Justice for Hulu Garment workers

Hulu Garment, a sewing facility supplying adidas, Amazon, Walmart, Macy’s, and LT Apparel Group located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, suspended its entire workforce of 1,020 workers at the beginning of March 2020 when Covid-19 started hitting global supply chains.

As the end of the suspension period neared, management called workers in and told them on April 22nd that, due to the pandemic, the factory had no orders and may need to lay off workers. Management also told workers to “sign” a document with their thumb print in order to receive their suspension pay (only 40% of their regular monthly wage) and unused annual leave, explaining: “you have to sign; otherwise, we cannot wire your money.”

Hundreds of Hulu Garment workers signed the document that day, without realizing that hidden under their payslip was a line stating they were resigning.

The day after, when it became clear to the workers that their employer had hoodwinked them into signing resignation letters in order to avoid paying severance, more than 300 workers protested to demand reinstatement and they continued to rally throughout the week. A month later the factory reopened but half the workforce was never rehired.

Years later, 500 workers continue to demand payment of the over US$1 million in severance they would be legally owed if they had been fired, because they had been scammed and had not voluntarily resigned.