VICTORY for Industrias Florenzi Workers: Barco Uniforms pays roughly $5,000—almost 14 months wages—to each of the factory’s 207 former employees
After more than a year of efforts, approximately 200 former employees of the Industrias Florenzi factory in El Salvador have won their fight for severance benefits and unpaid wages after their factory closed in July 2020. One of the products the workers made were medical scrubs for US-based Barco Uniforms, including Barco's popular "Grey's Anatomy" branded scrubs, which it sells under a license from Disney.
The campaign, which brought healthcare workers and women’s rights organizations together in solidarity with Salvadoran garment workers, convinced Barco to make a contribution of US$ 1 million to the workers. This payment marks an important achievement for the global #PayYourWorkers campaign and will help the former Industrias Florenzi workers, and their families, recover from the economic toll of having been denied many months’ worth of compensation by the factory’s owner when their plant closed.
“I worked for Industrias Florenzi for 21 years. I am the head of my household and my grandchildren are in my care. When the factory closed, all of us who worked at the factory encountered great hardship. Things have been especially hard because the factory closed during the pandemic. It was very difficult. Many of us had health problems and couldn’t get the help we needed. I thank God for bringing together the hearts of the people who have helped us to get this payment. I am thankful that we have not been alone in our struggle.”