on one side and CARE on the other.
Canadian multi-union Delegation with injured workers affected by the wave of closures that are fighting for labour justice.
Lilian, Esperanza, Paula, Zaida, Maria, Onofre, Elsy, Sandra, Karla, Merlin, and Nolvia shared their experiences of work-related injuries affecting their shoulders, necks, backs, and wrists. They described the strategies employed by factory management to extract maximum productivity from them until they were pushed to their breaking point. For years, they endured relentless sewing, often crying in pain, only to be dismissed with vague explanations.
Many of the factory closures were announced over the factory speakers, with a manager delivering an unclear message about the reasons for the shutdown. Workers often fainted or broke down in tears upon hearing this news. As working people ourselves, we understand what it means to lose a job, especially when living paycheck to paycheck.
Injured workers from GILDAN San Miguel factory rally in front of Rio Nance factory. They demand to be reinstated or rehired by GILDAN.
The workers not only described the terrible labour conditions they faced but also shared their journey toward collective empowerment. The harsh experience of being dismissed while suffering from occupational illnesses taught them the importance of seeking justice, reparations, and non-repetition. Much like populations affected by crimes against humanity, the maquila workers are now advocating for their human rights, which transnational corporations have violated in collusion with governments that prioritize economic interests over the well-being of women. In that room, about ten workers had won legal cases against these corporations for unfair dismissal. CODEMUH leads cases in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations against the Honduran government and transnational corporations.
Workers affected by the closure of the Hanse Brand factory protest in front of the Labour Secretary in San Pedro Sula.
The visit concluded with a tour of the industrial complex, where we observed young workers leaving the factories, expensive trucks departing the facilities, and heavily armed security guards managing the entrance and exit gates. We also noticed street food booths nearby. The diverse layers of workers who contribute to the vast surplus appropriated by transnational corporations. The maquila industry is not only associated with labor rights violations; it is also reportedly linked to crime and environmental destruction in Honduras.
Gates of a maquila in Choloma, Cortes.
Before arriving at the hotel, we stopped at a grocery store in Choloma to buy some snacks. We noticed that the prices were the same or even higher than those in Canada, despite wages being much lower in Honduras. While we were in line to pay, we observed the supervisor mistreating the young cashiers. The day concluded with another example of the harsh reality faced by working people in the region.
forum: voices of women in the maquila
On the second day in San Pedro Sula, we attended the forum titled "Voices of Women in the Maquila." The audience included representatives from the local government, the judicial system, trade unions, universities, grassroots organizations, the feminist movement, and both unemployed and employed women from the maquila industry.
Members of governmental and non-governmental organization participated in the international forum “Voices of Women in the Maquila” in San Pedro Sula (November 22, 2024).
The Canadian delegation, which included members from the BCGEU - Andrea Duncan, HSA - Anne Weishman, and Arby Yeo as well as Julia Macrae, the president of CoDev, served as special guests. They presented to the plenary the role of international solidarity in the struggle of maquila workers in Central America, focusing on women's rights, occupational health and safety, and collective empowerment for women.
(Above, left to right) Andrea Duncan chair of the International Solidarity Committee of BCGEU, Anne Wichmann and Arby Yeo members of BCHSA share their experience in the forum.
After each presentation, participants engaged by asking questions and sharing comments. It was fascinating to see how the women in the audience connected their everyday struggles for rights throughout the continent. We discovered that generations of immigrant women in Canada continue to fight for better living conditions through their union and social movement activism, much like women workers in the banana industry who are battling against the exploitation of foreign companies.
We all recognize that violence against women is a systemic issue linked to both domestic and public violence, as well as labor exploitation worldwide. Furthermore, we agree that the women's movement and a feminist approach have significantly contributed to the advancements made by women in Honduras, Central America, and Canada. However, it is evident that global corporations and states collaborate to perpetuate unfair working and living conditions for women.
CODEMUH staff members and Canadian multi-union delegation after the forum.
State institutions often show negligence in enforcing laws. For example, they permit companies to violate regulations regarding work hours by approving contracts that extend to 11 or 12 hours a day. Additionally, the defunding of the Honduran Social Security Institution has resulted in Choloma being without a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine for over two years, which delays the diagnosis of occupational diseases. There is also a lack of professional staff in the Committee of Disability Assessment, causing significant delays—sometimes lasting years—in resolving cases of injured workers seeking disability pensions.
Local speakers highlighted the challenges of safeguarding women's human rights in maquila and free trade zones. Since the Central American countries endorsed the labor-intensive export garment industry in the 1980s through the Caribbean Basin Initiative established by the Ronald Reagan administration in the United States, the reliance of Central American labor markets on the precarious jobs offered by maquila industries has intensified.
Women maquila workers rally in front of the Honduran Social Security Institute in Tegucigalpa demanding the Occupational Health Assessment of the injured workers dismissed in the wave of factory closures.
resisting factory closures and weak labour laws
The entire region is currently experiencing a surge in maquila factory closures as global corporations implement strategies to pressure governments during tax agreement negotiations. In this struggle, the dismissed maquila workers are often viewed as collateral damage. However, these workers refuse to accept this status. They are actively advancing a regional agenda to hold their governments accountable and advocate for new legislation that improves the power dynamics between workers and the owners of the means of production.
The Network of Central American Women's Organizations in Solidarity with Maquila Workers (The Network) presented the Agenda 2023-2033. According to a study conducted in four countries of the region—Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua—the most significant concession that these countries make to textile and clothing maquiladora companies, beyond tax benefits, is the dismantling of labour laws. This includes the deregulation of labour guarantees and the overall flexibility of labour rights, which leaves companies free to "adjust" labour relationships to fit the demands of the commercial market.
The Central American Network of Women’s Organization in Solidarity with Maquila Workers members and the Canadian Multi-union delegates. The President of CoDev gave a recognition to the members of the Network for its unbreakable support to the women maquila workers and celebrate the 28 years of partnership.
The violation of fundamental principles and rights should not be considered a legitimate comparative advantage. The governments of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua are violating the legal framework of Human Rights by permitting the erosion of labour rights for women workers.
In light of the power imbalance, The Network has adopted a strategy that highlights violence against women in the workplace and raises awareness in society about its continuation from home to work. Member organizations of The Network observe, document, and denounce the state's role in violating the rights of women working in maquilas. Simultaneously, they engage in activism, education, and organization among the workers. Maintaining international solidarity with The Network is essential for understanding the dynamics of power relationships between states, corporations, and working-class women.
The delegation departed from Honduras on November 23, committed to sharing insights from the women's struggle in Central America and mobilizing fellow union members to enhance international solidarity efforts.
Members of CODEMUH and women maquila workers protested outside Congress, demanding the approval of the "Health at the Workplace" bill.
