The garment industry is a major source of employment for workers in Honduras. Women make up over half of the maquila workforce in factories in industrial cities like San Pedro Sula, where companies manufacture clothing sold in Canada.
In the wake of the COVID pandemic, a challenging scenario has emerged as many factories have closed, resulting in approximately 33,000 stable jobs disappearing in just a few years. While the causes of the closures have been driven by a variety of factors, one undisputed pattern is that transnational corporations have shifted production to cheaper regional alternatives, such as Nicaragua or El Salvador. Left behind in this profit-driven race to the bottom are thousands of women, many heads of households, trapped in legal battles for unpaid wages, benefits and social security protections.
This is the reality of trade union activists Marylu Morales and Yesenia Figueroa, who worked for more than 25 years at Delta Apparel, a factory that abruptly closed its doors in late 2024. Along with hundreds of former co-workers, they have been left with few options, as women confront a job market marked by age discrimination and the toll of years of repetitive work, including chronic musculoskeletal illnesses. Yet despite these challenges, women continue to organize and leverage their knowledge and experiences with the support of new Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) partner Bufete de Abogadas por la Justicia (Lawyers for Justice).
Bufete de Abogadas por la Justicia wants to move workers from isolation to collective empowerment. This small but mighty feminist legal collective provides legal defence, pro bono support and education to laid-off workers, while fostering spaces for participation and mutual solidarity. In 2025, the SHF launched a pilot project creating spaces where workers can continue learning and meeting together. Workers like Mary-Lu and Yesenia can also train other women in their communities, receiving a small honorarium for their work. The approach goes beyond labour standards to include self-care practices that support healing and strengthen a vibrant grassroots women’s movement.
With support from this project, women workers in Honduras reclaim their power, proving that while factories may close, the strength of women cannot be diminished.
Article from the SHF 2025 Annual Report.
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