As many as 31 leading global retail labels have signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which covers more than 1000 garment factories.
AFP on Thursday reported the following to be the signatories — H&M, Inditex, C&A, PVH, Tchibo, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, El Corte Ingles, jbc, Mango, Carrefour, KiK, Helly Hansen, G-Star, Aldi, New Look, Mothercare, Loblaws, Sansbury’s, Benetton, N Brown Group, Stockmann, WE Europe, Esprit, Rewe, Next, Lidl, Hess Natur, Switcher, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Clean Clothes Campaign in a powerful alliance with leading unions IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, and Worker Rights Consortium have changed the rules of the game for workers in Bangladesh, said a CCC press release.
The umbrella groups have hailed the retailers for joining their drive.
‘This accord is a turning point. We are putting in place rules that mark the end of the race to the bottom in the global supply chain,’ UNI Global Union general secretary Philip Jennings said in a statement.
The two Swiss-based union federations IndustriALL and UNI — which claim a combined global membership of 70 million — have been working for several years with Bangladeshi labour activists to craft an accord with Western retailers
to improve shocking safety conditions at factories.
‘The companies who signed up are to be applauded,’ said Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.
‘We are talking improving the working conditions and lives of some of the most exploited workers in the world, earning $38 a month in dangerous conditions,’ he added.
‘The fact that so many brands have signed the legally enforceable safety Accord that has unions and workers at the centre will bring historic change in the Bangladeshi industry. However, it is a shame that Gap and Walmart have not yet signed the Accord,’ said Ineke Zeldenrust of CCC.
‘We strongly encourage them to reconsider their position, as the evidence shows that the programmes they are looking to adopt will completely fail to address the root causes of poor safety in the industry and will marginalise workers. It is not too late for brands to sign the Accord which will mean workers no longer have to fear for their lives each time they enter their factory,’ Ineke added.
Jennings also criticised US groups Walmart and Gap for not joining in.
‘Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is out of step. By not signing up the Walmart brand sinks to a new low. Equally Gap’s refusal to join is a mistake that shoppers will not forget. We will make progress without them,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the head of Swedish clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz, Karl-Johan Persson, urged Bangladesh on Wednesday to allow raises to its minimum wage, reports the Financial Times.
‘I want the salaries to be revised yearly, as in most other countries. So we’re definitely willing to pay more but we have to find a good, sustainable way for the workers and for the country as well,’ Persson told the FT in an interview.
-With New Age input
