FE REPORT
Trade union leaders from textile and garment sector in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar and Tunisia have called for mandatory and due diligence legislation and Europe's support to prevent the Rana Plaza-like tragedy.
They made the call at a meeting with members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Thursday, according to a statement.
Accompanied by IndustriALL Global Union and IndustriALL Europe, Bangladesh Sammilita Garment Sramik Federation president Nazma Akter, Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union president Athit Kong, Tunisian Textile, Clothing, Shoes and Leather Federation general secretary Habib Hazami, and Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar president Khaing Zar Aung attended the meeting.
MEPs Heidi Hautala and Agnes Jongerius hosted the meeting in European Parliament.
The meeting in Brussels was part of a European advocacy tour calling for mandatory due diligence in the sector and the need for safe factories, which also took the union leaders to the ILO in Geneva, a conference hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Berlin.
Mr Kong said workers and their unions in garment-producing countries were looking to the EU to pass strong mandatory due diligence legislation with access to effective remedies.
Trade relations could be used to improve the situation of workers in production countries, he added.
The union leaders came with three key demands that rely on European action and support.
The demands included mandatory due diligence legislation that includes access to legal redress, European companies to offer living wages throughout their global supply chains and more brands to join the International Accord to improve workplace safety for garment workers, according to the statement.
According to Ms Aung, the EU's MADE in Myanmar project, while well intentioned to promote decent work, legitimises the military and provides a front for workers' rights violations and that income from the project helps fund the military. The EU must end it.
The Accord has made a huge difference to garment workers in Bangladesh by improving building and fire safety, but health and safety efforts must now also focus on occupational diseases, Ms Nazma stressed.
She reiterated the need for all brands sourcing from Bangladesh to sign the International Accord.
Habib Hazami, IndustriALL Global co-chair of the textile and garment sector, also stressed the importance of the Accord and the need to extend it to the MENA region.
IndustriALL Global Union director Christina Hajagos-Clausen said, "Trade union voices from the production countries need to be heard and taken into account when it comes to the debate around the why mandatory due diligence is needed."
IndustriALL Europe deputy general secretary Judith Kirton-Darling said, "It's depressing that despite undeniable progress, we still hear harrowing stories of unsafe and precarious working conditions, poverty wages, child labour and forced labour. Europe certainly has a role to play."
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