Various stakeholders of the apparel manufacturing industry have strongly urged that it is now time for action, not just discussion, as the condition on the ground level hasn’t improved much, especially for the workers.
In a virtual discussion ‘Rebuilding the Fashion Industry’ organised by Fashion Takes Action (FTA), Tara Rangarajan, Head of Communications, Brand Relationships and Country Programmes, Better Work Programme (ILO) highlighted to focus on national-level dialogue to understand the gap and the country-specific priorities.
She also insisted on Nationals Social Protection System covering various kinds of workers’ rights.
Mostafiz Uddin, MD, Denim Expert Ltd., Bangladesh was loud and clear while stating that he still has not received the payments for goods shipped in February. He said “ILO has not taken any action against the brands that have not paid to the garment exporters. Where is any tangible action against any buyer who has not paid? It’s time of action, not discussion.”
Hendrik Alpen, Sustainability Engagement Manager, H&M said that industry can work on the isolation of labour cost from price negotiation.
Ayesha Barenblat, Founder, Remake (NGO) said that there should be a sense of urgency regarding workers’ issues. “Brands should publish audit data about who is lowest paid in their supply chain, just publishing names of suppliers is not enough.”
