© UN Women/Fahad Abdullah Kaizer via Flickr. Enforceable Brand Agreements – the solution to the problem? Guest post: This article was originally published on LSE International Blog on January 18, 2024. Author: Paulina Jerrentrup PhD candidate Pauline Jerrentrup explores whether enforceable brand agreements are the solution to the exploitation of workers in supplier economies. Published: 08 May 2024 Read more …
Ensuring Effective Rights Holder Engagement in Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives Multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) in Germany aim to strengthen corporate due diligence by addressing the negative impacts of corporate activities on foreign production sites and value chains of German industrial players. This discussion paper is now translated into English, French and Spanish and can be downloaded from the Website of the NGO 'Germanwatch'. Published: 04 June 2024 Read more …
Missed opportunity: No improvements in sight for labor and union rights at KiK supplier in Pakistan Berlin, Bonn. Unsafe workplaces, piece-rate contracts and starvation wages – almost 15 years after the devastating fire at the Pakistani textile factory Ali Enterprises, the German textile discounter KiK is still not fulfilling its responsibility to guarantee safe and fair working conditions in its supplier factories in Pakistan. At the time, when 260 people lost their lives in the fire, KiK was Ali Enterprises’ main client. Published: 01 July 2024 Read more …
Invitation: OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector - SIDE SESSION Learnings and Obstacles : How We Engage for a Gender Lens in OSH 19 February 2024, 10 am CET, 2.30 pm IST, 4 pm WIB, via Zoom A gender-sensitive lens is needed in the field of occupational health and safety (OSH) - because gender-responsive OSH systems are decisive in improving the health of women workers. But how can a gender lens be translated from theory into practice? And which concrete activities can different stakeholders take? Join our OECD side session to answer these and other pressing questions. We draw from more than two years of experience of working in a Multi-Actor Partnership (MAP) for Gender-Sensitive Occupational Health and Safety in the Garment and Footwear Industry. Published: 07 February 2024 Read more …
© FEMNET The future of Bangladesh: What will become of the people who sew our clothes? The year 2023 has cruelly revealed the severe repression suffered by workers and trade unionists in Bangladesh. Four people were killed in protests in favour of a new minimum wage, activists were threatened and civil society was increasingly restricted. Statements from Western fashion brands have largely failed to materialise. What do these developments mean for the lives of women in the garment industry and what is the future of what is arguably Bangladesh's most important industry? Published: 15 February 2024 Read more …
© FEMNET Pakistani trade unionists call for German YES to EU supply chain law September 2012: 260 people burn to death in Pakistani textile factory On 11 September 2012, 260 people were burned alive and more than 50 people were injured at the Ali Enterprises textile factory in Pakistan. Barred windows, defective fire extinguishers and emergency exits that led nowhere made the factory a deadly trap for the workers. Just three weeks before the fire, the certification company RINA had categorised the factory - which mainly produced for the German textile company KiK - as safe. Published: 02 February 2024 Read more …
