July 19, 2002
SCANDAL OVER MASS POISONING IN MAQUILA.
Miranda R. Buffam
Jeanne Marie Rikkers
Last week, in a campaign to slander a local union and shift attention from themselves, the Salvadoran government and maquila owners’ association blamed a large-scale industrial health emergency on “terrorism” and “sabotage.”

When 500 workers suffered mass poisoning, those legally responsible to answer for the disaster-- the factory owners and the governmental institutions who have industrial oversight-- scrambled to place the blame somewhere else. Independent of any testing or investigation, the first response suggested that the workers, mostly women, suffered from “collective hysteria” and that there had been no toxins in the plants. The Red Cross, the public hospitals, and the attorney general’s office later proved the presence of toxins in the factories and in the worker’s bodies.

In response the maquila owner’s association, backed up by President Francisco Flores, proceeded to spread rash allegations of “terrorism” and a “criminal act” by groups who “want to attack the maquila sector”. With no evidence to back them up, they repeatedly insinuated involvement by local union leaders. These allegations coincided and interfered with a dialogue between the local STIT (Salvadoran Textile Workers’ Union) and the Taiwanese Corporation, Tainan Enterprises. An international delegation of prominent labor leaders accompanied the STIT in this dialogue. Their presence in the country was also clouded by accusations of terrorism against the maquila sector. The struggle of the STIT to re-open the Tainan factory is familiar to many CRISPAZ readers through the articles in the last two editions of SALVANET. (Please write to us if you would like copies, salvanet@crispaz.org)

THE POISONING.
Over the last week, over 500 persons working in maquilas in the free trade zone of Olocuilta have been evacuated from their workplaces and treated for symptoms of toxic poisoning. Two major incidents of collective poisoning took place in 4 of the installations of a textile factory called Hoon’s Apparel.

Early Friday July 5th, workers in the Hoon’s Apparel factory, mostly women, reported chemical smells and some initial symptoms of toxic contamination. More than 7 hours later, when the complaints had increased and several workers had passed out, the managers ordered an evacuation of the plants. Of the evacuated workers, 288 were admitted to clinics or hospitals that same day for symptoms of poisoning. Of those given medical attention, 20 were pregnant women. Red Cross workers on the scene reported that they had found a chlorine leak in one of the tanks in the factory, a toxic gas that could have caused the reported symptoms of stomach pain, irritation of the nose and throat, vomiting, dizziness, and loss of consciousness.

The following Monday, July 8th, a similar scene presented itself a little after 9 in the morning when several workers of Hoon’s Apparel complained of dizziness, nausea, and other symptoms of poisoning. The evacuation took place immediately and in the end 246 workers were attended at clinics or hospitals for exposure to toxins. Investigators from the Ministry of the Environment were on the scene and attempted to investigate immediately, but were illegally denied access by the maquila’s private security.

THE ACCUSATIONS.
Rather than taking responsibility or waiting for a full investigation of the causes of the poisoning, the maquila owners alternated between suggesting that the symptoms may have been a collective hysteria on the part of the workers or a work of sabotage by persons interested in discrediting the maquila sector. The owners have been backed by the maquila owners’ Salvadoran Clothing Industry Association (ASIC), the Ministry of Labor, the National Emergency Committee (COEN), the vice president and the president of El Salvador.

The National Emergency Committee (COEN) cited “lack of evidence” of the presence of toxins and declared that this was a case of collective hysteria on the part of the maquila workers. The COEN refused to retract that conclusion in spite of the fact that the Red Cross, the attorney general, and public hospitals who treated the workers all concurred that there had been toxic poisoning. The Minister of Labor refused to rule out the possibility that the workers were boycotting the factory. After visiting the affected factory, warned that the temporary closing of the maquilas puts the workers at risk of losing their jobs.

The executive director of the ASIC, in support of the sabotage theory, called it an “attack against the health of Salvadoran workers, against investment, and against the country.” Proponents of the sabotage theory presented no evidence or specifics to support their claim. The two major newspapers preferred to give weight to the claims of sabotage and terrorism in their coverage the event.

The Prensa Gráfica published a photo of a letter written by Joaquin Alas Salguero, the Secretary General of the STIT, on July 5 requesting an audience with the Minister of Labor. This photo insert was placed under the headline “Maquila Owners Denounce Sabotage,” strongly suggesting a connection between his request and the toxic poisoning. Both daily papers published inaccurate and inflammatory statements regarding the presence of international union and solidarity workers who came to support the STIT. Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers Federation, arrived in El Salvador on July 9 to accompany the union in their dialogue with Tainan Enterprises. Neil Kearney was mentioned several times in the papers in overt suggestions that his presence was related to the alleged acts of sabotage.

As the controversy in the press escalated, political parties leapt in, accusing their opponents of illegal involvement on some level of the disaster. The maquila owner’s association stuck to their claim of sabotage, and the president used the words “act of terror” in relation to the incidents.

SABATOGING THE TAINAN TALKS.
The Tainan factory in El Salvador closed at the end of April after a year-long struggle with the growing union and just days after the union presented the first legal documents to initiate a collective bargaining process. The case has become high-profile in part because of the United States Labor Education in the Americas Project (US-LEAP) involved US consumers and activists in the campaign. The campaign has also looked at holding responsible the retailers who contract from Tainan (Anne Taylor, the GAP, Footlocker, Target and Kohl’s). No representatives of the retailers were present in the talks, though GAP had originally indicated that they might send one.

During a week of tense dialogue with representatives from Tainan Enterprises, the STIT was targeted by negative press in most of the major media. With the exception of one of the leading television stations no clear mention was made of the dispute with Tainan Enterprises or the position of the union itself. The STIT press conference on July 9th, was intended to give information regarding their stance in the negotiations, ended up dominated by accusatory and leading questions on the part of the press. The subtle but insistent association made between Joaquin Alas, General Secretary of the STIT and the alleged sabotage, immersed the talks in an atmosphere of heightened tension, as much for the Taiwanese business people as for the workers.

The international negotiating team accompanying the STIT also was subject to accusation and implied blame for the poisoning of the Hoon workers. Mr. Kearney was particularly singled out by the press and government officials. At one point he was asked whether he didn’t think that there was “too much of a coincidence that the poisoning occurred one day before his visit?”

In this extremely tense atmosphere the talks between the STIT and Tainan did not reach definitive conclusion. However, plans are being made to continue the dialogue.

INVESTIGATION.
In a follow-up article in the Diario de Hoy it was reported the Human Rights Ombudswoman, Beatrice de Carrillo, had asked the Attorney General’s office to fully investigate the case. Again, the newspaper insisted on referring to the incident as the “alleged” poisoning while at the same time reporting that the Forensic Institute had detected toxins in the workers and at the plant. However, Ms. de Carrillo was clear in stating that the workers had been poisoned. She emphasized that this was NOT a case of mass hysteria but rather a “consequence of the weakness of what programs we have and the controls that we have in place.” She criticized the Ministry of Labor for inadequate monitoring of occupational safety. Her call for an extensive investigation was applauded by workers and other sectors of society concerned for their rights and security. The President cautioned the Attorney General to “use prudence” in the investigation.

SOURCES REFERENCED.
La Prensa Gráfica http://www.laprensa.com.sv/ and El Diario de Hoy http://www.elsalvador.com/ , daily Salvadoran newspapers.
Editions: July 6-15, 2002.
Commentary on the University of Central America “José Simeon Cañas” radio station, YSUCA.
Entrevista al Día, daily current events talk show, Channel 12. http://www.tvdoce.com.sv/

Press release from the Textile Industry Workers’ Union (STIT), the Salvadoran chapter of the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers Federation. A copy in Spanish is available from Joaquin Alas at stittainan@hotmail.com.
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