Asian and African trade unions call on European trade unions to sign
38 trade unions across garment production countries in Asia and Africa are calling on European trade union members to support the Good Clothes, Fair Pay campaign. You can read the full letter below.
We, the undersigned unions, kindly urge you to undertake action in support of the European Citizen’s Initiative Good Clothes, Fair Pay. This initiative calls on the European Commission to implement specific legislation that would require garment brands and retailers that are importing into the EU market to put in place, implement, monitor, and publicly disclose a time-bound and target-bound plan to close the gap between actual and living wages. European citizens can sign a petition to show support for the initiative. One million signatures would bring garment makers in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas one step closer to a living wage.
For decades, our trade unions have been fighting for higher wages in the garment sector. But while garment brands and retailers have seen their revenues and profits grow over the past decades – most even remained profitable during the Covid-19 pandemic – workers in garment production countries have not experienced a similar growth in their purchasing power. In fact, quite the opposite! The gap between what workers are earning and what constitutes a living wage has grown or at best stayed the same.
The reason we call on you to support this initiative is because it calls for a binding mechanism for change. The past 20 years we saw an explosive growth in the amount of voluntary initiatives supposedly addressing the poverty wages in the sector. After all those years we must conclude that voluntary initiatives will not merit any real change for workers: workers are still trapped in poverty. How many more generations of workers will face the same fate if we continue to invest our energy in voluntary initiatives? How many more years will this sector test workers’ resilience only for the financial benefit of the already super rich? It is high time we put this to an end and force brands to do better and pay the workers who build their profits a living wage. Legislation at EU level is a huge opportunity to change the lives of millions of workers and their dependents across the globe.
Our members cannot sign this petition, but your members can. We would therefore kindly ask you to share this important initiative with your members before July 1st and request them to sign it and share it widely. As Asian and European trade unions representing workers in the garment supply chain and other supply chains, we must fight this battle together.
We count on your support.
In solidarity,
Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers’ Federation, Bangladesh
Bangladesh Garments Labour Congress, Bangladesh
Bangladesh Garments Textile Workers Federation, Bangladesh
Bangladesh Progatishil Garments Workers Federation, Bangladesh
Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, Cambodia
Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union, Cambodia
Federasi Perjuangan Buruh Indonesia, Indonesia
Federasi Serikat Buruh – GARTEKS, Indonesia
Federasi Serikat Buruh Persatuan, Indonesia
Federasi Serikat Buruh Indonesia, Indonesia
Federasi Serikat Buruh Merdeka, Indonesia
Federation of Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Cambodia
Federation Union of Free and Independent, Cambodia
Federation Union of Labor Influences, Cambodia
Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees Union, Sri Lanka
Gabungan Serikat Buruh Indonesia, Indonesia
Garment and Allied Workers Union, India
Garment Workers’ Trade Union Centre, Bangladesh
Garment Workers’ Unity League, Bangladesh
Green Bangla Garment Workers’ Federation, Bangladesh
Home Based Women Workers Federation, Pakistan
Independent Trade Union Federation, Cambodia
Kilusang Mayo Uno Labor Center, Philippines
Konfederasi Serikat Nasional, Indonesia
Kongres Aliansi Serikat Buruh Indonesia, Indonesia
Mill Mazdoor Panchayat, India
Motherland Garment Workers Federation, Bangladesh
National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union, Lesotho
National Trade Union Federation, Pakistan
Nepal Garment Workers Union, Nepal
Readymade Garments Workers Federation, Bangladesh
Serikat Buruh Seluruh Indonesia- 1992, Indonesia
Serikat Gabungan Buruh Nasional, Indonesia
Serikat Pekerja Nasional, Indonesia
Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union, India
Textile Garment Workers Federation, Bangladesh
Textile Powerloom and Garment workers Federation, Pakistan
Uganda Textile Garments Leather and Allied Workers Union, Uganda