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11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

2008 Archive

2007 Archive

2006 Archive

2005 Archive

‘Hema falling into wrong hands’

4 June 2007 - The sale of the Hema department store chain to Lion Capital is bad news for workers in low-wage countries, the Clean Clothes Campaign (SKK) fears. The organisation is going to pressurise the new owner into making the Hema more socially responsible.

Little is known about Lion Capital, but the fact that the investor does not even mention corporate social responsibility on its website says enough. “That is very rare nowadays”, said SKK coordinator Marieke Eyskoot.

When it became known that Hema was for sale, the SKK launched a campaign to buy the company with the help of the general public. The campaign was a success: prospective buyers indicated that they were willing to buy a quarter million euros’ worth of Hema shares.

However, it now seems that Lion Capital has outdone the SKK. According to media reports, the investor wants to pay 1.1 billion euro for the Hema. Although the SKK share campaign is still running, the organisation now also focuses on influencing Lion Capital and the works council.

“We call on them to turn Hema into the long-awaited social responsibility pioneer”, said Eyskoot. “People often call us to ask where they can buy clothes that no one has suffered for”.

In 2006, Lion Capital started investing in La Senza Lingerie. According to the SKK, this company was criticised in 2003 for buying from a Thai factory that fired trade union leaders and violated labour laws.

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