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Trade union representatives demonstrate for a minimum wage of 16,000 Taka on 27.7.2018. Photo: © NGWF Trade union representatives demonstrate for a minimum wage of 16,000 Taka on 27.7.2018. Photo: © NGWF

The Bangladesh Clothing Industry Employers' Association (BGMEA) has shown extreme contempt for the well-being of workers and their lives outside the factories. On Monday, July 16, BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) proposed setting the minimum wage for workers at 6,360 Taka (approximately €64). This amount does not reach nearly a subsistence wage level in Bangladesh, nor does it remedy the neglect of the required legal minimum wage increase in the last 5 years.

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Photo Fair procurement in Cologne © FEMNET/Tobias WesselingAfter the work shoes, workwear will also be procured according to eco-fair in the future. Photo: © FEMNET/Tobias WesselingProtection from dirt, but chic enough for funerals: Work shoes of cemetery employees must meet very special requirements. The city of Cologne, capital of fair trade in 2017, follows the Bonn example and has successfully completed its pilot project on eco-fair procurement. In collaboration with FEMNET, she procured 250 pairs of work shoes that were produced with social and environmental criteria in mind.

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Demonstration on July 5, 2018. Photo: © NGWFDemonstration on 5 July 2018. Photo: © NGWFTrade unions and workers demonstrate for wage increases in clothing factories

On July 5, our Bangladeshi partner NGWF (National Garment Worker Federation) organized a rally in Dhaka to protest for the long overdue increase in the minimum wage in Bangladesh's garment industry. After the Bangladeshi government brutally suppressed previous protests and imprisoned hundreds of trade unionists and workers, it finally set up a wage authority on 29 January 2018 to reset the minimum wage for textile workers.

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Ministry of Economy recognises need for action for reforms in controls in the global supply chains of the textile industry

Berlin and Dhaka. The system of controls on safety and working conditions (social audits) in the global supply chains of the textile industry needs to be fundamentally changed. The Final declaration The OECD National Contact Point (NKS) at the Federal Ministry of Economics in Berlin in the Rana Plaza complaint procedure against the testing service provider TÜV Rheinland could pave the way for necessary reforms. The NCP recommends a dialogue between testing service providers, business associations, dealers, manufacturers and trade unions. Topics include: the transparency of audit reports and whether it makes sense for controls (social audits) to be paid by the owners of the factories checked: In addition, the NCP recommends measures that could already be implemented today, such as incorporating the experience of trade unions and workers.

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Development Minister Gerd Müller plans to introduce the ‘Green Button’ label for textiles soon. However, the campaign for clean clothing warns urgently of the danger of dilution.

Through the seal, Development Minister Gerd Müller wants to make it clear to consumers at first glance whether the purchased garment was also produced under ecologically good and socially acceptable conditions. ‘Such a label is desirable for consumers under two conditions: If it includes demanding social and ecological standards and if it covers the entire textile value chain, i.e. from the cotton field to the hanger. However, there is a risk of dilution with the voluntary "Green Button" seal", says Ingeborg Mehser from the Church Service in the World of Work.

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The textile alliance initiated by Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) does not sufficiently motivate companies to commit themselves to respecting human rights in their supply chains. This is criticised by the civil society members of the alliance on the occasion of a networking meeting that will take place on 5 June 2018 in Hanover. The companies that have joined the Textile Alliance so far cover slightly less than 50 percent of the German textile market. It is also likely that additional members will have to leave the alliance at the beginning of July if they do not comply with the obligation to draw up an annual action plan. Civil society members pointed out that the voluntary textile alliance could make meaningful contributions to the implementation of standards. However, effective legal rules applicable to all companies are necessary for the realization of human rights in the textile supply chain.

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The textile alliance initiated by Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) does not sufficiently motivate companies to commit themselves to respecting human rights in their supply chains. This is criticised by the civil society members of the Alliance on the occasion of a networking meeting that will take place on 5 June in Hanover. The companies that have joined the Textile Alliance so far cover slightly less than 50 percent of the German textile market. It is also likely that additional members will have to leave the alliance at the beginning of July if they do not comply with the obligation to draw up an annual action plan. Civil society members pointed out that the voluntary textile alliance could make meaningful contributions to the implementation of standards. However, effective legal rules applicable to all companies are necessary for the realization of human rights in the textile supply chain.

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Bonn, 1 June 2018. Many fashion companies accept that their suppliers are violating the rights of mothers and children. If there is no qualified childcare in textile factories, this violates applicable law in India, for example. On the occasion of International Children's Day, the women's rights organisation FEMNET and its Indian partner organisation CIVIDEP are launching a petition on 1 June and calling on manufacturers to improve the care situation with the #WerPasstAuf? campaign.

The international community classifies mothers and children as particularly vulnerable, especially in the world of work. As in many countries around the world, there are therefore legal regulations in India for paid maternity protection and childcare facilities in the workplace. However, implementation is often catastrophic, which was confirmed by studies by FEMNET and CIVIDEP.Indian suppliers of H&M, Cecil, Zalando, Primark and C&A were audited.

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Demonstration in Dhaka, Bangladesh in March 2018. Photo: © NGWFNGWF demonstration in Dhaka, Bangladesh in March 2018. Photo: © NGWFWorkers and trade unions in Bangladesh have been calling for years for an increase in the minimum wage in the clothing sector. Compared to the current minimum wage of 5,300 Taka, about 52 euros, the unions demand a tripling to 16,000 Taka, about 157 euros. By Western standards, this sounds like a drastic increase. In fact, however, the minimum wage has not been raised for five years, while the high inflation rate causes the cost of living in the country to rise steadily. Thus, families who have to feed on the already extremely low wages in the clothing industry are left with less to live on each year. Mim Akter, trade unionist and seamstress from Dhaka, summed it up during her visit to Germany in November 2017: “At the end of the month we go hungry or we take out a loan.”

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With the Bangladesh Accord, building safety in textile factories was to be improved after the factory collapse of Rana Plaza, which killed 1138 people on 24 April 2013. Since then, the safety of workers has improved noticeably. This year, the Accord will be renewed for another three years, but many companies refuse to join the agreement. But why actually? The Swiss CCC asked her, and here are the most popular answers for you.

 

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