The weakest link in the Global Supply Chain – How the Pandemic is Affecting Bangladesh’s Garment Workers The RMG industry, which accounts for 80% of Bangladesh’s total exports, is a major contributor to the country’s economic advancement. As the coronavirus12 spread across the world in early 2020 and a lockdown in Bangladesh became inevitable, businesses were forced to respond quickly to the evolving situation. This report seeks to capture the responses of global brands and the subsequent effects on workers in the immediate aftermath. The report is drawn from indepth interviews with international brands, Bangladeshi suppliers, representatives of the international civil society, and Bangladeshi labour activists. It seeks to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and the workers. It proposes changes to policies and practices that can lead to long-term changes that would benefit global retailers, suppliers, and workers. Mehr Details
Country profile: Georgia The country profile provides basic information on the clothing industry and wage situation in Georgia. In terms of wages, average wages, minimum wages and subsistence wages are discussed. The country profile shows wage-related labour and human rights violations and formulates demands on the government, brands and retailers as well as on multistakeholder initiatives. It summarizes the results of an on-site investigation and statements from interviews with workers and gives case studies. The country profile is linked to the study ‘Abandoned : the poverty wages of women workers in garment factories in Eastern Europe and Turkey’. Mehr Details
Review: of the use of forced labor during the 2021 cotton harvest in Turkmenistan Turkmenistan’s cotton industry is underpinned by a state-sponsored forced labor system. During each year’s harvest, and confirmed again in 2021 by independent monitors, the government forces tens of thousands of public sector workers to pick cotton, or – as alternatives – pay a bribe, or hire a replacement worker. Anyone unable to do this faces threats of lost wages and termination of employment. Mehr Details
Social audits – how they protect companies and leave workers in the lurch Editors The globalization of the clothing industry from the 1980s led to the outsourcing of production to other countries and subcontractors. Driven by low prices, the industry moved to low-wage countries, working conditions were secondary. It wasn't long before activists and journalists began to uncover violations of labour and human rights in the supply chains of well-known fashion companies. In response, the companies developed so-called codes of conduct, i.e. rules that set out which labour and social standards the supplier factories should comply with. Compliance with these rules was in turn monitored by other companies as part of so-called social audits. These audit firms usually had little experience in the apparel industry, so serious deficiencies were not and will not be detected on a regular basis. As a result, this audit system is not only inadequate for detecting and resolving problems, but also contributes to the continuation of labour rights violations worldwide. Nevertheless, a veritable industry of social audits has developed in the meantime, in which audit companies earn well. Examples of the failure of the social audit system include numerous deadly disasters and the continuation of systematic harassment and illegitimate exploitation of workers in factories under the alleged control of these surveillance systems. The publication is a German summary. The full report was published in English under the title ‘Fig leaf for fashion – How social auditing protects brands and fails workers’. One English summary can be found here. Mehr Details
Make in India - Study on working conditions in West Indian textile companies Make in India (“make it/producer it in India”) – this is the slogan used by the GOI to promote international investment, which in turn aims to boost Indian production. In this study, SÜDWIND, PRAYAS and Justitia et Pax examine the working conditions under which this “make in India” takes place in the textile sector.The study is based on a qualitative survey of just over 100 employees from ten different West Indian textile companies who provide information about their working and living conditions. Serious problems in the areas of working hours, remuneration and freedom of association were identified during the survey and explained in this study. The relationships of the companies examined with international clients and standard initiatives are also presented in the company portraits in the appendix. editorial: Ferenschild, Julia; Grigentin-Krämer, Sandra; Mauz, Katharina Mehr Details
