War on Want hails EC move

The anti-poverty charity War on Want today urged the European Commission to follow up its decision to suspend moves to upgrade political and trade links with Israel by stopping the upgrade process altogether.

War on Want welcomed the EC freezing negotiations on upgrading ties amid growing pressure for sanctions against Israel over its attack on Gaza, with more than 1,000 Palestinian deaths, almost one in three women and children.

It also welcomed reports that senior Brussels officials say a Europe-Israel summit to launch a new “special relationship” – piloted by the Czech Republic, which holds the EU presidency - would probably not take place.

And the charity pressed the commission to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement which already ensures preferential treatment for Israeli trade in Europe.

The new protocol of cooperation would enable far greater Israeli participation in European Community programmes.

War on Want opposes this step and the existing agreement, citing Israel's ongoing illegal occupation, with millions of Palestinians suffering human rights abuse and crushing poverty in refugee camps or under occupation.

It earlier called on the EU to suspend the Association Agreement in order to bring pressure on Israel to abide by international law.

Article 2 of the Agreement makes Israel's trading preferences dependent on respect for human rights, a condition which UN specialists claim Israel has often breached.

Ruth Tanner, campaigns and policy director at War on Want, said: “It has taken Israel's brutal assault and carnage in Gaza to persuade the commission to act. The suspension represents a positive initial development. Now the EC must use its leverage by ending the present Association Agreement.”

CONTACT: Paul Collins, War on Want media office (+44) (0)20 7549 0584 or (+44) (0)7983 550728

Retailer thrives on 7p an hour workers.

NEWS HOOK: Friday, 5 December 2008 Annual meeting of Primark's parent company, Associated British Foods
EMBARGO: 00.01 hrs GMT, Friday, 5 December 2008

Workers producing clothes for Primark face growing poverty on as little as 7p an hour for up to 80-hour weeks. But they are helping Britain's most popular cheap fashion retailer beat the recession, the charity War on Want reveals today.

War on Want warns that Primark is ignoring rising basic living costs as employees making garments in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka are now worse off than two years ago, when the charity first exposed their hardship. War on Want contrasts the retailer's 17 per cent profits jump to £233 million during the 12 months ending in September this year with employees on the minimum wage, £13.97 (1663 taka) a month, and all of them earning far less than a living wage. Amid high inflation and increasing fuel costs in Bangladesh, the price of low-quality rice has rocketed by 70 per cent. And prices of other cooking items, including oil, onions, pulses, wheat and flour, have soared by 30-60 per cent. Employees calculate a worker needs £44.82 (5333 taka) a month to give their family nutritious food, clean water, shelter, clothes, education, health care and transport. Yet average workers' pay, £19.16 (2280 taka) a month, is less than half a living wage. The vast majority of employees live in small, crowded shacks, many of which lack plumbing and adequate washing facilities. War on Want will stage a protest outside Primark's flagship store in London's Oxford Street this morning with its researcher Khorshed Alam, who has flown to the UK from Bangladesh. Campaigners from the charity and Alam will then go into the annual meeting of Primark's parent company, Associated British Foods, to speak out against its sweatshops. The report also reveals similar pay and conditions for Dhaka employees making clothes for Asda, Britain's second-largest clothing retailer by volume, and Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket fashion chain. Ifat, who toils in a factory supplying all three retailers, said: “I can't feed my children three meals a day.” Runa, who makes Asda and Tesco clothes, is one of many young women forced by poverty to leave her rural home to earn money to send back to her family. She said: “My pay is so meagre that I cannot afford to keep my child with me. I have sent my five-month old baby to the village to be cared for by my mother.” Though forced overtime is illegal in Bangladesh, employees said they were made to toil extra hours, often unpaid. Workers complained that in the fast fashion rush to produce the latest styles, many of them suffer verbal and physical abuse as they struggle to meet unrealistic targets. Primark, Asda and Tesco all claim to respect the rights of its garment suppliers to join and form trade unions. But Dhaka workers said none of their factories was unionised. War on Want is demanding that the British government introduce regulation which ensures a living wage for overseas suppliers and allows exploited staff to seek justice in UK courts. Ruth Tanner, campaigns and policy director at the charity, said: “Primark, Asda and Tesco promise a living wage for their garment makers. But workers are actually worse off than when we exposed their exploitation two years ago. The UK government must bring in effective regulation to stop British companies profiting from abuse.” NOTES TO EDITORS

• Researchers interviewed 115 workers from six factories during August and September.
• War on Want will demonstrate from 9.00 am (opening time) until 10.00 am on Friday, 5 December outside Primark's flagship store at 499-517 Oxford Street, near Park Street, London W1K 7DA (Marble Arch Tube). Anti-poverty campaigners will protest with Khorshed Alam, the Bangladeshi who led the research.
• War on Want campaigners and Alam will attend the annual meeting of Primark's parent company, Associated British Foods, to speak out against its sweatshops. The meeting will take place at 11.00 am on Friday, 5 December at the TUC, Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS.

CONTACT: Paul Collins, War on Want media office (+44) (0)20 7549 0584 or (+44) (0)7983 550728

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Picture opportunity

When?

9am, Monday December 1 2008

Where?

Iraq Petroleum 2008, Millennium Hotel, 18 Harrington Gardens, London SW7

Who?

Conference attendees: Including Shell, BP, and Exxon executives plus Iraqi ministry of oil representatives. Protestors: Hands Off Iraqi Oil coalition www.handsoffiraqioil.org

As Iraq's biggest oil fields go under the hammer at the Iraq Petroleum 2008 conference [1], protestors impersonate top executives in a mock auction outside, complete with giant secret contract.

Activists from Hands Off Iraqi Oil will protest the auction of eight of Iraq's major oil and gas fields [2] through secret contracts.

Shell, BP, Lukoil and Crescent Petroleum executives will be spoofed outside the first major commercial oil and gas conference to be held in London since 2004. [3]

The Iraq Petroleum 2008 event comes in the wake of a historical first licensing round in October, also held in London, covering 40% of Iraq's known reserves and accounting for 90% of all export revenue.

A second licensing round will be held in December where a further 40% of Iraq's reserves will be available for private control.

The contracts currently on the table - Risk Service Contracts - will last 20 years. [4] The deals remain shrouded in secrecy, despite calls by Iraqi experts, technocrats and civil society to render them open to public scrutiny. [5] The Iraqi cabinet recently approved a $4bn no-bid gas deal with Shell which has been criticized by the Iraqi parliamentary oil and gas committee. [6]

Ewa Jasiewicz, of Hands Off Iraqi Oil, said: "These deals are not about investment and reconstruction, they're about private corporate control over the third largest reserves and last bastion of conventional oil on the planet. Their signing may be a political legacy issue for Bush and Cheney, but the legacy of injustice, foreign control and an economy wedded to the oil industry will disempower generations of Iraqis to come."

Gabriel Carlyle, from Voices UK, said: "These secret deals could sign Iraq's sovereignty away with a pen's stroke. If signed, they could lock in both dictatorship and occupation law, leading to increased conflict, human rights violations and economic dispossession. They represent yet another injustice against the Iraqi people and should be torn up."

CONTACT: Ewa Jasiewicz, Hands Off Iraqi Oil 07749 421 576 www.handsoffiraqioil.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] http://www.cwciraqpetroleum.com/

[2] The eight fields are Rumeila, Zubair, Qurna West, Maysan, Kirkuk and Bay Hassan - all oil fields - and Akkas and Mansouriya Gas fields http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-06-30-iraq-oil_N.htm

[3] Linda Cook, executive director, Gas & Power at Shell Trading, BP chief executive officer Tony Haywood, Luay Jawad, Crescent Petroleum Iraq country director and former Shell executive, and Vagit Alekperov, CEO of Lukoil.

[4] Risk Contracts explained - The real significance of the oil ministries bid round, Greg Muttitt http://www.platformlondon.org/carbonweb/showitem.asp?article=332&parent=9

[5] Platform briefing on contracts, oil law and trade union opposition http://priceofoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/iraqi-oil-in-the-balanc...

[6] Iraqi law makers will challenge Shell gas deal http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSLP12241120081125

[7] Hands Off Iraqi Oil is a UK coalition opposing any foreign exploitation of Iraq's oil reserves that cheats the Iraqi people. Members include Corporate Watch, Iraq Occupation Focus, Jubilee Iraq, PLATFORM, Voices UK and War on Want. More information on the campaign is available at www.handsoffiraqioil.org

Finance moves threaten poor, says War on Want

NEWS HOOK
Friday, 14 November 2008 to Saturday 15 November 2008

Washington DC, United States

British premier Gordon Brown takes part in G20 summit of the world's richest economies on the global finance crisis

John Hilary, executive director of anti-poverty charity War on Want, comments below and is available for interview

John Hilary, executive director of the anti-poverty charity War on Want, says: “For all his claims to be leading the world out of the crisis, Brown could well be the one blocking progress at the G20 summit.

“Brown is resisting proposals that regulation of the financial sector should be anything more than a light touch.

“Instead, he aims to secure further deregulation of financial markets through his call for a swift conclusion to the current round of global trade talks. The UK government's main objective in these negotiations is the liberalisation of financial markets in emerging economies such as India, Brazil and Chile, with the aim of increasing business opportunities for UK financial service companies overseas.

“Britain is also attempting to hinder progress on international cooperation over tax dodging which costs developing countries £250 billion a year in lost government revenue.

“And the prime minister has obstructed moves to introduce a stamp duty on sterling currency transactions, which could raise billions each year for development.

“Brown has made much of his commitment to the fight against poverty. It is time for him to come clean on whether he supports restructuring international finance in the common interest or a return to casino capitalism.”

CONTACT: Paul Collins, War on Want media office (+44) (0)20 7549 0584 or (+44) (0)7983 550728