Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), the leading Swedish fashion retailer has collaborated with IndustriALL Global Union, world’s largest sectorial trade union organization, to train its direct suppliers and their workers in order to improve relations and dialogue between social partners.
Also Read – IndustriALL organises workshop on living wage in Myanmar
Collective bargaining and talks between employer, employees and unions play a big role in wage setting at H&M, Sweden. The brand aims to achieve similar functioning labour market relations in Asia’s low cost countries, for which H&M & the union association would train management and workers in negotiating wages and working conditions.
The training program will initially commence by 2016 in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Turkey, and Cambodia. There are around 600 direct H&M suppliers in these countries. Though each supplier will be demanded to attend the training session but in case any supplier does not want to attend the training then there will be a separate discussion regarding the relation that will be pursued, with that supplier in future. The training would facilitate collective agreements and freedom of association. The workers will be able to negotiate salaries, solve conflicts peacefully and organize themselves in Unions.
Also Read – H&M commits to fundamental rights of garment workers
H&M, is seen by many as active participant on sustainability issues since H&M was an early signatory on Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. However, last month Clean Clothes Campaign and other groups alleged that H&M has done little on correcting the dangers at Bangladeshi suppliers, but H&M dissented on this opinion and said it didn’t recognise itself in the description.
In a separate development, Indian and Bangladeshi unions were in Germany demanding that, Inditex (Zara Germany) should ensure that workers at suppliers should have right to organize. Germany’s Verdi union which coordinated the action, issued a statement emphasizing that 19-hour working days, unsafe factories and low wages were a part of ‘everyday-exploitation’ hence multinational clothing companies must bear responsibility for such conditions.
