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Human Rights Watch released a report May 4 calling on the Vietnamese government—and the Western multinationals that do business in Vietnam—to end suppression of the country’s independent unions.

At least five of the most prominent activists organizing independent unions in the country are currently imprisoned on what HRW calls “dubious national security charges.” Some are thought to have been kidnapped by the government’s security forces.

Between double-digit inflation and stresses caused by the global economic crisis, labor unrest in the country continues to escalate. Thousands of workers, most of them employed at foreign-owned factories, have joined wildcat strikes to demand raises and better working conditions. About 5,000 garment workers struck in January, saying they were docked a month’s pay for an absence.

HRW notes that “workers are prohibited from forming or joining unions—or conducting strikes—that are not authorized by an official labor confederation controlled by the Communist Party.”

Meanwhile, foreign investors are threatening to pull out of the country because of the “turmoil,” adding pressure on government officials to crack down.

Call on the government to release Le Tri Tue, a founder of the Independent Workers’ Union of Vietnam, and the other imprisoned independent union leaders. Write to

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head of the Vietnamese Embassy’s economic section. Tell Nike, whose contractors in the country have been repeatedly struck, to respect workers’ right to organize. Email

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, vice president of corporate responsibility.

Expiration Date:
Tue, 06/30/2009 - 8:59pm