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17 Jan 2002
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Something is stirring in the factory today - never have we seen such intense activity. Apparently there is a problem with a shipment of clothes (dead insects inside a few boxes?) so the whole shipment has to be inspected. We're talking thousands of cartons here, several container loads. The yard is alive with people emptying containers and ferrying boxes to the main office, which has been converted into a temporary inspection area. The computers have been cleared away and instead of the usual ten quiet girls there are now at least fifty workers opening and inspecting every T-shirt. They are all working very long hours and the company is providing free meals so that they can keep hard at it. The amazing thing is - everyone is smiling! When we walked over to see what was going on, many people looked up from their work and laughed (must be my shorts) or smiled hello. There's a real buzz in the air, the buzz of people enjoying working together. We've been told several times that people here believe that work should be fun and now I understand what they mean.