Femnet e.V.

22.03.2023: News from KW 12

STUDIES AND CO.

Ethical trading initiative "Where are the women? - A study on the declining number of women workers in the Bangladesh RMG industry" (PDF): EIT Bangladesh and the GIZ With the support of the Informal Workplace-Based Dialogue Network (WBDN) and financial support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently BRAC-University in Bangladesh commissioned to investigate in more detail the decline in the number of women in the clothing sector. The data show that the number of women employed in the RMG sector in Bangladesh fell from 80% in 1980 (43 years ago!) to around 54% today. Surveys in the factories, focus group discussions with workers and interviews with important representatives from the industry paint a very disturbing picture. When asked why they quit their seemingly good jobs, 27% of women cited the difficulty of balancing paid work with unpaid care work, especially caring for their children. Closely followed by reports on the difficult working conditions in this sector, with reference to harassment, long working hours and low wages.

Homenet South Asia "Working from Home - The Decent Work Deficit of Homeworkers in Selected Cities in South Asia" (PDF): 92% of homeworkers surveyed in Pakistan, Nepal and India reported earning less than the local minimum wage. Most also do not have access to basic social benefits such as sickness benefits, pensions and paid leave. A home worker from Karachi Factory workers have access to modern technological sewing machines, on-time payments, social security and health care, while we receive low wages and have no such support. Nevertheless, many prefer homework to factory work because it gives them the income they need to support their families, while giving them the flexibility to meet childcare and other domestic obligations. The report recommends that brands recognise home workers in their supply chains and conduct human rights due diligence by working with suppliers and local civil society organisations. Without an explicit obligation on the part of brand customers, South Asian suppliers tend to assume that the brands prohibit home-based work within the supply chains, which ensures that home-based work remains hidden. If brand companies help their suppliers improve transparency and working conditions, this can lead to a significant increase in chord wages for homeworkers, according to homeworkers' advocates.

hotorCool institutes "Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable - Resizing Fashion for a Fair Consumption Space" (PDF): The report from the Berlin think tank hotorcool Shows how many garments an average person really needs in a G20 country with four seasons: 85 (this includes coats and shoes, but not underwear and accessories). The Number 85 is in an area that the institute describes as a "fair consumer space", i.e. in an area where the level of consumption is below an ecologically unsustainable level, but above a sufficiency level that allows the individual to meet their basic needs. It is assumed that the average person needs workwear, household clothing, sportswear, clothing for festive occasions and outdoor clothing and that all 85 items are actually used. In addition, the carbon footprint must be reduced by avoiding excessive washing and impulse purchases and extending the lifespan of garments by repairing, buying used or exchanging them.

NEWS

GOTS: The Global Organic Textile standard release of the GOTS version 7.0 known. During the regular one-year revision process, international stakeholders with expertise in organic production, textile processing, textile chemistry, human rights and social criteria, as well as representatives of industry, NGOs and civil society contributed to the new version in several rounds of consultations. GOTS 7.0 introduces new requirements for carrying out risk-based due diligence of certified companies' own operations and supply chains, based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines. GOTS 7.0 now also allows recycled biofibres as additional materials. Important requirements such as the proportion of certified organic fibers, a general ban on toxic and harmful chemicals such as PFAS, restrictions on conventional cotton and pure polyester, and social compliance management have been maintained in the new version. The section on social criteria has been fundamentally revised to include a broader approach to human rights. The GOTS-Human rights and social criteria require certified companies to comply with internationally recognised human rights protocols, including: International Bill of Human Rights and other international human rights treaties. The criteria relating to discrimination, violence and harassment have been revised in order to make them more comprehensive and to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. ILO Violence and Harassment (C190) to be included. The certified companies are now also obliged to develop a plan to cover living wages.

EU Supply Chain Act: In the run-up to International Women's Day, more than 140 organisations, including FEMNET, in an open letter to the EU Commission, MEPs and the EU Council. They call for gender equality to be taken into account in the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD) directives published by the European Commission. In view of the upcoming trilogue negotiations between the EU Commission, Parliament and Council on an EU supply chain law, it is crucial to make the directives effective and gender-responsive, according to the organisations. Last year, more than 80 organisations expressed their great disappointment at the lack of a gender perspective in the EU Commission's directives. However, the Council's general approach does not address the gender issue either. On the contrary: It further restricts women's rights and even has the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.CEDAWremoved from the scope of the Directives. As one of the largest trading powers, the EU has the opportunity and responsibility to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and to positively influence the lives of many people, especially women, with these directives.

PRODUCTION COUNTRIES

Thailand: In the news update of KW 2 we reported on serious cases of exploitation in factories of the British supermarket chain Tesco. The Thai police have now taken action against a clothing factory that Tesco for the production of clothing of the brand F&F was used, filed criminal charges for the treatment of workers. The factory VK Garment Factory (VKG) Mae Sot is charged with fraud, illegal use of workers' bank cards, withholding their immigration papers and forcing overtime. The charges mark a fundamental change in the course of the Thai police, after the Guardian It took officials a day to determine that no laws had been broken in the investigation known as the "sham investigation." Less than a month after the article was published, police questioned 52 workers again and are now indicting them. Tesco in the United Kingdom with a groundbreaking lawsuit by 130 former VKGemployees who are confronted with Tesco sue for negligence and unjust enrichment. The plaintiffs also include a seven-year-old girl who was raped on the factory premises while her mother was at night involved in the production of F&FThe clothes worked.

Bangladesh:
1. Three men died while cleaning the septic tank the Factory Fashion BD Limited in Ashulia (Dhaka).
2. On the Bangladesh Business Summit 2023 Bangladesh's apparel industry representatives called on fashion buyers to offer fairer prices given the quality and variety of products the country has to offer today. The President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Faruque Hassan "Thanks to exemplary progress in the areas of workplace safety and environmental sustainability, Bangladesh has established itself as a preferred source of clothing procurement among global buyers." He explained that garment factories in Bangladesh have made huge investments in improving safety while investing more and more money to make production sustainable. But international brands would consistently pay Bangladeshi apparel suppliers lower prices than the global average.

India: The General Secretary of the Indian Trade Union Confederation (CITU), Tapan Kumar SenThe Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Vala, requested in writing not to approve the amendment to the Factory Act adopted by the Karnataka Parliamentary Assembly. If passed, the new amendments would amend six sections of the Factory Act of 1948. The maximum working time has been increased to 12 hours per day and up to 48 hours per week. Workers can work up to 6 hours without a break. In addition, the ceiling for Overtime increased from 75 to 145 hours in a three-month period will be. The original law prohibited the employment of women in factories between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., the new changes would lift this ban. The letter argues that the night shift obligation could deter women from working in factories. The (from the BJP Karnataka state government had previously tried to increase working hours during the pandemic to 10 hours per day and 60 hours per week. This was prevented by trade unions and workers.