Trade unions writing history with agreement on fire & safety

As the race to bottom continues with consumers asking for cheaper and cheaper clothes – the workers are paying the price. For the moment some of the cheapest work forces in the textile sector are to be found in Bangladesh.

The tragic accident in Bangladesh that shocked the world when more than 1200 workers died in one of the worst workplace accidents in many years did not come to a surprise to anyone working in the textile industry on the international level.

IndustriAll (that represents the textile workers) and UNI global union (that represents the retail sector) together with some NGOs and the ITUC managed to push a lot of textile brands to sign an agreement on fire and safety. This is amazing work that hopefully will change the conditions for some of the poorest and most precarious workers in the world, and the ITUC congratulates the GUFs for this historic breakthrough.

Jyrki Raina from IndustriAll said after the launch of the agreement: “We are talking about improving the working conditions and lives of some of the most exploited workers in the world, earning $38 a month in dangerous conditions.”
The global sportswear brands have been pushed to take action for many years through the Play Fair campaign. They all adhere to one Code of Conduct or another – but all leave loopholes that keep the workers paying and paying again. Now this is true also for the high-street clothing brands.

We know from investigations in factories in nearby countries where workers have similar conditions (Play Fair reports in 2008 and 2012) that very often workers will put safety aside to make the quota and the money so they can feed their families.
We also know that the workers are not being taken seriously when leaving complaints, and often too scared even to make the complaint in the first place.

Suppliers (the factory owners) repeatedly lie to auditors that are investigating conditions and safety for the brands that are produced in their factory. However, the biggest power lies with the clothing brands that are so powerful that they in principle can ask for any conditions and force the suppliers to comply.

First to sign up to the agreement was H&M, followed by Inditex, C&A, PVH, Tchibo, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, El Corte Inglés, jbc, Mango, Carrefour, KiK, Helly Hansen, G-Star, Aldi, New Look, Mothercare, Loblaws, Sainsbury’s, Benetton, N Brown Group, Stockmann, WE Europe, Esprit, Rewe, Next, Lidl, Hess Natur, Switcher, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bon Marché, John Lewis, Charles Vögele, V&D, Otto Group, s.Oliver.

UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings, said: “Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is out of step. By not signing up, the Walmart brand sinks to a new low. We will make progress without them.”

The popular American brand Gap has not signed up either, despite professing a commitment to Labour rights and pressure from shareholders at their recent AGM.