In Sri Lanka at North Sails Lanka (PVT) Ltd., North Sails produces sails and sailing garments. In March 2002, 207 workers were dismissed and suspended because they went on strike to protest the cancellation of a quality bonus. Workers are paid extremely low wages (approx. 63 to 73 euro per month, including overtime and other incentive payments). So they need the quality bonus to survive.

Management broke its promise made in October 2002 to reinstate the workers unconditionally. Therefor the workers have filed complaints with Sri Lanka's Labour Tribunal, but when the case was to be heard in February 2003, but North Sails failed to show up in court. Since then the case has been postponed several times and is now expected to take place in September and October 2003. The workers are still waiting to be reinstated and to get the back pay owed to them. Some of them have worked for North Sails Lanka for 10 years!

The owner of North Sails Lanka is «Boards & More» (brands like Mistral, F2, Fanatic and Arrows) a company formerly owned by the swiss Klaus Jacobs AG and sold this summer to a swiss investor group led by Ives Marchand.

Dec 24 2004, Dear friends, your support is once more urgently needed for our campaign on behalf of the workers of Global Sports Lanka (formerly: North Sails Lanka.) On october 19th of this year we informed you we were re-opening the campaign. Please find here an update on the developments since then, as well as an action request, sample letters and contact details.