(10-2000) This article was cut from a piece called ""Codes Update and Resources" memo" from the Maquila Solidarity Network

1. The Fair Labor Association has hired a director of Accreditation. They have developed criteria for external monitors, which are on their website. According to Sam Brown, Executive Director, they anticipate having external monitoring underway at 15 factories by November 2000. As of September, no Southern NGOs had applied for accreditation as external monitors. For more information see: www.fairlabor.org. United Students Against Sweatshops is continuing campaigning against affiliation to the FLA by US universities.

2. As of October 23, 2000, 61 certified factories are listed on the Social Accountability International (formerly the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency CEPAA) website. Certification at two of those factories is currently in suspension following allegations by Hong Kong labour rights groups of labour rights abuses in violation of the SA8000 code. At present, five commercial auditing firms are accredited to certify factories' compliance with the SA8000 code SGS-ICS (International Certification Services), DNV (Det Norske Veritas), BVQI (Bureau Veritas Quality International), ITS (Intertek Testing Services) and UL (Underwriters Laboratories). The SA8000 website address has been changed. You can now find information about SA8000 at: www.SA-Intl.org

3. The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) held a meeting of its governing board in Washington in early October. The focus of the meeting was on developing the WRC's internal structure. For more information, visit: www.workersrights.org

4. The UK-based Ethical Trading Initiative has released its first annual report, which includes statistical information on supplier compliance to the ETI base code from eleven of ETI's fourteen member companies. Of the 1,183 suppliers evaluated, 781 had areas of non-compliance -- primarily in the areas of working hours, living wage, health and safety, and freedom of association. ETI currently has a pilot project underway in Costa Rica in the banana sector. The second ETI conference "Getting to Work on Ethical Trading" will take place on November 29, 2000. For more information, visit: www.ethicaltrade.org.

ETI has come under fire from Labour Rights in China (LARIC) regarding difficulties LARIC encountered in attempting to work with ETI on a China garment pilot project. See LARIC and the Ethical Trading Initiative, China Labour Bulletin, Issue No. 55, July-August 2000 (www.china-labour.org.hk/eindex.htm). Let us know if you'd like the article translated into Spanish. Recently, ETI has initiated discussions with labour rights groups in Sri Lanka to initiate a garment pilot project there.

5. After more than a month of talks, negotiations between the German Clean Clothes Campaign(CCC) and Adidas broke down on a plan for independent monitoring of six Adidas-Solomon suppliers, including Formosa Textile which has been the target of allegations of sweatshop abuses, including forced overtime and incidents of verbal, physical and sexual abuse. Adidas terminated negotiations on April 13. In September 2000, Adidas announced that that it would stop sourcing from Formosa because Formosa management refused to allow Adidas monitors access for "unannounced" visits. The Clean Clothes campaign responded by reiterating its demand that transnational companies do all in their power to improve working conditions and "not shy away from social responsibility by cutting business relations." For more information, visit: www.cleanclothes.org.

RESOURCES

Labour Practices in the Footwear, Leather, Textiles and Clothing Industries.
Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on Labour Practices in the Footwear, Leather, Textiles and Clothing Industries. International Labour Office, Geneva, September 16 20, 2000. www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/techmeet/tmlfi00/tmlfir.htm The report includes detailed information on the changing structure of the industry worldwide, as well as updates on labour practices and wages. It assesses recent developments related to ILO "fundamental principles" such as child labour, freedom of association, discrimination, and forced labour and also includes reference to codes of conduct and other private sector initiatives.

And from Central America Have you seen? Códigos de Conducta y Monitoreo en la Industria de Confección. Experiences Internationales y Regionales con Ronald Koepke, Norma Molina y Carolina Quinteros (copiladores), Ediciones: Heinrich Boll, Marzo 2000, 223pps. Contact -- GMIES@amnetsal.com. [Spanish only]

COVERCO Second Public Report, Independent Monitoring Report with Liz Claiborne, Inc., June 2000. Contact: coverco@infovia.com.gt. [English and Spanish]

Your questions and comments are always welcome! **************************************************************
Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) / Ethical Trading Action Group (ETAG) 606 Shaw Street, Toronto Ontario M6G 3L6 CANADA

Tel: 416-532-8584 / Fax: 416-532-7688 Web: www.maquilasolidarity.org