News about Our Work - 14 February 2018 FEMNET Demands on Fashion Companies In the spring of 2018, FEMNET compiled a compilation of demands on fashion companies. These demands are based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines, the ILO MNU Declaration and the National Action Plan. FEMNET Demands on Fashion Companies (PDF file) Read our compilation here in the text. FEMNET Demands on Fashion Companies Declaration of Principles on Respect for Human Rights Commitment to the core labour standards of the international labour organisation, in particular the right to unionisation and non-discrimination Commitment to human rights at work, in particular the right to subsistence wages Embedding the above-mentioned standards in corporate policy along the entire supply chain – Publish implementation strategy with a timetable Analysis of risks and impacts As part of the human rights due diligence in the prescribed risk analysis of companies, pay attention to the involvement of trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in particular women-led Recognise and integrate gender-based violence in the workplace and on the way to work, as well as the underlying patriarchal structure and discrimination against women and disadvantaged minorities in risk analysis Measures against gender-based violence and review the effectiveness of these measures Preventive action in favour of those affected by gender-based violence at the workplace and on the way to work, e.g. by sensitisation training for mostly male superiors, training of male and female employees about their rights, prohibition of pregnancy tests, spa contracts for pregnant women and lower pay for migrant women, provision of legally required childcare with sufficiently qualified staff Involvement of trade unions, in particular women-led trade unions, as well as member-based women's NGOs in carrying out factory inspections (social audits) and formulating correction plans Ensuring the implementation of social standards among suppliers through cooperation with affected parties (multistakeholder initiatives) Verification of the effectiveness of these measures reporting Transparency: Disclosure of suppliers in all production countries. Publish the main social audit results Complaint mechanisms Introduce secure complaint mechanisms for victims of gender-based violence, such as anonymous complaints and the appointment of an external, independent, female contact person providing legal advice to victims of gender-based violence; in the event of co-causation of the company, assumption of legal costs and participation in compensation payments in the event of infringements of the law Note: FEMNET has developed these demands on the basis of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines, the ILO MNU Declaration and the National Action Plan.
