Femnet e.V.

Contents:

1. Anniversary of Rana Plaza on 24.04.2014: Compensation Fund Is Hardly Filled
2. Action in front of Benetton in Bonn
3. Stop volunteering: Obligation to own property
4. Salary to Life Campaign: Study of 50 European companies
5. CorA Spring Conference
6. Seal initiative of the new BMZ Minister
7. Project FairSchnitt: Multiplier workshop in March and assignments of the multipliers
8. Project FairSchnitt: Lecture by Estela Ramirez
9. FEMNET at Femme4 in Bonn
10. Our partner organization NGWF in Bangladesh
11. Our partner organisation Munnade in India
12. Big request for the brochure "Fair, fair, fair are all my clothes",
13. FEMNET in the media
14. appointments

1st anniversary of Rana Plaza on 24.04.2014: Compensation Fund Is Hardly Filled

It is outrageous: The compensation fund for the victims and survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse, managed under the supervision of the International Labour Organization (ILO), is so far only one third full. The fund is based on ILO standards and was concluded between the Bangladeshi government, trade unions, labour law NGOs and global brand companies. To date, the fund counts only 15 million of the 40 million US dollars needed to pay the wage losses and medical costs of the 1,138 dead and over 1,500 victims and their survivors, some of whom have been seriously injured. The companies refuse to pay into the fund or pay far too low sums in terms of their turnover and profit. This amount is in stark contrast to the total profit of $22 billion generated by the companies involved in 2013.

• Signature action for companies
• Information on the state of payments made by companies (PDF file)
• Interview by Gisela Burckhardt, CEO of FEMNET, in the night magazine of the ARD

2. Action in front of Benetton in Bonn

On 24.04.14 FEMNET carried out an artistic action in front of the Benetton shop together with other organisations in Bonn. The company, whose clothing range is not exactly one of the cheap ones, refuses to pay into the compensation fund for the victims who sewed his clothes. The approximately 30 activists, who followed a call from FEMNET and others, stretched a cloth between two trees on Friedensplatz, where passers-by with colour could fill in the inscription ‘Rana Plaza - one year to pay time’. We wanted to hand the cloth over to Benetton, but the staff refused to accept it. So it is now sent by post to the Benetton headquarters.

• Press release
• Report of the day's themes on this action on
  24.04.2014 and interview with Gisela Burckhardt

3. Stop volunteering: Obligation to own property

FEMNET supports the newly established Partnership on Committed Ownership – Corporate Legal Responsibility. Insufficient payments by companies to the Rana Plaza Victims and Survivors Compensation Fund are clear evidence that voluntary industry commitments are insufficient. We need legal regulations such as the introduction of corporate liability.

• Alliance press release

4th "Wage to Life" Campaign

The CCC surveyed 50 European companies, including 13 German ones, about their efforts to pay workers a "wages to live". Companies were asked to fill out a questionnaire and FEMNET supported the survey of German companies. Of the 50 companies contacted, 15 did not respond, including KiK, S. Oliver and Hugo Boss. More or less no effort is made by Aldi and Esprit. Inditex (Zara) from Spain, Marks & Spencer from England, Switcher from Switzerland and Tchibo performed best, albeit not yet well. A German summary of the report will be available from mid-May.

• English version

5. CorA Spring Conference

The conference in Berlin took place on 09.04.14 and was fully booked. It was about the topic: ‘Supply chains under control? evidence of social standards.’ FEMNET, as a member of the CorA Corporate Responsibility Network, participated actively in the meeting.

• The programme (PDF file)

6. Seal initiative of the new BMZ Minister

Gerd Müller, the new (CSU) Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development announced that a new textile seal will be launched on the market later this year. In doing so, he wants to encourage the German fashion industry to comply with minimum social and environmental standards. FEMNET welcomes the fact that the Minister is taking action. In addition, however, measures for legal and binding regulation would have to be taken by the Federal Government (see above under report 3), because the experience from 20 years shows that voluntary commitments by companies do not go far, as the numerous factory fires show.

• Statement by FEMNET together with the CCC

7. Project FairSchnitt: Multiplier workshop and assignments of the multipliers

On 27-28.09.2013 and 07-08.03.2014, the FairSchnitt project conducted the second and third training courses for multipliers. The development policy education officers met in Bonn to exchange experiences of their first assignments at fashion universities and to learn new educational modules. The complete reports on the multiplier training courses can be found on the FairSchnitt project homepage.

The multipliers support the FairSchnitt employees in their educational work at the fashion-related universities: So far, they have been able to hold ten workshops there, two of them lasting several days. Another three are currently in preparation.

8. Project FairSchnitt: Lecture by Estela Ramirez

From 4 to 13 May 2014, the Christian Initiative Romero organizes a tour with a guest from El Salvador (Estela Ramirez). The FairSchnitt project had the opportunity to give a lecture with Mrs. Ramirez at the Akademie Mode & Design in Düsseldorf on May 5, 2014. Estela Ramirez is the president of the Salvadoran trade union SITRASACOSI, which organises sewing professions, and the president of the FUERSA trade union federation and the trade union league for corporate responsibility. In her presentation, Mrs. Ramirez put a special focus on sportswear production for brands such as Adidas, Reebok and Puma, because the tour is embedded in actions in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil.

To the report of the event...

9. FEMNET at femme 4 in Bonn

From 21 to 23 March, FEMNET e.V. was present with an information stand at femme 4, the fashion, jewellery and art dress fair of the Frauenmuseum Bonn. In addition, with the support of the FairSchnitt project, the cooperation of a student group with the Frauenmuseum Bonn was initiated. As part of the fair, the young designers were able to present their upcycling collection at the femme 4 fashion show and exhibit further upcycling projects at a trade fair stand.

• More information about femme 4

10. Our partner organization NGWF in Bangladesh

The NGWF trade union regularly organizes demonstrations to point out that neither the victims of Tazreen (Brand in Nov. 2012) the victims of Rana Plaza (crash April 2013) have been compensated so far. FEMNET was able to pay out extra payments to some victims via the Solifonds in mid-2013.

FEMNET also supports NGWF's Legal Assistance Fund, which provided legal assistance to 170 people in 2013. NGWF has filed letters of complaint with factory management for 75 people, 24 people filed lawsuits with NGWF assistance, 72 cases were heard in court, and in 36 cases the plaintiffs won and the factory owners had to pay them a sum of money as compensation.

• The Bangladesh Report of July 2013
• Report on the 2013 NGWF-Bangladesh Solidarity Fund (PDF file)

11. Our partner organisation Munnade in India

There are around 500,000 women workers in the clothing industry in Bangalore, southern India, including 80% women. They work in 1,200 factories. Their average salary is Rs 5000 (approximately 66,- EUR) per month. There is no trade union in any factory.
That's why Munnade/Garment Labour Union (GLU) is trying to organize the women and men in the factories. Its main activities are:

• Advising workers
• Organizing workers in factories
• Providing assistance in individual cases
• Legal assistance in labour matters and private problems

FEMNET has been supporting Munnade in these activities since 2011. We also visit our partners on a regular basis.

• Report on Munnade Solidarity Fund - India for 2013 (PDF file)
• More information about Munnade...

From June 2014 an intern will work again at Munnade and Cividep in India. We are looking forward to your reports. The reports of Theresa Utecht, the previous intern, can be found on the FEMNET homepage.

12. Big request for the brochure “Fair, fair, fair are all my clothes”

The brochure, which was published in December 2013, is not only in high demand in Bonn. The edition of 4000 pieces is already distributed and FEMNET is about to release a new edition with a slight revision from the middle of the year. Particularly pleasing: Our example is school! In Düsseldorf, the Akademie Mode und Design (AMD), a private fashion design university with which FEMNET has been cooperating for a long time on the FairSchnitt project, is now also conducting a survey of the shops and will also issue a brochure. For a donation, the Bonn brochure can be sent, please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You can also order our eco-fair bags at the same e-mail address.

13. FEMNET in the media

FEMNET publishes articles and press releases on our association activities, our topics and events appear in various media. An overview of the reporting in the last quarter can be found on the FEMNET homepage.

14. Dates 2014

Disclaimer

FEMNET e.V.
Feminist Perspectives on Politics, Economy and Society
Heidebergenstr. 14
53229 Bonn
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tel. 0228 18038116

Board of Directors: Dr. Gisela Burckhardt, Anna Hoff, Ines Holthaus
Editorial and responsible within the meaning of § 5 TMG: Dr. Gisela Burckhardt
Disclaimer: Despite careful content control, we assume no liability.

File number VR 9568B at the District Court of Bonn.