News about Our Work - 22 February 2017 Trade union rights in the textile sector: Trade, Industry, Trade Unions and Clean Clothes Campaign Join Forces to Appeal to Government in Bangladesh In a written appeal to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and the local Association of Textile Companies (BGMEA), the Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE), the Gesamtverband textile+mode, the Campaign for Clean Clothes (CCC) and the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) are committed to upholding international human rights standards in the textile sector. Signatories are alarmed by reports of multiple arrests and dismissals of union members and other workers as part of industrial action since the end of last year. The exercise of collective labour rights in Bangladesh as part of human rights must be guaranteed and should not be hindered. The allegations in the room should be reviewed quickly and unlawful arrests and dismissals of union officials should be reversed. In their letter, the organisations call on stakeholders to take effective steps to effectively strengthen social partnership in Bangladesh. This includes a review of the current process of wage-setting in Bangladesh's garment sector. The signatories recalled that the violation of human rights standards could have significant consequences for the economic development of the country. EU trade facilitation, such as tariff preferences under the Everything but Arms Agreement (EBA), is strictly conditional on the International Labour Organization's (ILO) core labour standards not being violated. Even the initiation of a review procedure could jeopardise existing benefits. This could have a negative impact on the activities of European textile and fashion companies in Bangladesh, as well as on producers and their employees. For the past two years, the German textile industry, civil society and trade unions have also been increasingly committed to Bangladesh's economic and social development within the framework of the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles launched by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation. Appel as PDF download
