From threat to reality: Locked-out tea workers now face starvation

[Omaha Steve]

Three weeks ago, I wrote to all of you to tell you about workers in India who face starvation because their bosses have locked them out.

Today, I can confirm that the situation for the tea workers in West Bengal has become so grim that the government has begun distributing emergency food rations -- something it normally does in cases of natural disasters.

The global union federation for food workers (IUF) has launched a new online campaign to tell the company -- the world famous Tetley Teas -- to end the lockout and to pay workers what they are owed.

Incredibly, Tetley is a proud member of the Ethical Tea Partnership which, according to its website, "aims to improve the lives of tea workers".

Starving workers into submission isn't ethical!

I urge all of you to take a moment and support the IUF campaign: http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/campaigns/show_campaign.cgi?c=462

Thanks.

Eric Lee