Coke Tastes Like Repression in Pakistan

Coca-Cola, a top sponsor of the World Cup, was slammed with a red card by supporters of workers at a bottling plant in southern Pakistan. The shaming of the beverage giant came at a rally in Lahore that coincided with the World Cup semi-finals. A soccer match was held at the rally, and onlookers held red placards and banners demanding that Coca-Cola start playing fair.

Since attempting to start a union at the factory in Multan in June 2009, workers have been subjected to a spectrum of attempts to thwart the union. Initially, management singled out 36 of the strongest union supporters and demanded they fork over access to checking accounts and sign blank affidavits that could then be used against them in court. The four workers who refused were dismissed.

Riaz Hussain, joint secretary of the potential local, was abducted and threatened by management for part of a day before being released. Other leaders have received death threats at their homes, saying “an accident” might occur if they continued the union struggle. Union officers’ families have since been moved into hiding.

SUPPORT LABOR NOTES

BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR

Give $10 a month or more and get our "Fight the Boss, Build the Union" T-shirt.

Management has also tried to defeat the nascent union through bureaucratic means: using political leverage to get its first registration proposal rejected; creating and registering a company union to take the spot of the potential union; and attempting to change the workers’ status from Coke employees to employees of an independent contractor.

The workers remain resolute. Lend your support by sending a message to Coca-Cola and its bottler, Coca-Cola Icecek.