Written by Enrico D’Ambrogio

More than 70% of EU imports of textile and clothing come from Asia. Many Asian workers have to work in sweatshop conditions, but the issue appears in global media only when major fatal accidents occur, like that at Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, in 2013.

Long working hours, low wages, lack of regular contracts, and systemically hazardous conditions are often reported. Trade unions, when allowed, are unable to protect workers.

Not all Asian countries exporting textile and clothing to the EU have ratified “Fundamental” ILO conventions and their concrete application is far from the norm. UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises fix good standards of corporate social responsibility for Western brands operating in such countries, but are not binding and do not provide for sanctions if not applied. In practice, they have failed to defend workers’ rights.

A number of measures have been suggested to change this situation, including in repeated European Parliament resolutions. Such measures would require action by Asian governments, international brands and the importing countries. They include greater union rights, more regular work, brands doing more due diligence when dealing with contractors, efficient and more cooperative audits, more stable purchasing practices, making some guidelines and principles legally binding, and putting pressure on Asian authorities to have workers’ human rights better respected.

Workers' conditions in the textile and clothing sector: just an Asian affair? Issues at stake after the Rana Plaza tragedy - European Parliament, 2014 DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Sexual Exploitation: Prostitution and Organized Crime
Publications

Prostitution is a multi-faceted phenomenon: victims of exploitation and networks, housewives in precarious situations, female students, children, men...who prostitute themselves in the streets, on the Web, in bars, in massage parlors, along the road...Read More

TAGS: Global
All Work, No Pay: The Struggle of Qatar’s Migrant Workers for Justice
Publications

Ever since Qatar was awarded the right to hold the 2022 World Cup, the treatment of around 2 million migrant workers driving the country's economy has been under the spotlight. Burdened by the debt of recruitment fees and bound by Qatar's sponsorshi...Read More

Compendium of relevant reference materials and resources on ethical sourcing and prevention of trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation in supply chains
LegislationPublications

The objective of the Compendium of Resources is to take stock of the existing legislation, policies, guidelines, recommendations, reports, studies, and other types of initiatives developed to better understand and respond to the global problem of tra...Read More

“How They Tricked Us” Living with the Gibe III Dam and Sugarcane Plantations in Southwest Ethiopia
Publications

For over a decade, the Oakland Institute has raised alarm about the conditions and threats that both the Gibe III Dam and the Kuraz Sugar Development Project pose for Indigenous communities in the region. Now, several years on, new research conducte...Read More