London – Although the plight and needs of the millions of garment
workers serving in the fashion industry’s supply chain remain well
documented, it seems as if concrete changes concerning labor and human
rights have yet to occur. In spite of fast fashion retailers Gap and H&M
social and sustainable commitments concerning workers rights, wages, and
work conditions, two new reports from the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA),
an international alliance of trade unions and labour rights activists,
highlight numerous cases of human rights abuse and labour abuse in their
supplier factories.
The AFWA published its reports prior to the International Labour
Conference, held by the International Labor Organisation (ILO) as they are
pressing for a binding regulation of the industry’s global supply chain.
According to the alliance both Gap and H&M “wield the potential to
transform working conditions through their supply chains,” but neither of
them have been able to follow through their claims of social
responsibility, supply chain transparency and upholding human and labour
rights.
The report issued on Gap, during which 150 garment workers in Cambodia,
India and Indonesia were interviewed, found “significant gaps remained in
stemming abuses” across the retailer’s supply chain. Part of the series
of studies on “Workers’ Voice from Global Supply Chains: A Report to the
ILO 2016,” the report highlights numerous cases of labour rights
violations, low-wages, sexual harassment and recommendations for the ILO to
change them through a binding, global regulations. The report highlights
how the US-based retailer, which owns brands such as Old Navy, Gap and
Banana Republic, has committed itself to increasing the wages of its
employees in the Unites States to 10 US dollars per hour. However, the
fashion company has failed to extend this commitment to its factory workers
overseas. “Gap lags far behind other brands in their commitments to decent
work and safe workplaces,” claims the report, which highlights that the
company employs over 150,000 workers across its global production network.
Cases of labour and human rights violation found in factories supplying
Gap include employment through non-standard or short-term work contracts,
underpayment of total wages which fell very short of living wages,
disregard for health and safety as well as forced overtime working. “An
estimated 60 to 80 percent of the garment workforce is employed as contract
workers, who lack job security, social security benefits and freedom of
association,” said the report, which highlighted workers were unable to
refuse overtime. In addition, workers who attempted to mobilise and
creation unions to call for a living wage faced physical and verbal abuse
as well as sexual harassment. In addition, the report highlights Gap
refusal to sign the Accord in Fire and Building safety after the Rana Plaza
factory collapse in 2013 which saw over 1,100 workers killed and choice to
found the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety with Wal-Mart – which
unlike the first accord which is legally binding, is a voluntary measure.
“To date Gap has refused to make a contractual commitment to work with
their suppliers and local and international trade unions to ensure repairs
are made and workers have the right to refuse dangerous work,” stressed the
report. The AFWA is expected to release a similar report on Wal-Mart soon,
and is aware that the report on Gap is a token of a much bigger issue
within the industry’s supply chain. “The problem is larger than The Gap.
The global supply chain needs a binding regulation,” said Anannya
Bhattacharjee of the Asia Floor Wage Alliance to WWD. “Rights violations
are fundamentally linked to the structure of the global garment value
chain. The ILO must also take action, set global standards across
industries and pass a binding convention to regulate global supply
chains.” When asked why AFWA had selected these fashion companies for their
reports, Bhattacharjee explained that both retailers were known for their
“whitewashing” of social and environmental issues, and attributing them to
“common problems linked to the long term while workers are suffering.”
The report on H&M, which is based on interviews with 251 workers in India
and Cambodia, uncovered similar problems in the supply chain, such as low
wages, forced overtime and fixed-term contracts, despite the Swedish
fashion retailer commitment to change these work policies. Long working
hours were also a major issue, with workers in Cambodian being expected to
work two hours of overtime per day and worker in India working anywhere
from 9 to 17 hours a day. In addition, fear of being dismissed if pregnant
was another main problem faced by workers, a common issue in the industry
supply chain as 75 percent of all textile and garments workers are female.
“All 50 workers interviewed in H&M’s Indian supplier factories reported
that women are fired from their jobs during a pregnancy. Workers from 11
out of the 12 H&M supplier factors surveyed in Cambodia, who are
predominantly women, reported witnessing or experiencing termination of
employment during pregnancy,” said the report.
The report also shined a light on H&M’s commitment to pay workers a living
wage. “Recognizing their responsibility to uphold human rights at work, H&M
has set themselves apart from other brands by committing to ensure fair
living wages, safe workplaces and accountability for rights violations
within their supply chains,” noted the report. However, the retailer has
refused to share the names of its three model factories, where they
conducted their living wage pilot programs, or the methodology they used to
establish them, which raises concerns regarding the verification of their
work. “H&M proudly announced reduced overtimes, higher wages and
increased worker satisfaction in the company’s living wage pilot programs.
However, these outcomes are impossible to verify, as H&M has refused to
disclose the names of these model factories or the methodology for
determining wages,” said Athit Kong, Vice President of the Coalition of
Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union in a statement. “Further,
despite their much-publicized partnerships with groups working to improve
conditions across the supply chain, information about actions taken under
these collaborations is not easily available.”
“H&M’s PR rings hollow to workers who are struggling everyday to feed their
families. A sustainability model that is put forth and wholly controlled by
H&M but is not founded on genuine respect for organized workers and trade
unions on the ground is never going to result in real change for H&M
production workers,” added Kong. “Instead, it serves as a public relations
facade to cover up systemic abuse.” In response to the report, H&M has
noted that the report “raises important issues and we are dedicated to
contributing to positive long-term development for the people working in
the textile industry in our sourcing markets,” said a company spokesperson
in a statement. “The issues addressed in the report are industrywide
problems. They are often difficult to address as an individual company and
we firmly believe that collaboration is key. That is why partnerships with
organizations such as the ILO, Better Work, SIDA as well as global and
local trade unions are important.”
Ultimately, the reports were designed to encourage the ILO to set a global
standard for supply chains which includes workers protection in terms of
wages, freedom of association and migration through a series of
recommendations outlined in each report. “These recommendations – which
include, for the first time, an outline for an international, cross-border
living wage – are essential in improving the lives of billions of workers
in Asia, the United States and worldwide. We can only hope that they will
listen,” said Sarita Gupta, Executive Director of Jobs with Justice.
Photos 1, 3 & 5: H&M World Recycle Week and Summer 16 campaigns, Facebook
Photos 2, 4 & 6: Gap New Generation and Summer 16 campaigns, Facebook